Brown Turkey

Small tree. Fruit medium. Skin mahogany-brown, tinged purple. Flesh amber to pink. Few seeds. Best eaten fresh - not recommended for canning or drying. Rich flavor. (002)

Small to medium, light-brown to violet fruit with strawberry pulp. Turbinate to oblique, mostly without neck. Small eye which has a reddish color from a very early stage (unlike Celeste) . Leaf: typically small; base subcordate; 3 lobes; margins crenate. Cold hardy. It fruits on new growth if winter killed. Often bears two crops a year. Condit writes that it is very sweet, but not rich. My own experience is that is not as rich as Celeste, but is considerably better than passable. Good fresh or as preserves. Synonyms: Eastern Brown Turkey, English Brown Turkey, Everbearing, La Perpetuelle, Lee's Perpetual, Texas Everbearing. (006)

Medium to large fruit. Purplish-green skin with strawberry colored flesh. Production is mainly from the second crop (July-September) . Sweet best eaten fresh, inferior for canning or drying. Coastal, Inland valleys. (007)

Brown Turkey is variable around the country depending on the source. This clone has both an early and late crop of good sized, slightly bronze colored fruit, with pinkish or light amber flesh. (008)

This variety has the longest ripening season of the recommended varieties. Although it is not quite as cold hardy as Celeste, it will, if injured by a freeze, produce fair-to-good crops on sucker wood the next season. This is an advantage in areas troubled by late spring frosts. The fruit is medium to large, with a reddish-brown skin tinged with purple. The pulp is reddish-pink and of good quality. It is subject to cracking in wet weather and has a larger eye than Celeste and hence will sour more quickly. The fruit is excellent for making home preserves. (009)

Brown, average size to large fig. Quality is fair. Two crops. (013)

Medium sized, late season (March) , brownish striped fruit with pinkish flesh. Excellent for jam. Second crop is main crop. Hardy tree. (014)

broad-pyriform, usually without neck; medium to large; copper-colored; pulp is whitish shading to pink or light red; of good to very good quality; with few seeds. The tree is prolific. The main crop, beginning in mid-July, is large; the early, breba, crop is small. This cultivar is well adapted to warm climates. It is grown on all the islands of Hawaii. (019)

At Saharanpur, India, 'Brown Turkey', 'Bangalore', 'Black Ischia' and 'Lucknow' are successfully grown. Around Bombay, there is only one variety, 'Poona'. (019)

In Queensland, 'Brown Turkey', 'Adriatic', 'Genoa' and 'Purple Genoa' perform very well. (019)

Rivals 'Celeste' in popularity. Moderate size fruit of bronze color with medium eye opening. Ripens in late July until late fall and will fruit following severe freeze damage. (020)

[A] popular variety, producing moderate to large-sized fruit of bronze color. Though often rated as one of the best-flavored figs, an open eye makes this fig prone to souring in SW Florida's humid climate. Fruiting season begins with small spring crop followed by larger summer and/or fall crop. (030)

Origin Provence. Medium, skin is purplish brown, flesh pinkish amber. Good flavor. Best when fresh. Light breba crop. Small, hardy, vigorous tree. Prune severely for heaviest main crop. (023) (075)

Brown; amber. Highly recommended for California and the Southwest. Average- to large-sized fruits have few seeds and are best fresh. Not recommended for drying or canning, this is one of the few figs grown for fresh market. They have a moderately open eye so are prone to souring in humid regions. Small tree is hardy and productive with two crops a year. (022)

Originally from Provence in France. Fruit is pyriform fruit with dark brown skin and red juicy flesh. Very hardy and gives 2 crops annually. Medium, skin is purplish brown. Good flavor. Best when fresh. Light breba crop. Small, hardy, vigorous tree. Prune severely for a heavier main crop. Listed by Ikin in all the state fruit collections in 1974. Railtons catalogue of 1880's states that this variety ripens from the end of February to the middle of March in Victoria. A popular commercial variety in Australia widely sold. (Australia) (021)

From Provence. Medium sized, skin is purplish brown, flesh pinkish amber. Good flavor. Best when fresh. Small, hardy, vigorous tree. Prune severely for heaviest main crop. Does best in southern California. (026) (026a)

This variety is highly recommended due to its long ripening season compared to the other varieties. The good quality fruit is recommended for fresh eating in contrast to drying or preserving. The fruits are medium sized with thin, tough brown skin tinged with purple. The pulp is a rosy pink with a rich flavor. Fruit is harvested during February, March and April. (Australia) (032)

Several different cultivars go by this name. Usually it is a very hardy, two-cropper with sweet fruit. (036)

Figs [are] generally disease resistant. [M]any varieties of fig need more heat than provided in western Washington. Desert King, Brown Turkey, Lattarula, Neveralla, Peter's Honey (or Italian Honey) are [some] early varieties that will ripen reliably. (038)

The largest of our figs with watermelon-colored flesh and violet-brown skin. Light breba crop, heavy main crop. Requires considerable heat to ripen evenly, use a brick or masonry wall in coastal California. Vigorous grower, for large spaces. (057)

The varieties most successfully grown here in Tucson are the ‘Brown Turkey' and ‘Black Mission' fig. Both are common fig varieties that do not require pollination to produce mature fruit. Brown Turkey produces medium-sized, flavorful fruit with mahogany brown to purple skin. The fruit is best eaten fresh and is not good for canning or drying. For best fruiting, Brown Turkey requires heavy annual pruning to encourage maximum fruit production. Prune in the Winter when the tree is dormant and it is easy to see the overall form. (058)

The earliest fig on the market, huge, pyriform, dark brown, flesh red, juicy, very hardy {Goodmans 1914}. Large fig; first class quality; a good bearer (Railton 1880). Mid to late, medium size, brown skin, pinkish brown flesh, vigorous tree, breba crop light. Can be trained as a of annual shoots cut back each winter (Baxter 1981). One of the hardiest figs, sweet but often a little bland, crops for 3 months from February (Glowinski 1991). [Sci]. Still commercially available, Flemings. GG #2, SC #11, KA.(Australia) (060)

Fig Varieties for South Carolina : Brown Turkey Bronze Medium Good Excellent (061)There are Brown Turkeys that [have] an open eye, and other Brown Turkeys, that [have] semi-closed eye. [Trees] with an very open eye, and [a humid climate] are not a good match. In Texas, ... I found out that the best adapted [variety] is "Texas Everbearing", which if true to name, should have a closed eye. (918)

As figs go it seems [Thomas Jefferson] grew Marseilles, Angelique, and Brown Turkey with the Marseilles fig being his favorite. (921)

There are Brown Turkeys that have an open eye,and other Brown Turkeys that have semiclosed eye. Anyway, if your tree has a very open eye, and if your climate is humid, it is not a good match. In Texas where you live, I have found that the best adapted is "Texas Everbearing", which if it is true to name should have a closed eye. Just ask about it before ordering. It is also a high quality fig. (918)

Medium-large, bell shaped, brownish-purplish skin, strawberry flesh. (062)

Brown Turkey is another variety that can be planted in this area. Although the wood of Brown Turkey is not as cold hardy as that of Celeste, after a severe freeze, suckers will usually develop from the roots to form a new plant. The fruit of Brown Turkey is excellent in quality, bronze colored and medium in size. (005)

I live in East Texas and have had great luck with Texas Everbearing, Brown Turkey, Alma, Kadota and Black Mission as well as my favorite the LSU Purple. (931)

Medium to large, elongated fruit with brownish maroon markings. Finegrained, sweet, juicy, firm, meaty flesh with a sugary, rich flavor. Excellent for jams, drying or eating fresh. Handsome, low bushy plants grow 10’ tall, but can be pruned. Bears June through frost. Selected for its high fruit quality. Self-fertile, hardy to 10 degrees F. (076)

It is not to be confused with the Brown Turkey variety of California. Its fruit is medium to large with a light coppery brown skin and amber pulp. It produces a light crop of large fruit 2 weeks earlier than Celeste and a heavy crop of medium-sized fruit 2 to 3 weeks after Celeste. The fruit has good quality for fresh use and is excellent for preserves. Brown Turkey adapts well to being grown in containers. Brown Turkey produces fair-to-good crops on suckers produced the season following freeze or cold injury. [Suggested for No Carolina](077)

[R]ecommended for home planting in Middle Georgia Although the wood of Brown Turkey is not as cold hardy as that of Celeste, after a severe freeze, suckers will usually develop from the roots to form a new plant. The fruit of Brown Turkey is excellent in quality, bronze colored and medium in size. (005)

The [following] names were cited as synonyms in Fig Varieties: Hilgardia, Vol. 23, No. 11, 1955, p. 428, by Condit; in The Fig in Georgia, Georgia Experiment Station, Bull. 77, 1907, p. 91, by Starnes and Monroe; in Fig Growing in the South, USDA, Handbook 196, p. 5, by Krezdorn and Adriance; in Fig Culture in California, Circular 77, 1933, p. 11, by Condit; and in Ortho Book 'Citrus and Subtropical Fruit' Memo, 1985, by Claude Sweet: Black San Pedro, Ashride Forcing, Blue, Brown Naples, Early Howick, Murrey, Fleur Rauge, Turkey, Pedro, Eastern Brown Turkey, Brown Italian, Turquie Brune, Brunswick, Walton, Small Blue, Italian Large Blue, Long Naples, Common Blue. (049b)

Info on this variety from Sanders, Figs in Containers, Fruit Gardeners, California Rare Fruit Growers, Vol. 23, No.6, December 1991: Medium-to-large, elongated fruit with brownish maroon skin. Large open eye. Fine-grained, sweet, juicy, firm, meaty flesh. Excellent for jams, canning, drying, or eating fresh. Vigorous, small tree. Prune severely. Info from Commercial Dried Fig Production in California, University of California, Leaflet 21051, p. 5, November 1978: A European variety, probably introduced into U.S. from England. It is not recommended for planting as a dried fig variety. Brown Turkey trees produce a few large breba figs that are utilized fresh. The second crop has medium to large fruits that are also shipped to the fresh market. The eye is fairly open and the fruit is subject to insect infestations and souring. (049b)

The large pear shaped fruit are brown with occasional purple tinge. Sugary rich flesh at centre. Excellent on garden walls or in a greenhouse. Easy to force in pots. A reliable early abundant variety. (089)

The best loved fig in America! Brown Turkey fig has been grown throughout the world. The name refers the color of the ripe fig and the country of origin (although some experts say the origin is the gourmet region of Provence, France). Brown Turkey produces large fruit with a purple-brown skin, the interior is a rich amber pink. The fig is known for reliably good flavor and outstanding hardiness, including a strong ability to tolerate salt water. Many of the fig trees gracing the mid-Atlantic coastline through hurricanes and Nor'easters are Brown Turkey. (016)

BROWN TURKEY HD

This was a tree purchased at a Home Depot store on the east coast, which does not have the "normal" purplish fruit associated with Brown Turkey. Rather, the fruit is more bronze colored. Vigorous grower, not overly fruitful. (910)

BROWN TURKEY MD

This tree is was grown from cuttings from a "Brown Turkey" tree in Maryland. It clearly is not a Brown Turkey, and has not been further identified. Has a somewhat "peachy" flavor. (910)