I did that almost every year since. Each year I was going to pick more than a few, but I never did. I asked the bishop if it was permissible to pick them. He was not aware of the fruit bearing bushes. He said pick away.
I went the other day to see if I could pick enough currants to make some jelly. While I was picking currants I learned some lessons.
It is easier if you stand on level ground.
In life, as in picking currants, it is much easier if you have a firm footing on level ground. Try to keep the ground under you level. There may be times when this is not possible. I could not change the angle of the hillside in this case, so I positioned myself so as to minimize the angle and sit if possible.
You may have to make adjustments in life in order to achieve your goals.
Make adjustments!
Start at the bottom.
Picking currants is easier if one works from the proximal end of the branch and strip the fruit distally. One can see the fruit better and get the most currants.
In life there are things that cloud our vision like the leaves of the current bush. If we begin at the bottom we will be better able to get better production from our labor.
Always start at the bottom!
Pruning is important.
The current bushes at the church were pruned as ornamental shrubs and not pruned to produce an abundant crop of currants. To facilitate easy harvesting crossed limbs need to be cut away (pruned) to allow easy access to the limbs and the fruit. The resulting bush needs to be open to allow air and sunlight for a greater harvest.
We need to prune the unproductive things from our life in order to allow the light of the gospel to permeate our very soul. This pruning may be uncomfortable. It means getting rid of some things that we want to hold on to and some ideas we think are right which are really erroneous.
Prune even though it hurts!
Some good things go unnoticed.
I suppose that over 200 people pass by those currant bushes every Sunday and others during the week. How many of them even notice what kind of bushes they are let alone notice the berries they produce?
It is so in life. We may pass by golden opportunities because we are too occupied with such things as video games or texting on our phones or not being observant of our surroundings.
Be observant!
Timing is important.
Currants only fruit during a short period of time. If they are picked too early they are sour. The process of photosynthesis by which the bush converts carbon dioxide and water into sugar to make the fruit sweet and balance the tartness takes time. It takes about three weeks for the currants to be ripe enough to be at their peak after they get their color. Then they start to dry.
In our life here on earth we need to be aware of timing. There are some things in life that must not be rushed or postponed. William Shakespeare put it this way: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat."
Use the Holy Ghost to help you with your timing!
Size doesn't necessarily matter.
Not all currants are the same size. They all are important. They all are part of the eventual product, the jam or jelly.
Our physical size is not as important as what we contribute to our environment that is; those people who are in our sphere of influence.
Make your presence positive! Contribute to the spiritual whole!
Variety matters.
Currants come in four main different varieties; red, white, pink, and black. In Germany the black variety is preferred. I prefer the red.
We have to have variety in our life. There is an old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
We need a time to work and a time to play. My saying is; “All play makes stupid.”
Make sure that you have variety in your life!
Trash floats to the top and water matters.
To separate the currants from the leaves and unattached stems, I put the harvest of my berry picking in the sink and poured in a lot of water. The trash floated to the surface and was easily skimmed leaving my currants clean and ready to process.
We believe that baptism is for the remission of our sins. In essence it, after repentance, cleanses the trash from our life.
Clean the trash from your life!
Heat will make the job more difficult.
Picking berries is easier when done in the morning when the temperature is cooler or in the evening before the light is gone. I went when the sun was high. I don't see well, so I need all the light I can get. I was uncomfortable in the heat. It was not as easy as picking when it was cooler.
If you are rushed, hurried and in a sweat, you will not do what you should as easily if you are not emotionally heated. We need to “chill out” in order to be at our maximum efficiency.
Do not get heated up!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor, I did.
