Celeste Additional Information

Condit writes that its proper name is Malta, but no one uses that name. (004) (006) (012)

Fruit small to medium, pear-shaped. Skin light purple, splitting naturally as it ripens. Flesh deep reddish to amber. Few seeds. Rich, sweet flavor. Excellent for drying. (002)

A Southern tradition, long-lived and hardy. The "eye" at the bottom of the fruit is small, keeping insects out. Fruits main crop early on last year's wood. Good for pots. Zones 6-9. (003)

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 which allows it to be easily distinguished from Brown Turkey the eye of which turns red quite early. Leaf: typically small; base subcordate; 3-5 lobes; margins crenate. Very cold hardy. [Condit and other experts write that Celeste will not bear on new wood in years in which it is frozen back. There are some strains, possibly the original, of which this is true, but J. Stewart Nagle has identified at least two strains which will bear on new wood. I also have one that bears on new wood after a freeze and is otherwise indistinguishable from the Celeste Condit describes.] Excellent fresh, dried or as preserves. Breaks up when stewed. Main crop only. Well-adapted in the Eastern United States, but usually unsatisfactory in California and the Southwest. (006)

Small to medium fruit. Purplish colored skin. Flesh white to rose colored. Firm, juicy, sweetest of all. Coastal (007) 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 of the 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. (009)

Celeste is probably the most popular common fig variety for growing in Mississippi. The fruit is small, pear-shaped, light brown to violet bronze in color with a pink pulp and a very sweet taste. This plant is vigorous, large, and productive and is the most cold-hardy of the common fig varieties. Celeste is resistant to souring and splitting and matures in July. (010)

Small, bluish purple, reddish pulp. Drops when ripe. Most are canned in S. United States. Good on coast. (011) Small to medium fig with light brown to violet skin and strawberry pulp.. Very cold hardy. Excellent fig of high quality. Excellent to cultivate in Canada. (013)

Commercial variety in USA, violet skin, light colored, firm flesh. (014)

Pear-shaped, ribbed, sometimes with a short neck and slender stalk to 3/4 in (2 cm) long; the eye (opening at apex) is closed; the fruit is small to medium; the skin purplish-brown or bronze tinged with purple and covered with bloom; the pulp whitish or pinkish amber, of rich flavor and good quality; almost seedless. Main crop is heavy but of short duration. There is rarely an early, "breba", crop. (019) Widely grown in the South. Fruit small, purplish-bronze to light brown with closed eye, ripening from mid-July to mid-August. Does not bear fruit in season following severe freeze damage. (020)

[S]imilar to Brown Turkey, but smaller and with a closed eye. Excellent flavored fruit that tends to fall when ripe. Tree bears one heavy crop a year, mid-July to mid-August. (030)

Small to medium, skin is light violet to violet-brown, flesh reddish amber. Sweet, usually dried. Light breba crop. Tightly closed eye. Small, productive, hardy. (023) (075)

Skin and flesh colors: Strawberry-brown; strawberry Very hardy and one of the most widely grown in the South. Often disappointing in the West. Use small- to average- sized, crunchy and juicy figs fresh, dried, processed, or in preserves. Fruits resist both splitting and souring. Tree produces no spring crop. (022)

Small to medium size, skin is light violet to violet-brown, flesh reddish amber. Very sweet, usually dried. Tightly closed eye, good for Southeast, no good in North. Small, productive, hardy. (026) (026a)

Sweet, violet brown fruit; hardy to zone 7. (036)

Fig Varieties for South Carolina : Celeste Lt. brown to violet Small Very good Excellent (061)

A Southern tradition, long-lived and hardy. The "eye" at the bottom of the fruit is small, keeping insects out. Fruits main crop early on last year’s wood. Good for pots. (071)

This strain bears on 1st year wood after a freeze. Tends to start growing in warm weather in late winter so it does tend to freeze back. (001c)

Small-medium, firm, juicy, sweet, excellent quality, flesh white, (062)

[T]he main variety recommended for home planting in Middle Georgia. The fresh fruit quality of this variety is superior to other varieties grown in the South. The fruit is small and light brown to violet. During the dormant season, the wood of Celeste is slightly more tolerant to cold than the wood of other varieties. During extremely hot weather, this variety may drop part of its crop. (005)

Celeste is a good tree (it's the standard fig for the South-East that all others are judged by), but it produces only one crop, (907)

Figs for East Texas: White Texas everbearing is supposed to be the sweetest of them all. Also Celeste is superb tasting and should be trouble free in your area.Texas everbearing is also adapted to your area, (918)

I live in Central Texas and I am having good results with both Celeste and Texas Everbearing, (930)

[A] fairly hardy variety. Its fruit is small and violet or light brown. The pulp is a light strawberry pink. The fruit is good fresh or when used in canning or making preserves. Celeste will begin to ripen its fruit in mid-July. [Suggested for No Carolina](077)

[T]he main variety recommended for home planting in Middle Georgia. The fresh fruit quality of this variety is superior to other varieties grown in the South. The fruit is small and light brown to violet. During the dormant season, the wood of Celeste is slightly more tolerant to cold than the wood of other varieties. During extremely hot weather, this variety may drop part of its crop, (078)

[Sold as "Hardy Celeste"] One of the most beloved trees in the traditional southern home garden, Celeste Fig is also known as Blue Celeste, Sugar Fig and Honey Fig... the traditional names all reflect some regional affection for the wonderfully sweet fruit. Celeste produces many small to medium-sized figs that ripen to a light violet-brown exterior with a reddish interior. The small fruits are very sweet, as the common names suggest, and can be easily dried. The closed "eye" on these figs helps prevent wasp/insect damage. When southern customers tell us they are looking for "the fig that my grandmother had in her yard" or when cooks say they want the small fig that can be preserved whole, we almost always know that they are seeking Celeste. This is an excellent, hardy fig for the southern and mid-Atlantic states. It grows into a large, hardy tree with very large, visually striking leaves. Because the smaller figs ripen early, this is also a good choice for areas with shorter summer seasons. (016)

Celeste
Additional Information
USDA / UC Davis Accession Data
Condit writes that its proper name is Malta, but no one uses that name. (004) (006) (012) Fruit small to medium, pear-shaped. Skin light purple, splitting naturally as it ripens. Flesh deep reddish to amber. Few seeds. Rich, sweet flavor. Excellent for drying. (002) A Southern tradition, long-lived and hardy. The "eye" at the bottom of the fruit is small, keeping insects out. Fruits main crop early on last year's wood. Good for pots. Zones 6-9. (003) 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 which allows it to be easily distinguished from Brown Turkey the eye of which turns red quite early. Leaf: typically small; base subcordate; 3-5 lobes; margins crenate. Very cold hardy. [Condit and other experts write that Celeste will not bear on new wood in years in which it is frozen back. There are some strains, possibly the original, of which this is true, but J. Stewart Nagle has identified at least two strains which will bear on new wood. I also have one that bears on new wood after a freeze and is otherwise indistinguishable from the Celeste Condit describes.] Excellent fresh, dried or as preserves. Breaks up when stewed. Main crop only. Well-adapted in the Eastern United States, but usually unsatisfactory in California and the Southwest. (006) Small to medium fruit. Purplish colored skin. Flesh white to rose colored. Firm, juicy, sweetest of all. Coastal (007) 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 of the 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. (009) Celeste is probably the most popular common fig variety for growing in Mississippi. The fruit is small, pear-shaped, light brown to violet bronze in color with a pink pulp and a very sweet taste. This plant is vigorous, large, and productive and is the most cold-hardy of the common fig varieties. Celeste is resistant to souring and splitting and matures in July. (010) Small, bluish purple, reddish pulp. Drops when ripe. Most are canned in S. United States. Good on coast. (011) Small to medium fig with light brown to violet skin and strawberry pulp.. Very cold hardy. Excellent fig of high quality. Excellent to cultivate in Canada. (013) Commercial variety in USA, violet skin, light colored, firm flesh. (014) Pear-shaped, ribbed, sometimes with a short neck and slender stalk to 3/4 in (2 cm) long; the eye (opening at apex) is closed; the fruit is small to medium; the skin purplish-brown or bronze tinged with purple and covered with bloom; the pulp whitish or pinkish amber, of rich flavor and good quality; almost seedless. Main crop is heavy but of short duration. There is rarely an early, "breba", crop. (019) Widely grown in the South. Fruit small, purplish-bronze to light brown with closed eye, ripening from mid-July to mid-August. Does not bear fruit in season following severe freeze damage. (020) [S]imilar to Brown Turkey, but smaller and with a closed eye. Excellent flavored fruit that tends to fall when ripe. Tree bears one heavy crop a year, mid-July to mid-August. (030) Small to medium, skin is light violet to violet-brown, flesh reddish amber. Sweet, usually dried. Light breba crop. Tightly closed eye. Small, productive, hardy. (023) (075) Skin and flesh colors: Strawberry-brown; strawberry Very hardy and one of the most widely grown in the South. Often disappointing in the West. Use small- to average- sized, crunchy and juicy figs fresh, dried, processed, or in preserves. Fruits resist both splitting and souring. Tree produces no spring crop. (022) Small to medium size, skin is light violet to violet-brown, flesh reddish amber. Very sweet, usually dried. Tightly closed eye, good for Southeast, no good in North. Small, productive, hardy. (026) (026a) Sweet, violet brown fruit; hardy to zone 7. (036) Fig Varieties for South Carolina : Celeste Lt. brown to violet Small Very good Excellent (061) A Southern tradition, long-lived and hardy. The "eye" at the bottom of the fruit is small, keeping insects out. Fruits main crop early on last year’s wood. Good for pots. (071) This strain bears on 1st year wood after a freeze. Tends to start growing in warm weather in late winter so it does tend to freeze back. (001c) Small-medium, firm, juicy, sweet, excellent quality, flesh white, (062) [T]he main variety recommended for home planting in Middle Georgia. The fresh fruit quality of this variety is superior to other varieties grown in the South. The fruit is small and light brown to violet. During the dormant season, the wood of Celeste is slightly more tolerant to cold than the wood of other varieties. During extremely hot weather, this variety may drop part of its crop. (005) Celeste is a good tree (it's the standard fig for the South-East that all others are judged by), but it produces only one crop, (907) Figs for East Texas: White Texas everbearing is supposed to be the sweetest of them all. Also Celeste is superb tasting and should be trouble free in your area.Texas everbearing is also adapted to your area, (918) I live in Central Texas and I am having good results with both Celeste and Texas Everbearing, (930) [A] fairly hardy variety. Its fruit is small and violet or light brown. The pulp is a light strawberry pink. The fruit is good fresh or when used in canning or making preserves. Celeste will begin to ripen its fruit in mid-July. [Suggested for No Carolina](077) [T]he main variety recommended for home planting in Middle Georgia. The fresh fruit quality of this variety is superior to other varieties grown in the South. The fruit is small and light brown to violet. During the dormant season, the wood of Celeste is slightly more tolerant to cold than the wood of other varieties. During extremely hot weather, this variety may drop part of its crop, (078) [Sold as "Hardy Celeste"] One of the most beloved trees in the traditional southern home garden, Celeste Fig is also known as Blue Celeste, Sugar Fig and Honey Fig... the traditional names all reflect some regional affection for the wonderfully sweet fruit. Celeste produces many small to medium-sized figs that ripen to a light violet-brown exterior with a reddish interior. The small fruits are very sweet, as the common names suggest, and can be easily dried. The closed "eye" on these figs helps prevent wasp/insect damage. When southern customers tell us they are looking for "the fig that my grandmother had in her yard" or when cooks say they want the small fig that can be preserved whole, we almost always know that they are seeking Celeste. This is an excellent, hardy fig for the southern and mid-Atlantic states. It grows into a large, hardy tree with very large, visually striking leaves. Because the smaller figs ripen early, this is also a good choice for areas with shorter summer seasons. (016)