Miniature!

I'm a sucker for all things miniature...

Including fruit!  Aren't these strawberries tiny!

These are wild strawberries, growing near our house under our plum trees.  My experience with wild strawberries has always been wistful.  There was a patch on the sandy hill under the 18th century cemetery on my parent's property.  The strawberry plants flourished, and I would be excited to spot three tiny red spheres dangling among the whole patch.  There were never any more.  All those plants and just a small nibble of fruit.  I dreamed of having a wild patch where the berries were numerous and free growing.  Where I could nibble to my heart's content.  I didn't think wild strawberries fruited prolifically ever, and so that dream faded to the back of my mind.  Until this spring.  There have been wild strawberries all over our property since we moved in and they spread like crazy, so I usually yanked them out in favor of flowers, etc.  Sometimes I'd spot a berry or two in the lawn, close to the ground where a flower had managed to escape the mower blades.  But this spring, little strawberry plants emerged in a big patch at the top of the hill in my perennial garden.  I was ready to rototill them under and put down mulch, but I noticed how many flowers there were....tons!  I thought it was unusual and couldn't bring myself to destroy such beauty.  I'd wait til the flowers faded, which they eventually did.  However, on inspection I noticed that just about every faded flower was sporting a tiny green strawberry!  I was skeptical...but I just had to see what would happen!  I thought most likely they would dry and fall off before they ripened.  I went out the other day and low and behold...what a bounty!  They were everywhere!  I spent almost an hour picking all I could find, leaving many more green ones to ripen later.  I got a whole bowl full!

And who says dreams don't come true!!  My child self was elated!!  And my do they taste delicious...nature's candy.  Truly.

To be honest, much better tasting than the conventional strawberries I planted last year. 

Look at the size difference!  But give me that one tiny one over the big one any day!

Yum!

Double yum!

And next up to ripen...the black raspberries!!  The whole edge of our property is bursting with more green berries than ever!!  Pie and jam, here we come!!!