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Celeste Information
Celeste
https://www.figdatabase.com/variety-details/89/celeste
Description
Small to medium fig with light brown to violet skin and strawberry pulp. Pyriform with tapering neck. Small, Closed Eye . The eye remains green until the fig is almost ripe (unlike Brown Turkey). Very cold Hardy . Excellent fig - arguably the finest Southern fig, but usually disappointing in California and the Southwest. Small chewy violet tinged over bronze colored figs with rosy amber flesh are packed full of flavor and great for drying (can almost dry on the tree). Widely adapted, and manageable tree. Early Ripening.
Ripens in late June & into July in the deep south. Has tendency to drop when immature, but grows out of it. Small to medium fig with light brown to violet skin and strawberry pulp. Pyriform with tapering neck. Small, Closed Eye . The eye remains green until the fig is almost ripe (unlike Brown Turkey). Very cold Hardy . Excellent fig -- arguably the finest Southern fig, but usually disappointing in California and the Southwest.
Condit Monograph
As Malta: (syns. Small Brown, Celeste, Celestial, Sugar, Blue Celeste, Celeste Violette). Described as Malta by Miller (1768), Hanbury (1770), Forsyth (1803), Brookshaw (1812, with color plate), Green (1824), George Lindley (1831), Holley (1854), M'Intosh (1855), Dochnahl (1855), and by Bunyard and Thomas (1904). Described as Celeste by Affleck (1850, 1852, 1854), White (1868), Massey (1893), Burnette (1894), Eisen (1885, 1897, 1901*),8 Earle (1900), Price and White (1902*), Starnes (1903*), Starnes and Monroe (1907), Anon. (1908), Van Velzer (1909*), Reimer (1910*), Potts (1917), Gould (1919*), Hume (1915*), W. S. Anderson (1924-1928), Mowry and Weber (1925), Woodroof and Bailey (1931*), Stansel and Wyche (1932), Woodard (1938, 1940), Ashley (1940), and Condit (1941a*, 1947*).
The identity of the Celeste fig, so widely grown in the southern United States, has long been in doubt. White (1868) suggested that it might prove to be the Malta described by previous authors. Others seem to have overlooked this suggestion, but a close comparison of descriptions of Malta and Celeste leaves no doubt of their identity. English writers reiterate the statement of Miller, that Malta shrivels on the tree and becomes a fine sweetmeat. Stansel and Wyche report that in Texas, Celeste will dry on the tree to some extent without Souring . Bunyard and Thomas state that Malta ''is in all respects like Brown Turkey except in the shape of the fruits, which are shorter and of peg-top shape.'' Figue d'Automne or Celeste, listed by Ballon (1692), and Liger (1702), as bearing fruit which may remain on the tree during the winter and mature in the spring, is apparently a different variety.
Accession : DFIC 80 - GRIN -Global Web v 1.10.6.1
California Rare Fruit Growers, Vol. 23, No.6, December 1991:
Plump, small-to-medium size fruit. Tightly Closed Eye . Beautiful light-violet to violet-brown skin. Sweet, firm, juicy white flesh resists spoilage. Excellent fresh or dried. Tangy aftertaste when fresh. Small tree.
The fruit is small (10-15 grams each) and violet to brown with a light strawberry-colored pulp. It is very good in quality as a fresh, canned or preserved product. The fruit droops at maturity and has a Closed Eye . This makes it highly resistant to splitting and Souring . The fruit has a slender stalk and tapering neck. Leaves generally have three lobes but may have three to five lobes. This variety makes a dark preserve and is processed as a specialty item. It is also an excellent home orchard variety for fresh and processed use.
The Celeste fig is small, brown to purple in color and adapted to all areas of Texas. Celeste is the most cold Hardy of all Texas fig varieties. The tree is large, vigorous and very productive. Celeste usually does not have a Breba crop; the Main crop ripens in mid-June before the Main crop of other Texas fig varieties. Celeste fruit has a tightly Closed Eye which inhibits the entry ofthe dried Fruit Beetle . The fruit does not have excessive Souring on the tree. Celeste has excellent fresh dessert quality with a rich sweet flavor. It is an excellent processing fig, either frozen or processed as fig preserves. Do not Prune mature Celeste trees heavily because this can reduce the crop.
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Member Descriptions
2AngelsMushrooms From Zone 7 On Jan 20 2021
I presently have 100+ varieties in my collection, yet I still love the berry flavor of my Celeste. (not to be confused with Improved Celeste, which is a sugar fig and quite different.) It might not be considered a ‘top-tier fig’ but it is an excellent fig that shouldn’t be overlooked. It is an heirloom that has persisted in popularity for good reason. It produces a strong main crop over a brief period of a few weeks making it great for jam and preserves. In 2020, my tree ripened some of its 3rd crop for the first time, which was a nice surprise. (FYI the breba crop always drops.) Chattanooga had well over 70+” of rain in 2020, yet I have never once seen it split here. We have very high humidity, too, and Celeste has a closed eye so it doesn’t spoil. This is one of the reasons that LSU chose Celeste as the foundation mother tree in its breeding program. Celeste is a fig that especially shines here in the Southeast as a reliable producer once established. One thing to note is that it tends to drop its main crop when the tree is young, so be patient. Also, the variety becomes more cold tolerant as it matures. In it's 7th and 8th winters, I have not protected it at all and have zero cold damage despite experiencing temps down to 15 F on several occasions this winter. However, when the tree was young, it did require protection here in 7-B and twice died to the ground, but has since outgrown that.
Najamm From Zone 9 On Nov 06 2019
Great fig with refreshing sweet taste. Does not split in houston humidity or rains. Best to pick when fully ripe but still tastes refreshing if not.
