The only thing different I would have done is put leaves inside the burlap. It should be fine, especially since this winter (it's not over yet) has been great for figs. Much better than last year and unless you are positioned on a Northern exposure I wouldn't think you had to cover it. To me the hardest part about covering figs is deciding when to remove the cover so as to not get the tree molded or overheated on warm days. By the way how do the figs taste? (

I don't think you should pinch until you have the tree's shape established. The first couple years are about shape (although getting some fruit is nice). Rest assured, any fruit less than 18 inches from the ground will be enjoyed by a critter of some variety. I don't pinch until my trees get to about this size.

How about a couple of different version of chicken patties: Asian Chicken Patties Note: I didn't measure anything when I made these. So I wrote up the recipe as approximate. Use the recipe as an outline and adjust seasoning to suit personal taste. 1 pound chicken breasts 3/4 cup fresh grated bread crumbs 1 egg 1 large clove of garlic Fresh ginger Asian chili pepper paste Splash of rice wine vinegar Green onions Cilantro Salt Grind chicken breasts in Food processor until it looks like ground chicken. Do not over process. Empty in to large bowl. Add fresh grated bread crumbs. Add egg, minced garlic clove and minced ginger to food processor and pulse. Add green onion, cilantro and splash of rice wine vinegar and chili pepper paste. Pulse to coarsely puree. Add to chicken and bread crumbs. Mix by hand. Fry a taste test piece and adjust seasoning as needed. Shape in to patties. Heat skillet, add peanut oil and saute until cooked. Patties should be lightly browned on both sides. Place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining patties. (I used a cast iron skillet). Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ========================================== Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli ========================================== * Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Tue, Jul 31, 07 at 8:38 Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli CAKES 2 (1 1/2-ounce) slices whole wheat bread 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large egg whites 2 teaspoons canola oil NOTE: I used real Helmans, not low-fat and I added a minced garlic clove and cayenne pepper in place of the cajun seasoning. NOTE: Made my own Aioli. A garlic Lemon Aioli using the extra egg yolks, and adding 3 large cloves of garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest salt, pepper and olive oil. AIOLI: 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt To prepare cakes, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup (discard remaining breadcrumbs). Set breadcrumbs aside. Place chicken in food processor; pulse until ground. Combine chicken, chives, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, egg whites, and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl; mix well (mixture will be wet). Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. ---------------------------------------------------------- These meatballs work with ground chicken or turkey. Pork Meatballs seasoned with Garlic and Fresh Basil =================================================== 1 1/2 pounds ground pork *(or ground turkey or ground chicken) 2 cloves garlic, mashed 1/2 cup fresh basil 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 eggs 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly cracked black pepper salt Sauce olive oil 2 to 3 cloves of garlic 2 cans of tomatoes high quality dried basil salt and pepper 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil For the Meatballs Put the meat in a bowl. Tip: Using a microplane grate the garlic. This is the quickest and easiest way to make a garlic paste. Add the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper. Pulse the basil with the bread crumbs and add to the bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Tip: To check for seasoning by frying a small piece. Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer about one hour. For the Sauce Add the garlic cloves to the oil and saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, dried basil, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs and continue to simmer for about an hour or until the meatballs are tender. Just before serving add fresh chopped basil.

Vladimir, all depends on the size of the tree. Rick, Claire is right. planting it now would encourage the tree to put on some new growth which most likely will not harden off by the time the cold weather arrives. i would store your trees this winter just like you have in the past and then get them in the ground once they break dormancy in the spring as long as there is no longer a threat of frost. All my trees are in 20 gallon pots with maybe 1 or 2 going into the ground possibly next year. all my trees are 4yrs old started from cuttings. as for fertilizer, i give them spring application right around the time they are starting to wake up using Joe Morles recipe. then roughly a month after that i start feeding them every other week with a liquid fish fertilizer called Organic Gem. I stop feeding them mid august just so that they don't put on much new growth. i also sprinkle a handful of garden lime 1-2 times during the season into each pot. once frost hits and all the fig leaves fall off i usually leave the tree outside to get a couple more light frosts to help harden off the new wood. once majority of the new green wood has turned brown, i bring them into my detached garage where they will stay all winter. i dont cover them nor do i provide any heat for them. matter of fact every time it snows its my sons job to place 2-3 grapefruit sized snowballs on each pot to assure that the soil never goes dry. it typically take up to a week for the snowballs to completely melt. sorry for the rambling....