my husband and I bumped along the dusty Bald Mountain trail in Big Levels Game Refuge. We were enjoying the remaining autumn leaves and stopped several times to collect wild persimmons and hickory nuts.
Continuing up the steep rocky mountain road, we came upon an interesting swamp. It was surrounded by rhododendrons, pines, and scrubby-looking oak trees. We parked and walked the perimeter of the pond, marveling at the beauty of it. We were excited yet puzzled to find this body of water on top of the mountain and equally excited to learn that it was a cranberry bog! We waded out carefully, as far as we could, picking bright red berries. They were almost hidden beneath their foliage which spread out along the marshy flats.
The surrounding forest was quiet except for a few birds skittering among the treetops, seeming to indicate to us that we were invading their privacy.
On the way home, we discussed how good the cranberries would taste made into a salad and served up alongside our Christmas turkey.
As warm autumn days turned into the starkness of winter, our cranberry excursion was forgotten. When Christmastime rolled around, I found the cranberries in the freezer, alongside the frozen persimmons and hickory nuts. I was flooded with warm memories of the day we had found them.
We shared our story with the family on Christmas Eve that year, telling them of our harvest-gathering day at the mountain swamp. We all agreed that the Christmas turkey tasted especially good with the tangy taste of wild cranberry salad on the side.
We rounded out our meal with dark, moist persimmon hickory nut bread, reminding us again that these delicacies came from God's storehouse.
These gifts from nature were twice enjoyed and this "special dinner" remains to this day, one of my favorite memories.
