(Fragaria vesca) These have been one of the most talked-about plants on the farm these past few years. While they are easy to miss amidst the wild tangles of fantastical plant forms that are Uprising Seeds' home farm, on a warm summer day, even with eyes closed, they are easily found by just following your nose. The plants are diminutive, and the fruits are even more so, rarely more than an inch long and creamy white in color. There is a surprising amount of flavor and scent packed in those little fruits, though. Almost as though a group of five-year-olds designed them, they are bombastic cartoonish candied exaggerations of strawberries for the senses. The texture was polarizing for some: when you let them achieve peak ripeness, the fruits have a melting and somewhat mushy texture, but they are such a small bite it did not offend many, and the rewards of flavor are considerable. A fun addition to the garden, the everbearing plants will produce some fruit late in the first year from seed (if started in early spring) and then all season the following couple years. They do not require much care once established, and can be divided in subsequent seasons to keep productive or re-started from seed. UO
