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Highfield Farm Garden (Monmouthshire, Wales)

I am lagging behind with my England tour posts, not that there is an urgency, but I know if I don't get them recorded and organized, my feeble memory will begin to muddle them. The three previous gardens ( Hidcote , Kiftsgate , and Bourton House ) were visited on the first day of the tour.   Day 2 took us across the border into Wales, where we saw two gardens.  Our group (about 25 people) rode in a comfortable bus, and everyone kept saying that it was much smaller than the buses they normally used. I thought it was fine, and most of the time, I had my aisle to myself. Unlike the Japan trip, where our mode of transportation changed daily, we kept the same bus during the entire trip. I soon learned that it was best for my mental health to sit on the right side of the bus. The country lanes of England are indeed as narrow as they appear on television, and the ever-present hedgerows grow right next to the roadside. Watching these hedgerows fly by within an inch of your window...

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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