When we purchased our home and its 15 acres of land, we had no idea what was planted on the property. We knew the acreage was beautiful and we knew we wanted to raise our kids in a place that had room to wander, explore, and grow. But we didn’t know the rich resource that was already growing in our own backyard…
“Here we go round the mulberry bush… so early in the morning.”
What we have can’t really be called mulberry bushes. They are more like mulberry trees. Every year, around the 4th of July, we start gathering the mulberries by the bucketful. We lay down a tarp, shake the branches, and watch the mulberries rain down. Everyone helps gather them up into buckets – big kids and small, tiny fingers and long ones. Then the fun begins!
We made jam. We made Jelly. We made syrup. We filled pints and half-pints. We made enough so that we’ll be eating mulberry preserves until there’s nothing left to eat.
Sometimes we’re simply on the receiving end of the unexpected. I’m often surprised that God gives us not what we ask for, but instead he gives us exactly what we need.
Gretchen Willis is a Portage Wisconsin family photographer, couples photographer, tween photographer, senior photographer, and event photographer serving Portage, Wisconsin and the surrounding areas including Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, and Montello in Columbia County and Marquette County. Please “like” my facebook page so you can see my most current photography projects!