Apr 26, 20203 min read

Fresh Figs with Feta, Honey & Mint

Updated: May 27, 2020

Figs have a special meaning in our home. Our two figs are the foundation of our passion for food and cooking. This summer Todd sprouted two more fig trees from branches of our fig trees. One we gifted to a friend and the other remains here with us. The fig trees grow extremely well here in the Pocono Mountains during the summer on our back deck, producing well over a hundred figs during the season. During the winter months we move them inside where by spring sunshine has them starting to produce figs in our dining room.

Unfortunately out of those hundred figs we may only see a quarter of them make it to the kitchen. The reason? Squirrels! Our squirrels love to eat our figs right off of our trees leaving us fighting for first pick of our figs before they get their mouths on them. And that's not the only thing they have gotten their mouths on. This summer we hosted one of my daughter's good friend's high school graduation party at our home. Our home for whatever reason when we purchased it has no screens for the windows. So for years we lived without them, yes with an occasional bird in the house, but with having numerous dogs in the house a squirrel never made it through the door or a window, until this year.

The morning after the graduation party we awoke to find a strange sight of a bag of Doritos half out the window with a large hole in it. While trying to figure what happened during the midnight hour, we turned to the nest cam footage from the evening. Mystery solved! On the footage you see our bulldog Gracie fast asleep on the sofa, and behind her on the kitchen table there's a squirrel attempting to smuggle the bag of Doritos off the kitchen table and out the window. Only with the sound of the bag crinkling does Gracie slightly lift her head hearing something for a second, then laying her head back to sleep, too lazy to be disturbed. After that we quickly went out and bought temporary screens for our windows to prevent another midnight Doritos attack. Or so we thought.

Later this summer while packing my daughter up to go back to college we were invaded again. Having my daughter's gluten free food in bags in our dining room on a hot summer day, we opened the front door that evening to cool the house off. The next morning we awoke to realize that the front door was still open from the night before and now what appeared to be a package laying on the front porch. Well apparently squirrels like gluten free ramen noodles!! Because there was a package of them on the front porch instead of in the grocery bag in the living room, with a hole in the bag. Needless to say if we left Doritos & ramen noodles outside for the squirrels, more of our figs would make it to our dinner plates. Next year we unfortunately might have to invest in netting for our trees. But for now we savor every fig that we can.

For this fig recipe I kept it very simple with its sweet & savory combination of the figs with the feta cheese. The additional accompaniment of the honey, mint & roasted pistachios brings this appetizer all together. Serve at room temperature with a cheese knife. No crackers are needed making this a carb free, gluten free and vegetarian cheese appetizer.