I can offer up everything but the Kale. G-d doesn't like it, anyway. ;)
And remember: You shall REAP what you SOW in this world - so be good!
Posted on 10/01/2026 6:56:54 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.
*** Caroline: Little House, Revisited***
I may have to grab a copy of this. I was a LHOTP fan. I wore my braids like the Ingalls girls did back then. Life was simple and complex all at the same time.
Magna -tiles. Perfect for that age group (both sexes). My grandsons (2 & 5) love them!
The 5 year old built elaborate buildings with them for several years. He graduated to Legos this summer, but the magna tiles were definitely a stepping stone for him. I’ll bet he still uses them periodically, but you can’t go wrong with them.
Mrs. Pete really liked this warm Halloween picture post! (I do too!)
Using up that garden produce. Making two soups today, Butternut squash bisque and Liz’s tomato soup. I have enough cream to make both. Fall and winter - soup time!
That’s Great!
Tippy loves the Mailman. She has GOURMET cookies.
At my last house Chantarelles grew under the oak trees.
Here? False Parasol mushrooms (AKA the vomiter!) Russala Emetic, and Ganoderma (Reishi) which is killing my shade locust.
I have had a few puffballs, but since they were growing in a sprayed area, I just moved them into my garden area and hope some of the spores take.
This grain could be an answer to drought-prone fields – if more Americans eat it (Sorghum!)
More farmers are showing interest in sorghum, a drought-tolerant grain. The crop is poised to expand in the U.S. – especially if Americans start consuming it.
In the exhibit hall of a convention center in Lubbock, Texas, chef Chase Obenchain stands on a small black stage, demonstrating how to make a variation of Spanish rice.
As attendees are served the dish for lunch, Obenchain adds the ingredients to a pan: garlic, onions, tomatoes – but not rice. Instead, this dish calls for sorghum.
“Sorghum has a really, really beautiful way of just absorbing whatever cooking liquid that there is with it to be able to really showcase whatever other things it’s being cooked with,” Obenchain said while he mixed the pearl-like sorghum grains with the vegetables.
Obenchain was cooking at the Global Sorghum Conference in mid-September for an audience of researchers, farmers and agribusiness professionals from around the world – all people well acquainted with sorghum. As corporate chef for the Sorghum Checkoff, a group that supports the sorghum industry, Obenchain often appears publicly to speak about the hardy grain. But usually he has to start with the basics.
“The first thing people say to me when I say I work with sorghum, it’s usually ‘What is sorghum?’” Obenchain said.
More at link: https://www.kcur.org/environment-agriculture/2026-09-28/grain-sorghum-drought-food?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Diana here: I have absolutely no experience with Sorghum, other than seeing it planted in fields in the south. Anyone eat/cool with this grain on a regular basis?
We have morels, oyster mushrooms, and boletas on our property and chicken of the woods. also turkey tail. I have two logs of these right now. The challenge is to catch them before the deer do. Also had a few big puffballs over the years. Will probably do a little scouting from the atv next week.
Today, 10/ 2/ 2026 is the last day of the feast of Booths (Remember to be happy and thankful!)
From Today's reading on DailyLectionary.net (Daily Readings of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).
Exodus 23:14-19
"You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of in gathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. ...snip...The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God."
Not in today's reading, but relevant:
(Deuteronomy 16:14) “Be joyful at your feast” .
Not a clue about sorghum. I have seen a few farm fields growing it but that was years ago.
ACTUALLY, I’d like a long, slightly warmer than average Fall. The last couple years, it’s stayed a little warm, and then BAM - winter temps!
My Mortgage Lifters (almost all the tomato plants, really) just took off like crazy when we got those several days with highs in the upper 70’s, and then 80’s earlier this week. The ML’s are FINALLY setting fruits - but whether they will get to 1st blush ripening before frost seems awfully dicey. They are so dang tall, covering them would be problematic - maybe I could dig up a light tarp big enough, and the 10’ stepladder.
Our rain finally got here last night. I did use a small tarp to cover some downed oak and apple wood for grilling if the rain ends by early evening. I’m really tired of chicken, and then what did wifey bring home from work last night but a big rotissierre chicken and some sides! (Some sort of benefit / thank you from the parents to the school, I guess.) Anyway, grilled pork steaks would be really great for a Friday supper!
Taking care of our chickens is a lot more work in the winter (have to CARRY) water instead of using hoses, etc.) Prolly should have run the underground water line I’d planned years ago, but all the big hickory tree roots deterred me...
Side note: I REALLY don’t like the “new” Amazon format, where only a page of reviews is shown. Often, there was great info. in some of the reviews!!! It was also useful to look at lots of old reviews to see how stuff held up.
I can offer up everything but the Kale. G-d doesn't like it, anyway. ;)
And remember: You shall REAP what you SOW in this world - so be good!
Huh, and then I complained to Alexa (on Amazon) and then the option to see “10 more reviews” started working again! What the AI is going on...
Mom turned 89 this year and had one of her cataracts taken out, and one more to go next week. She says seeing COLOR again is fantastic, and even with one eye done, she’s not needing her glasses. She’s had glasses since she was a little kid, too.
The good news is that this is a nice, moderate, steady rain that should last a few more hours. We really need it, and I’ll be able to safely burn some stuff tonight or tomorrow, too.
(Just not the pork steaks!!!)
Today I’m working on fixing some LED lights for spots I want to keep the light and (especially) wattage down. These look great for repairing desk lights and so on:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DJWK8HYL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A1TA6Q5JFPH49B&psc=1
For some uses I’ll have to solder the bulbs in directly and insulate the bases well with silicone caulk, but I have a bunch of the red 600 deg. rated caulk left over from the car exhaust system repair. :-)
Another name for that plant is “Starfish Flower.” I’ve given several as gifts, they’re very easy to propagate and everyone loves them - I’ve told the recipients to keep them back from the house and patio - they smell terrible, which is why they attract flies, which they need to reproduce - and the reason they’re known as the “Corpse Flower.”
Thank you for the kind words - wish we had your fall weather - we are about to experience another horrible heat wave for the next week (or so) with temps over 90 up to 100 each and every day. Just had my a/c checked and it’s fine, Thank God.
My neighbors and I compare bills at the end of each month - some of theirs are 5-6-700$. I have three large shade trees in my yard that bring down my bill, which was $380 last month. I also don’t have a pool, like many of them do.
After three days of rain, the SUN is finally back out this morning. Emma Jolene is already howling from her kennel that she needs to be OUT. They both got a little soaked yesterday, but they wanted to go out in the rain...
I am going to take some donations to St. Vincent’s and then do a little thrifting and run a few other errands on my way back home.
So, in other words, taking a day OFF and ignoring my never-ending ‘Better Homes & Gardens’ To-Do List. I did make good progress yesterday and the upstairs is vacuumed, furniture moved and is ready for carpet cleaning. ;)
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