Holy Smokes is a California fig discovery that brings something genuinely different to the table: a self-fertile common fig with a velvety brown exterior and a surprise inside. Developed by Eric Durtschi in Southern California, this variety produces medium-sized fruit with delicate light-strawberry red flesh that tastes like honey with barely any seeds getting in the way. It thrives in full sun and can produce fruit in any season, including an early breba crop before the main harvest.
Full Sun
—
?-?
?in H x ?in W
—
High
Hover over chart points for details
The moment you bite into a Holy Smokes fig, you taste the difference: the flesh is abundantly sweet with pronounced honey notes and remarkably light on seeds, a combination many figs struggle to achieve. The exterior is soft and velvet-like to the touch, with a smooth brown skin that signals ripeness. As a self-fertile common fig, it's genuinely low-maintenance and will fruit reliably wherever conditions allow, making it as easy to grow as it is rewarding to eat.
Fresh eating is where Holy Smokes shines. The honey-forward flavor and minimal seed content make it ideal for eating straight from the tree or slicing into a bowl. The tender, delicate flesh also works well in fresh preparations where you want the fig's natural sweetness and texture to remain the centerpiece rather than being cooked down or preserved.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Pick Holy Smokes figs when the skin softens and the fruit yields slightly to gentle pressure. The velvety brown exterior will darken slightly as the fruit ripens, and you'll notice the fig drooping naturally when ready. Since this variety produces both a breba crop early in the season and a main crop, you'll have two harvesting windows to look forward to. Handle carefully given the soft skin, and harvest in the morning when the fruit is still cool.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Holy Smokes emerged from the keen eye of Eric Durtschi in Southern California, who discovered this exceptional cultivar among the diverse figs thriving in the region's climate. Durtschi's work documenting and propagating California fig varieties has helped preserve and share genetics that might otherwise have remained local knowledge. This variety represents the kind of modern fig discovery that builds on decades of California's strong fig-growing tradition, where amateur enthusiasts and collectors continue to find and refine outstanding cultivars.”