(click on photo for larger view)You might not think there's much to be learned from a blackberry bush, but I can assure you there are lessons a-plenty. Sure, it's fun to go pick those luscious fruits of summer, tote them home and cook up one mean cobbler. I have loved explaining to the boys that my mother always makes a special white sauce to go with her own out-of-this-world blackberry cobbler, so that's why I do the same thing. Heck, I even turned this into a spelling lesson as I taught them about the word "roux" and how with a little sugar your basic roux becomes the supreme accompaniment to a blackberry cobbler. Are you getting hungry yet?!
Like most things in life, if you start to dig a little bit deeper, you'll find a wealth of wisdom. What do two old Family Teachers and three young lads actually learn down on the fenceline as we pick these berries?
- Nature provides abundantly for us and our bounty has been plentiful. In fact, we know to leave berries on the bush for the birds and insects.
- You can learn about harmony and peace from otherwise threatening sources, such as yellow jackets and wasps. They are only trying to get the berries like us!
- Patience! You need to wait a week or so between pickings so that the berries will be their sweetest.
- You learn quickly how to get out of a tangled mess! The thing NOT to do is panic and tear yourself away in a rush. You have to keep calm, actually lean in to the brambles and then lift up a bit letting the branch fall away.
