She planted two more seeds to replace the losses.Four dandelions total now—enough for patrols and bulb gathering.
After she installed the fresh bulbs and the shield hummed with renewed strength, she returned to her experiments, a little sobered.No more combat plants right now; it was too depressing.But she had other ideas.
She pulled out another seed, this one feeling promising.
Money plant.
Her heart raced.Money, actual currency!If this worked...She planted it in her trade goods section and watched eagerly.
The plant grew quickly, and coins began to form on the branches.Silver coins, shining and perfect.Wren plucked one, examined it closely.It was paper, not metal.She unwrapped it and found a thin mint.Chocolate mint candy, perfectly round, with a sweet mint filling."You havegotto be kidding me," she said, but she was laughing despite her disappointment.It was delicious, cool and chocolatey—but not money.
"Well," Walter said philosophically, "they'll trade well at least.Children love sweets."
True.She gathered several dozen and added them to her trade goods, thinking that they were their own kind of treasure.
Next attempt.
Pigweed.
Pork products would be great!Ham, bacon, sausages were premium trade goods.She planted it hopefully.
The plant grew tall and leafy, and cans began to form.Actual metal cans with labels.Wren picked one up and read the label.
“GreenHam”it said in bold letters.Smaller, it said: “No pig.No problem.”
"Oh, come on!"
She opened it.Inside was exactly what it looked like—processed meat product, pink and formed into a perfect rectangular block.She tried a bite.It tasted like...the famous canned pork product she’d grown up on.Not bad, actually.Salty, savory, and it would keep well.
But not exactly bacon, and certainly not meat.
"It's protein," Walter offered."Shelf-stable protein.That's valuable."
"I know, I just..."She sighed."I was hoping for bacon."
"Weren't we all, madam."
She planted several more pigweed plants anyway.“GreenHam” wasn't glamorous, but it was practical.And it would definitely trade.
Two failures, two semi-successes.She was learning her limits.Time to try something she felt more confident about.
Spaghetti squash.
The plant grew vigorously, and squashes formed—large, oval, golden.When she opened one, actual cooked spaghetti spilled out.Perfectly cooked, still warm, ready to eat.Success!
Beefsteak tomato.
The plant produced what looked like large tomatoes, but when she picked one, it was heavy.Solid.She cut it open and found a perfect steak.Marbled, raw, ready to cook.
"Nowthat'smore like it!"she said, grinning.
She went through more seeds, testing, experimenting:
Sugar maple—produced leaves of crystallized maple sugar.Perfect for sweetening and trade.
Honeyberry—small clusters of waxy capsules that looked like vitamins but were filled with honey.As a honey lover, she was especially excited by those.
Oyster plant—grew on cattail-like stalks near her pond, producing fresh oysters in shells.As a bonus, they occasionally contained a tiny seed pearl.
