Stories

March: A Sense of Renewal

During the winter months I often have literal dreams and daydreams about early spring, when our farming season begins...

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Early Spring

Many years ago here in the Smoky Mountains, people looked forward to early spring when the first field greens of the...

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Winter Onions and Garlic

Blackberry Farm has a good collection of winter onions and garlic that we grow here at the farm.

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The Last Shall Be First

Those vegetables which once held a lower ranking, now find a place at the top along with the elite greens.

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Early Winter Crops from the Root Cellar

Master Gardener, John Coykendall, talks about our early winter crops.

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Winter Gifts

During its months of great verdancy, we are often spoiled by the giving garden. And when Nature sloughs off its...

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Spring Gleaning

Here are a few treasures of the Spring that we spend all Winter looking forward to.

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Forty Inches and a Mule

Logging miles a day walking the fields and orchards of our farm, gardeners are comforted by the simple solace of a tiny...

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April Garden Update

April is the month when the full force of Spring comes alive.

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The First Sign of Spring

As early as mid-January, the first sign of Spring makes its appearance in the planted landscape.

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Ways to Use Pickled Beets and Strawberries

Get creative in the kitchen with Farmstead products with one of our favorites, Pickled Beets and Strawberries!

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The Greening of Spring

With the beginning of March and with the help of fair weather, we begin planting in earnest.

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Spring Greens

After a long, hard and cold winter, our ancestors anticipated the first warm days of early Spring and the first “Spring...

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All Hail Kale

In the damp, cold days of February, when the Summer garden is a distant memory, one stalwart green soldiers on.

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Beyond Roses

Everyone sends roses on Valentine's Day, but there are so many options out there for flowers, and they all say...

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Seeds of Love and Plants From Our Garden

This Valentine’s Day, think of some of our favorite herbs and seeds in a different light. 

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Butcher Shop Philosophy

There is a simple sign that hangs in the butcher shop. It reads, "Without sausage, without bacon, purpose of life is...

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The Waiting Game

The days are short and cold, and the nights are long and even colder. What’s a gardener to do?

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January in the Garden

Long after the crops of summer have been harvested and the larder filled with canned goods from the garden, work...

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Black Walnuts

When our pioneer ancestors first arrived in East Tennessee, walnuts were an important staple during the Winter months.

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Le Creuset Kitchen Sessions with Farmstead Manager Dustin Busby

Learn how to make Pumpkin and Pear Butter with Farmstead Manager Dustin Busby!

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Shelling Bees

One of our favorite activities that we offer guests during the Winter months is “shelling bees.”

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A Savings Account with Interest

Winter is a time for reflection, and what better way than a gustatory reminiscence of seasons past?

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Truffle Season

Perigord black truffles are now being successfully cultivated here in East Tennessee!

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Fodder Shocks

Master Gardener John Coykendall recalls pulling fodder in his youth during harvest time.

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The Pudding Tree

October is the perfect time to enjoy one of our favorite native fruits: the persimmon.

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Best Pumpkins for Carving

Learn about a few pumpkins that are good for carving with Master Gardener John Coykendall.

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The Coffee Cornfield Bean

Every growing season, I grow several varieties of tomatoes, beans, peas, butter beans and many others for seed...

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The leaves, they are changing!

In the mountains of East Tennessee, the mark of Fall could be as much of a happening rather than a date.

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In Early October

In early October, the Farm fields begin to take on the look of early Fall, and the cornfields begin turning color.