Veteran Berries

02/19/2026

Dorsey Branch Farm

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02/18/2026

Elderberry!!!

While plant foraging can be a rewarding and delicious experience, precautions should be taken to ensure your safety before eating any plant!

Here are basic guidelines to follow:

Before eating any wild plant, you should be 100 percent certain that you have identified it correctly and that it is not poisonous.

Use at least three different plant resource guides to identify plants correctly. When choosing plant guides, look for books with detailed plant descriptions, easy-to-identify photographs and drawings, habitat information, and a list of common food uses.

Learn what parts of an edible plant can be safely used and how these parts should be prepared. Just because a plant is considered edible does not mean all its parts are edible. Additionally, some plants must be cooked before consumption to remove toxic compounds. For instance, pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) leaves and stalks should be collected only in the spring, when they are young and tender. They must first be boiled in at least three changes of water to remove toxic compounds before they can be eaten. The roots and berries are highly toxic and should never be eaten.

Be aware that plant look-alikes exist, and some are poisonous. When in doubt, leave it out! For instance, common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is edible but often grows near the poisonous look-alike, prostrate spurge (Euphorbia maculata).

Before eating a new plant, first do a touch test, such as touching the plant with the underside of your wrist. If the area begins to burn or itch, do not eat the plant. While a wild plant may be considered edible, we all have our own personal sensitivities, and precautions should still be taken. Be sure to eat WEPs in moderation.

Avoid foraging for plants in areas where chemical contamination from herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial runoff may occur, such as roadsides, power line right-of-way areas, and industrial zones. Plants can absorb pollutants from the soil, water, and air. Eating contaminated plants could cause health issues.

Learn more about wild edible plants here: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/forgotten-foods-introduction-wild-edible-plants

02/14/2026

: Did you know that in addition to being the patron saint of lovers and married couples, St. Valentine is also widely recognized as the patron saint of beekeepers? In fact, according to Heifer International, St. Valentine is “charged with ensuring the sweetness of honey and the protection of beekeepers.”
Learn more here: https://buff.ly/1Yq3u8H

02/12/2026

Perfect weather painting for the Queens! This is what growth looks like. Finished first coat of paint on 7 deeps and 1 super in under 45-minutes using this handy technique. Only 4 more deeps and 10 supers to go…

02/07/2026

Definitely gonna make this when honey starts flowing.

02/07/2026

Orchard Update | Hamilton Elderberry

We’re pruning our Hamilton American Elderberry back to the ground today. While the top leaves are finally giving way to dormancy, the lower canes are still pushing fresh growth.

This suggests Hamilton may not go fully dormant in mild Southern winters. Its extended vegetative growth is exactly why ground-level pruning is key—resetting the plant and promoting strong, uniform spring growth.

A resilient variety with a long growing window.

02/07/2026

We're honored to introduce MSG Steven Davis, an active member of the Mississippi Army National Guard, and his wife Renee Davis, of Decatur, as the second recipients of the Veteran Berries' Boots-to-Roots (B2R) Program. Follow the link to see the full article.

Veteran Berries’ Boots-to-Roots Program supports Army National Guard MSG Steven Davis and his wife Renae in starting an American elderberry journey.

02/05/2026

We’re setup at the NRCS Office in Decatur today for their annual tree giveaway. We are selling our two best American Elderberry varieties, Pocahontas and Bob Gordon for only $10/3-pack! We will be here until.

02/05/2026

We’ve added a new product to our arsenal! Visit our website and get some delicious Elderberry Apple Butter. Great on toast, biscuits or by the spoonful.

Small-batch elderberry apple butter made with American-grown elderberries and orchard apples. Farm-made, slow-cooked, and naturally sweet.

02/02/2026

This was about the honeybee loss last year. Hope it’s not as bad this year.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Bs1jYF6fD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

02/02/2026

It’s my natural therapy!

No one tells you how therapeutic beekeeping can be.

There’s something about opening a hive and hearing that low, steady hum. Watching bees move with purpose. Seeing the world shrink down to one square metre of life and community and rhythm.

When I started HiveKeepers, I thought I was solving a business problem. But I was also solving something deeper-something internal.

The bees taught me patience. They forced me to be present. And they gave me purpose when life felt uncertain.

We don’t talk enough about the mental health benefits of working with nature. But we should.

Because sometimes, saving the bees ends up saving us too.