We have been living on our property for five years now. Six beautiful acres, half of them wooded, the other half pasture. Last year, we discovered that the large bushes that surrounded our back pasture were actually wild blackberry bushes. I am not sure how we missed it before, but it has been like finding diamonds in the bottom of a sandbox...pure treasure.
The season for wild blackberries start about two weeks before the fourth of July. About every other day, I can go out and pick 2 or more cups of blackberries. During my picking experiences these past few weeks, I have discovered that the act is very much a humorous event for any onlookers (praying that none are humans!) and also a life lesson. I thought I would share a bit with you from what I have learned while picking wild blackberries.
1. Wear big boots with your long jeans tucked inside: Chiggers are nonforgiving. They love me. I can't help it but I am totally sweeeeeeet. You might be too.
2. If you want to work on your tan, wear a strapless tanktop but beware of high branches and thorns that grab to clothing. I learned also that when you make sudden jerky movements from possible insect invasion, the strapless tanktop can completely fall down. Assuming that no farming neighbors can see through the brush, you will be in the clear. Just re-adjust and move on. Focus on the fruit.
3. Gloves would be nice but would completely hinder the proper picking methods. You must feel the fruit in order to pick it right. The soft ripening fruit must be plucked gently at the base. Gloves get tangled in all the thorns. Plus when you jerk and scream from the ants crawling up your arm, you are less likely to drop what is in your hands.
4. Fast sudden movements while in the midst of picking the berries can cause severe damage to the outer epithelial layer of your skin. You might come out looking like you have been in a cat fight..but focus on the fruit not the thorns, you are doing great!!!
5. If you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle in the wooded area that you are picking, just be very still. It is possible that it could be deer, birds, small rabbits, big rabbits, moles, snakes, or even a skunk.
6. If you smell a skunk after you have heard the rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle, you can be pretty sure it was a skunk. Check to make sure you weren't directly sprayed.
7. It is hard to run fast in large boots with your long jeans tucked in. So, if you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle and you are convinced that it could perhaps be a mountain lion or bear, be aware that you will not be able to outrun them.
8. Try NOT to predetermine newspaper headlines like, "Woman killed in her backyard while picking blackberries from a wild animal..." It is completely counterproductive. Focus on the fruit. Say a prayer or two. Remember that silly distractions can keep us from really getting the job done....focus on the fruit!
9. If you feel a slight amount of pressure hovering above your head and you think it is just tree leaves resting on your crown, look up! It could be an intricate web of hundreds of caterpillars who have made their temporary home in the branch above you. Do not panic. After screaming modestly with a tight cling to the berry bucket, just hunker down and move along. Remember, focus on the fruit.
10. Finally, when you return from your adventure that has lasted a good hour in the hot smoldering heat, and your shirt is torn, and your arms are bleeding from the thorny scratches, and your clothes are soaked from hardworking sweat, and your face is covered with red smudges from the multiple attempts to swat away the bugs with your berry covered fingers, and your hair is teased from the thorny bushes that grabbed hold with every tuck, bend, and gather under the branches, and you have had to sacrifice a few precious berries from the near death escapes from critter attack, your children might see you come in with your bucket of berries and say, "That's ALL you picked?!!". With a smile full of joy, say, "Yes, my loves, that's it and it was worth every moment". Because when you bite into that juicy fruit and taste its natural sweetness and relish its tangy flavor, it is nothing but sweet satisfaction. It is a dream come true, a moment where you realize that the very piece of fruit you have eaten was created just for you by the God of heaven above, and you are loved, you are special, you are blessed. And this fruit is not just for you, it is for you to share. To spread the goodness to others, to share all your trials and tribulations and yet display the very fruit from the labor, to be an encouragement and joy. Oh..it's not just about the pickin', or the fruit or the thorns or the slim escapes from tethered tangles of vines,it's the whole adventure. It's the process, the before, the during,and the after. And if you can't see it while you are in it, just focus on the fruit, not the thorns. You will get to taste it's sweet goodness when the time is ripe, I mean right.
