A Blackberry Summer

When my former mother-in-law, the late Ms Geneva, referred to the weather in 1993 as a blackberry summer, I had no idea what she meant.  I was still living in town, not yet following Messiah, and agricultural cycles made no impact on my life at the time.  Oh we planted a few tomato and pepper plants, but our food supply came from the local super market.  Now, as I've "heard" her comment repeatedly this spring, as I watched the rain fall and the blackberries develop, and considering the math, I'm wondering if a blackberry summer doesn't have to do with an abundant harvest in preparation for Shemitah.

This week, I could call myself the Purple Princess, as I've been on the lane picking blackberries nearly every day but Shabbat.  Monday, I picked enough to enjoy some in a salad and the next morning on cereal, but they were still a bit sparse.  Tuesday was better picking, but I didn't get all the way up the lane before I had to get back for chores.  The next day, as my grandson and I were picking, I told him I didn't have time to get the whole lane picked as I had to get home to take a shower before chores.  I told him I was just too dirty and itchy to do chores without getting cleaned up!  We laughed as we shared the observation that it was quite a rare occasion to need to get cleaned up to do farm work outdoors!

The reality is, picking blackberries is itchy, sweaty work, but oh so worth it!  My grandson is being raised to believe that money is the standard for value and worth, so he's rather materialistic.  As we picked berries, he told me that he and his dad would make a cobbler with the berries we were picking.  My mother then entered the conversation to share with us how expensive blackberries were in the store.  She explained to him that the berries he and I had picked would cost over $25.00 at the store.  I was able to share with him that G-d provided those wonderful berries and all we have to do is pick them.

The week before the official picking begins, there are just a few ripening, so that's just a snack while I walk.  So far this summer, the first week of official blackberry picking has yielded about five gallons of berries, gracing five households.  Blackberry buckle has been served all week to various guests and next week, YHWH willing, I'll be picking for preserving.  The fullness of the berry harvest, although a bit later this year, appears to be abundant.  In one month, they've gone from the small green "beads" on the vine to gallons of beautiful and delicious berries.

 June 4, just small and green.  By June 26th, snacks for walk.  Creator's trail mix . . .





By July 4th, buckets of beautiful bounty!