Homesteading on a Blackberry Hilltop
July 7, 2026 On June 25, the ordered tomato hornworm hunting equipment arrived. On and off, we’ve had many hungry, hungry caterpillars munching away on the tomato leaves and green fruit. Those of you who have experienced the joys of trying to find the hidden tomato hornworms want a better way to find them. Bruce […]
Read More Tomato Hornworm Hunting Equipment ArrivesJuly 7, 2026 On June 21, I did the new normal. Walking around the garden, collecting Japanese beetles, eating strawberries, picking tomatoes, looking for hornworm damage, looking for hornworms, picking beans, and squash. Bruce and I also go look at the orchard and pick blueberries. In walking in the orchard area, I noticed this dragonfly. […]
Read More Digging Up More PotatoesJuly 6, 2026 On June 20, we picked blueberries. I am so glad we selected early, mid, and late-season berries. This has given us a steady crop of blueberries. The mid-season has produced the most berries. I picked some ripe tomatoes. The Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red is a delicious variety. The cherry tomatoes are very […]
Read More Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle ThingsJuly 2, 2026 On June 19, I harvested more tomatoes. I found two of the San Marzano tomatoes ready to be harvested, along with more cherry tomatoes. One of the San Marzano tomatoes was attacked by fruit borers or some other type of pest. The yellow patty pan squashes are prolific. Walking around in the […]
Read More More Tomatoes Ready for HarvestingJuly 2, 2026 On June 18, with our friends, Larry and Jeanne, from the blog ajeanneinthekitchen.com, driving towards the sunset, oh wait, they headed away from the sunrise. It was way to early to even think about sunset. I digress. Bruce and I felt the need to check the gardens and orchard and get to […]
Read More And Now, Back to Our Regular WorkJune 30, 2026 On June 17, Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry, started their morning by coming over for a Southern breakfast at Blackberry Homestead. I made flaky butter and buttermilk biscuits, Conecuh sausage, and bacon. I served jams (locally made), peaches from the farm stand, and homegrown blueberries. I meant to have bowls […]
Read More A Fun Morning with FriendsJune 22, 2026 On June 13 and 14, Bruce and I focused on getting Blackberry Homestead ready for our friends to see. Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry were coming all the way from Westminster, Colorado to visit. We were meeting them in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, June 15. After seeing some famous spots […]
Read More Getting Ready for Friends to VisitJune 22, 2026 On June 12, we did several errands in town. When we got back home, we walked down to the mailbox. The daylilies along the fence were blooming. I did some housework and Bruce did some weed whacking. In the early evening, while it was still light enough, we toured the orchard and […]
Read More Sunset Over the HouseJune 21, 2026 While I was out in the garden twisting the tomatoes around strings hanging down from the trellis frame, Bruce was playing working with his chainsaw and tractor. After I finished up with the tomatoes, I went over to see what Bruce was up to. He had chainsawed most of the way through […]
Read More More Clean Up on Pine Tree Three with Chainsaw and TractorJune 22, 2026 On June 10, I felt well enough to catch up on housework. I’d rather be out in the garden, but the house needed to be cleaned. Bruce mowed. With all the rain, the lawn went crazy growing. Notice I didn’t say grass. The lawn is made up of so many different plants, […]
Read More Sunset Watching with Venus and Jupiter Visible
Blackberry Homestead 