For the Love of Raspberries

July 16, 2017

What an absolutely fabulous summer this has been thus far.  It has been almost two years since we found ourselves living on this simple yet quaint piece of property.  Our little farmhouse sits on 80 acres and has been a dream come true with the tranquil sounds of numerous species of birds talking to one another, the eagles soaring over the fields, and the abundant deer grazing in the pastures. It is all amazing to me–the majestic wonder and awe of creation.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t give thanks for the breath of life and the joy of God’s creation.

Once the snow melts, it is a mad dash outside to soak up as much natural light as we can and then start preparing the garden for the short growing season.   It is always a learning process for us, as this whole short-season gardening thing is a challenge to know when to plant the cool weather crops so you can actually enjoy them before the scorching sun stunts their growth, keeping up with the weeding, and then of course, the harvest.

This week is my favorite — Raspberry picking week!  This will go on for about three weeks and I marvel at the mystery of the raspberry bush.  It actually began last week with picking a cereal bowl full then eating them all within an hour.  The routine is that you wait a few days and go back out to check for more.  This time you take a colander with you and it is about half full.  Here comes the hidden mystery…wait for it…  You spend time (an hour or more) carefully seeking out the ones ready for picking and just when you think you have them all, you lift a branch and discover many more hidden berries.  I call the raspberry plant the hidden treasure plant because you really have to seek to find them.   So it is with our Creator, Jesus Christ.  When we seek him diligently, we do find him and His wisdom is the greatest treasure to find.

“2 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of Yahvah.

So the colander is now half full and then later that same day, you pick another colander full because the ones that were not ready to pick in the morning are now ready to pick.  You wait another day or two and now you are filling a 3.75 lb bucket full of these sweet berries.   Today is Sunday and we picked two 3.75 lb buckets full.  Two days ago, two buckets full.   Needless to say, I am in raspberry heaven right here on earth.   I am enjoying some Raspberry/Blueberry Crisp while I type.  I also have over 300 berries in the dehydrator, and a refrigerator full for a pie and jam.  Oh gosh, did I mention the gallon bag of frozen ones in the freezer.  If it weren’t for the love of raspberries, there would be no raspberries at all in our garden.