Posted on 09/01/2026 5:40:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Victory Garden Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Victory Garden Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
Cute cows:-) My maternal grandparents had a dairy farm & sold the milk. They had maybe two ‘personal’ cows that Granny milked by hand. The fresh, unpasteurized milk was delicious & she made her own butter & cottage cheese. Milk cows need to calf every year so there’s that to deal with & just the daily routine of milking can become a grind. Since they ran the dairy for their main livelihood, the personal cows, other than the hand milking, were no real additional trouble - they were fed, bred, & were in the herd with the rest of the cows.
My first batch of jalapeños for jelly are cleaned, chopped, and in a jar with vinegar. There were some big ones on the plants just starting to turn so hopefully batch #2 will happen soon. I had planned on canning salsa after Monday’s company, but mom has signed up for a table at the huge fall yard sale ‘crawl’ that takes place along a main road in our area Friday/Saturday weekend after next. Pretty much every yard along the way has a table of stuff for sale - some have multiple tables. Instead of trying to have a yard sale at our house, a table at the community center will be safer, see more potential customers, & be more fun as well. She’s going to be busy digging through boxes the next week getting stuff together. This is her project, but I know I’m going to get dragged into it.
I think I will need to water every day or at least every other day to keep the garden going. Okra is happy. Watermelon plan is just decoration on the fence at this point. I should probably pull it up. I have 8 or 9 butternut squash. Hope they finish maturing and curing before the vines die off! I have tomatoes, green and not likely to ripen until the temperatures drop back to the 80s. I have 12 broccoli seedlings that I will not set out until it cools a bit. I have some cauliflower starts, and a few purple cabbage. I would love to grow Caitlin cabbage, but I am not certain at this point it would mature before the snow. I have Harvested a number of Ha Ogen honeydew melon and Mrs. Pete was thrilled. Chipmunks have arrived and I do not know how many more melons I will get! Perhaps a few Madu Ras honey melons. There is also some Unknown melon that looks like a regular cantalope that slipped into my plantings. Anyway, wish you continued luck with your gardening! I purchased and planted Johnnies Seed Prospera Basil. It has preformed amazingly well all season and in this heat and has not mildewed or dried out!
Jerseys are beautiful and a mini one - heaven. Wonder if there are any around you who could loan one out to you in the spring when they are in milk. Our first dairy goat was a loaner and we were so hooked we could not let her go.
I’ll put my name in at our Humane Society. You never know around here what’s been surrendered! ;)
Sneaking it past Beau will be the hard part. When he sees a mini in with the chickens he might get suspicious.
But, right now he’s stranded on a sandbar in a river in Alaska, so he may not be coming back! They’re fine - only a mile from the truck, and the boat is big enough for them both to sleep on.
He wanted an adventure - and so far he’s getting one! I wonder if it’s legal to shoot a moose from a boat stranded on a sand bar, LOL!?
Yes, except for perhaps a little relief this coming Monday, then our forecast temperatures jump back up into the mid-upper 90’s next week. NWS dropped our forecast high today back down to 98 deg. F, but with higher humidity, so the heat index is projected to be 4 deg. higher than yesterday: 109 deg. F. I’m surprised I’m getting anything out of the tomato plants at all - I guess being in partial shade and shading the pots of those in pots helps. The eggplants are producing, but not much, and the pepper plants are “C” through “F”. I think the plants doing the best are the Cannas and the catnip: The latter is flowering, so I hope it will seed sufficiently to come up on its own next year.
That does sound like an adventure!
I don’t think anyone would surrender a mini dairy cow to a humane society but you might find one at a livestock auction.
I really scored on organic fertilizer today at Runnings.
They had Organic Plus (I think the name was) a four pound bag that usually runs $9 marked down to $2. What a deal!
But the best part was, it rang up on sale ...... for $1/bag !!!!!!!
I bought all three bags left on the shelf.
I had thought if we didn’t get rain this afternoon, I would get a jump on the mowing & do the back & side fields. Mother Nature is currently saying “nope, not today!”. At 2:00, we have a storm overhead with a frog strangler downpour & the worst thunder & lightning of the summer. It snuck up on us, too! More is headed our way, probably arriving around dinnertime.
I have fresh zucchini from the friendly fiance farmer to grate for zucchini pie Monday. I am feeling incredibly lazy & might try a lemon chess pie for dessert instead of making a big carrot cake. After making cinnamon apples the last couple of meals & peeling/slicing 6lbs for the funerals, I am trying to come up with something easy for a side dish that goes with zucchini quiche. I might just buy some fruit & cut it up.
Mom is writing the person who organized the luncheon she attended Wednesday & inviting her & some of the other folks that were there to come visit us & have lunch. She may have to hire an actual caterer for that event, if it materializes, depending on timing & if I ever get my energy back!
Chinese Imperial Palace Hot Mustard
Chinese hot mustard clone w/ sinus-clearing bite. Must use boiling water; must serve just-made.
Ing: 1/4 c boiling water 1/4 c Coleman's dry mustard powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp veg oil
Instructions Whisk boiling water into mustard til smooth. Add salt and oil and mix well.
Vietnamese Spring Salad Rolls / makes 12 / best eaten same day.
So easy; mango and avocado is simply incredible. Peanut sauce adds amazing flavor.
Ing: 12 rice wrappers 4 oz vermicelli rice noodles. Fillings butter lettuce leaves, or leafy lettuce, shredded lge carrot, English cucumber strips, small bunches of fresh mint leaves, fresh basil leaves,
fresh cilantro, 2 sliced avocados, 2 fresh mangos in strips, fresh chives.
Peanut Sauce 1/2 c creamy p/butter, 3 tbl ea soy sauce (or gluten free tamari), seasoned
rice vinegar, pure maple syrup, 1 tbl toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp Sriracha, 3-4 tbl water.
Method: Cook rice noodles as per pkg, then drain and rinse well in cold water. Set aside.
Prepare vegs, avocado and mango; create rolling station w/ rice noodles and wrappers.
Rolling station: use damp towel, clean counter or damp cutting board. Soften rice wrapper in water; soak 15 sec, then set on damp towel, counter or board. On side closest to you, layer lettuce leaf, noodles, shredded carrots, cucumber slices and herbs. On opposite side, place mango and avocado slices. Start rolling up, then fold in over avocado and mango. Roll tightly and seal. Continue w/ rest. Serve rolls immediately with peanut sauce.
Peanut Sauce: whisk all ing add 3-4 tbl water if too thick. Sprinkle w/ crushed peanuts.
I was telling mom about your desire for a milk cow & that Besu grew up on a dairy farm & was saying ‘no’, saving you from yourself. Mom said “he’s right”.
We were then talking about her mom making butter & cottage cheese & how good it was. Mom remembered her mom would make a really good cottage cheese pie as a rare treat & she liked it. There are recipes for cottage cheese pie online & I think I’ll make her one for her birthday which is coming up soon!
https://www.cleverlysimple.com/cottage-cheese-pie/
Besu = Beau
Score!!!
We hit (well, at Paducah NWS) 99 deg. today. Tomorrow is now forecast to be 100 deg. F - the hottest temperature of 2026 for us, most likely.
The dewpoint is up to 78 deg., so, we are back into “gag-a-maggot” territory. :-(
Ing: 16.25 oz box white cake mix, 3 oz box lime gelatin, 1 c boiling water, ½ c cold water, 22 oz can Key Lime Creme pie filling, 8 oz tub Cool Whip OR Stabilized Whipped Cream. Lime garnish.
Method: Mix cake as per pkg. Bake 350 deg 30 min (pick comes clean) in 9x13" bottom-sprayed b/dish. Cool on counter 5 min. Mix/dissolve lime gelatin, cup boiling water. Mix in 1/2 c cold water. W/ wooden spoon handle, poke holes 1 1/2" apart. Drizzle gelatin over surface and into pokeholes. Refrigerate 2-or more hours. Spread Key Lime Creme Pie topping over, then cover completely w/ Cool Whip. Cool one hour before serving. Decorate w/ fresh lime zest, lime slices.
I grew up eating my grandmothers cottage cheese strudel. Made with phyllo from the store.
Good Morning!
I hope you have a Glorious Day!
Clapping madly for your photos. They’re WONDERFUL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.