Stories

Spring in the Garden

In the Spring Garden, Blackberry Farmstead Ambassador Dakota Eddy says the only constant is change.

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Prepping Tobacco Beds

Blackberry Farm Master Gardener John Coykendall describes the history of raising tobacco in Tennessee.

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Velvet Beans

Master Gardener John Coykendall is planting velvet beans to add a special touch to this year's garden.

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The Art Spirit in Daily Life

As an artist and landscape painter, Master Gardener John Coykendall captures nature on his canvas.

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Stove Pipe Peas and the Grove Pepper

Master Gardener John Coykendall reflects on his search for a seed variety enjoyed by a Central Florida farmer.

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The First Seedlings

The first seedlings welcome a new season filled with hope for a successful growing season.

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Sweet Recipes for Spring

Get the recipes for three desserts featuring some our favorite sweet products from the Blackberry Farm Shop.

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Looking Back: A History of Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese is a longstanding staple and beloved snack in the South and right here at Blackberry Farm. 

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Savory Recipes for Spring

Discover three delicious dishes featuring a few of our favorite savory products from the Blackberry Farm Shop.

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Looking Back: Connecting in the Garden

Master Gardener John Coykendall reflects on his favorite experiences across 27 years at Blackberry Farm.

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Preaching the Seed Gospel

Master Gardener John Coykendall travels across the country to spread the importance of saving heritage seeds.

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Searching for the Past

Master Gardener John Coykendall describes his ongoing search for heritage seed varieties and preserving their history.

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A Winter’s Day in Our Garden Shed

Master Gardener John Coykendall describes what a cold, rainy day looks like in the Winter Garden.

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Ways to Use Strawberry Chocolate Jam

Discover seven unique uses for Blackberry Farm's Strawberry Chocolate Jam!

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Winter in the Blackberry Farm Garden

Farmstead Ambassador Dakota Eddy shares a glimpse of what the Garden team is working on this Winter.

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Forgotten Fencerows

Master Gardener John Coykendall spends Winter days taking long walks and reflecting on his farm's history.

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The Gardening Daydreams of the Winter Season

In the stillness of Winter, Master Gardener John Coykendall imagines the new gardening season right around the corner.

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The January Garden

The Garden at Blackberry Farm continues to flourish throughout the Winter months.

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Ways to Use Apple Onion Jam

Enjoy a taste of Fall in the Great Smoky Mountains with this sweet and savory spread from Blackberry Farm.

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The Final Summer Harvest

Blackberry Farm just had our first frost of the season, marking the true transition from the Summer garden to the Fall garden. 

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Winter Predictions with Persimmons

Enjoy the return of one of our favorite fruits of the season and discover the special folklore behind it.

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Keeping Our Agricultural History Alive

Over his years as Master Gardener, John Coykendall has observed shifts in attitudes and awareness about our foodways.

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Capturing Fleeting Scenes and Moments in Time

Blackberry Farm Master Gardener John Coykendall reflects on capturing photos around the Garden.

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Shoepeg Milling Corn and Kentucky Field Pumpkins

Blackberry Farm Master Gardener John Coykendall shares the history of two heritage crops grown at the Farm.

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Our Gardens from an Artistic Perspective

Blackberry Farm Master Gardener John Coykendall describes how nature inspires his personal artwork.

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5 Edible Flowers with Unique Uses

Learn about five edible flowers and their unique uses in the garden, on the plate and as decór.

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An Early Hint of Fall’s Approach

Every year when we reach the days of late August, Master Gardener John Coykendall's thoughts turn to Fall.

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2025 Tomato Varieties

We're enjoying heading into the Garden to taste the unique tomato varieties we've planted for the season.

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Garden-Inspired Favorites

Blackberry Farm Larder Manager Veronica Krebs shares some of her all-time favorite Garden products.

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Mountain Tucked Corn

The Garden is growing an heirloom variety of corn brought to us from the mountains of Guatemala.

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Farming Memories from Long Ago

Master Gardener John Coykendall created a patch in the Garden that features crops inspired by an old friend.

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From Ground to Gibson

Learn more about ramps, how we preserve them and how to use them for your new favorite martini. 

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How to Start Your Homesteading Journey

Explore beginner-friendly homesteading tips from Blackberry Farm Farmstead Director Christen Waddell!

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Farm Animal Fun Facts

Learn some interesting facts about the Blackberry Farm animals on property!

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Ways to Use Garden Jam

Larder Manager Veronica Krebs shares her favorite uses for Blackberry Farm Garden Jam.

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A Monumental Year for Milking

Farmstead Manager Christen Waddell shares about the sheep milking program at Blackberry Farm.

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Feathered Friends of the Farmstead

Read about what makes chickens such valuable members of the Farmstead.

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Eat What You Can, Can What You Can’t

Learn how to preserve your excess ingredients and enjoy your favorite flavors in every season.

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An Introduction to Seed Starting

Planning a garden this year? Get an introduction into the world of seed starting from the Blackberry Farm Garden team.

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Saving Tomato Seeds

Master Gardener John Coykendall walks through the process of saving heirloom tomato seeds and continuing to grow the varieties he values so much.

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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 stamp of earth.

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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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Recipes with Peanut Butter from Chef Josh Feathers

Recipes for peanut soup, red spiced peanuts and peanut bourbon sauce from Chef Josh Feathers!

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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 something different!

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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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Ways to Use Peanut Butter

You can use Blackberry Farm Peanut Butter for so many recipes — way beyond a typical PB+J!

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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 forsaken."

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Le Creuset Kitchen Sessions with Garden Manager Jeff Ross

Learn about the truffle orchard with Garden Manager Jeff Ross.

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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 continues on the farm.

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Wheat Bread

This wheat is pretty simple to make at home. Try it with one of our Farmstead products!

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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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Ways to Use Pumpkin and Pear Butter

This silky Fall butter is easy to spread it on warm toast and eat an entire jar. Check out our favorite ways to use!

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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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Le Creuset Kitchen Sessions with Chef Josh Feathers

Here is the recipe for Mushroom and Leek Frittata with Singing Brook Cheese by Chef Josh Feathers!

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The Magic Behind Singing Brook Cheese

The magic behind Singing Brook Cheese comes from many different things all coming together.

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Ways to Use Singing Brook Cheese

Get creative in the kitchen with Blackberry Farm Singing Brook Cheese.

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Baked Singing Brook Cheese & Macaroni

Try out Chef Feathers' Blackberry Farm twist on the classic macaroni and cheese.

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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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Apple Butter 5 Ways

Get creative in the kitchen with Blackberry Farm Apple Butter.

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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 production and preservation.

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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.

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Ways to Use Pimento Cheese

Enjoy our Aged Pimento Cheese by itself or with these serving suggestions.

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Farmstead Cobbler

Pick a fruit, some fresh herbs, muddle together and you've got the beginnings of a classic Summer cocktail.

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August Harvest Time

In August, we celebrate the fruits of our labor and take full advantage of the many crops that are ripening in the field.

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A Giving Garden

It is easy to forget that the bounty we grow has only existed here for a short time. That is why we take the time to celebrate all that nature has given us.

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Faro and Cucumber Stuffed Tomatoes

Taste the flavors of Summer with this light, refreshing faro, tomato and cucumber dish that features our Brebis cheese.

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Tennessee Chow Chow 5 Ways

Tennessee Chow Chow is a flavorful and vibrant relish that is both sweet and savory.

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Tomato Season

In our Summer garden, we feature anywhere from 25 to 50 heirloom tomato varieties.

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Potato Onions

Potato onions have been around for a long time and were once commonly grown in our area of East Tennessee.

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Busy as a Bee

Our bees stay busy providing us with pure sweetness year-round!

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Blueberry Jam 5 Ways

Blueberry Jam is a Farmstead breakfast staple, but there are even more ways to think outside the jar.

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Between the Bun

Add some flavor to your backyard barbecue with some of our favorite Farmstead offerings.

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Summer Chicks

Cluck cluck here and a cluck cluck there, oh my we have baby chicks everywhere! Every year we are excited to get in new baby chicks.

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Cooking with Kids

Learn a few tips from Helen DeFrance on how to get kids in the kitchen.

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New Farmstead Flavors

We’ve gathered produce at the peak of freshness and a few Beall family recipes to bring you new flavors from our Farmstead.

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New Bees are Buzzing

With the arrival of four new hives, there is plenty buzzing in the bee yard.

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Ways to Use Brebis

Enjoy Blackberry Farm Brebis by itself or try these Ways to Use!

Articles

Cultivation in Full Color

Learn how nutrients, climate and even genetics play a role in the array of colors that come from our land.