The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale is taking place now. There are bare root strawberries, raspberries, black raspberries, elderberries, blackberries, asparagus and horseradish, along with potted blueberries at excellent prices.

This sale is pre-order only. People may order online with a credit card or download the order forms (to print and mail in with a check) at go.ncsu.edu/haywoodplantsales. 

Among my favorite things is to be walking in the woods and come across a patch of wild edible fruits. How quickly a leisurely stroll or difficult hike in the woods can offer a refreshing trailside treat or even enough abundance to make pies and jam just from noticing ripe fruits and knowing that they are edible and delicious. 

You need a sweet treat but don't want to add too many calories or carbohydrates/sugar to your meals ...what can you do?

Here are 10 ideas to satisfy that craving without going overboard and that contain nutrients that will contribute to health more so than just having candy or a pastry: 

At the higher elevations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains grows a special and sacred tree whose red berries glow in the full sun against a clear blue-sky. Steeped in folklore and traditions brought by European settlers and colonizers, the sight of the rowan tree (Sorbus americanus) must have filled the hearts of Scotch and Irish descendants with nostalgia for home. 

One day last December, a flock of robins descended on the loaded winterberry hollies in our yard, their red breasts making the clump look like it was hung with big Christmas tree ornaments.

Many of us may be tired of cranberries by now, having eaten our fill, and then some, at our recent fall harvest celebrations. And whether you were on team fresh cranberry sauce, or you prefer the canned cranberries, you ate the fruit of a plant native to North America called large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon).