As Promised...

The latest offerings from the Cracker Garden:

 Sugar Ann Snap Peas, a favorite from last year, one of two heirloom varieties in our garden this year.

 That darling little blip is the fruit of Frageria vesca the woodland strawberry.  A native here and brand new to our garden this year.  I photographed it here next to a medium sized farmer's market berry so you could see the size difference.  Quite a spread!  The flavor is intense and wonderful, but as my husband said after eating two at once, "That's about an eighth of a mouthful!"  He's right, they're not going to fill you up, that's for sure.  But he suggested, and I agree, that it would be a great little thing to put on a salad.  I'm already dreaming up ideas for next year's crop since we ate this year's entire crop just testing them out...

Another native plant, Claytonia perfoliata aka miner's lettuce.  Likes part sun, moist conditions, and sandy soil.  Pretty much the exact conditions of my garden... Especially the shady wet part...  =) This is another new one for my garden.  It's quite a delicious little thing (each leaf being no bigger than a quarter) and it tastes a lot like spinach.  Having a time keeping the slugs off of it currently, so I'll have to consider that next year, but the few leaves we've gotten made nice additions to salads and sandwiches and I like to have a little sample every time I go into my garden!

Next up: Chives, Thyme, and Red Huckleberries!