Here in Texas, an early spring has brought us breathtaking wild flowers, gentle rain, and a crop of dewberries in our backyard that is truly a gift from God.

For those of you who don’t know what dewberries are, they are similar to blackberries in looks and taste, but dewberries grow on vines which run along the ground, a kind of ground cover. The biggest difference is they have spiky stems and very prickly vines that make it a challenge to pick them, especially at this time of year when the snakes are out and the dewberries grow along the ground usually.

In fact, on a recent dewberry picking outing, my husband came face to face with a copperhead. Needless to say, we’ve both been on full alert ever since.

But the reward is so worth the risks, in my opinion. This year we’ve picked about five one gallon freezer bags full of dewberries. My husband and granddaughter love to eat the ripe ones right off the vine or on cereal. My favorite way to eat them is to make fresh dewberry cobbler. It’s amazing.

Recently while on one of our picking outings, we ran across this little guy.

I’m sure his mother was close by, watching us to make sure we didn’t hurt her baby. So you see, you never know where God’s abundance can be found. Sometimes, it’s right in your own backyard.

All the best…

Mary Alford

www.maryalford.net