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Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
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Fig & Almond Cake


A lady who visited our garden back in June brought us figs. I made the following cake which was very simple and fast. The figs were honey figs and very delicious. They were really sweet so I omitted sprinkling them with sugar. 

Fig and Almond Cake

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus butter for greasing the pan
1 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinking
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp. almond extract
12 to 14 ripe figs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan or pie pan.

Combine the almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor and grind into a coarse powder.

Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to combine.

Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, honey and almond extract. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Remove the stems from the figs and cut in half. Arrange the figs cut-side up over the batter. Sprinkle the figs with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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