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26 Comments

  1. Joy
    November 5, 2019 @ 11:37 am

    Your gardens are lovely. Kitten in bucket is adorable.

    Reply

  2. Kate
    November 5, 2019 @ 11:51 am

    For the kale, try a spray of 100% neem oil, unscented castile soap, and hot water. I believe it’s 1 qt. water, 1 tsp. soap, 1/2 tsp neem. Spray in the evenings after the pollinators have gone to bed. You must use immediately – it won’t keep. Like Frank’s Red Hot sauce, “I spray that s*** on everything.”

    Reply

    • Elaine
      November 5, 2019 @ 12:48 pm

      I am not a sprayer (too lazy), but a farmer told me the secret of getting black aphids off kale – drown it. Just spray a ton of water on it and when you think it’s too much, spray some more. It should be sitting in a puddle. Works for us lazy folks.

      Reply

  3. Andrea Wolf
    November 5, 2019 @ 11:53 am

    Did I miss the reveal of the new kitchen? I am so confused….. I can understand that you are no longer buying (or revealing?) GFT, but I really wanted to see the kitchen. šŸ™

    Reply

    • Gerry
      November 11, 2019 @ 10:13 pm

      I agree, I feel like I’ve missed something. We want to see the kitchen!

      Reply

  4. Afie McRae
    November 5, 2019 @ 11:59 am

    Love, love, love this post! Been a big fan of yours for years but I love seeing your gardening successes.

    Reply

  5. J Mantha
    November 5, 2019 @ 12:07 pm

    Loved this post, good tips and great read! Thanks for the tip on the book. Small FYI the demand for turmeric is so great, some suppliers are adding a dye with something harmful to us, lead or merc, not certain. The purpose of this dye is to make the color of turmeric more appealing. Those dirty dogs! I give you something healthy, but it’ll kill you at the same time
    Research this allegation. I read it online from a health site…could be fake news.

    All the best to you and yours, four footed, furry and funny

    Reply

  6. Madonna
    November 5, 2019 @ 12:08 pm

    Love the veggies pics and dahlias are new to my favorite flower list. The title of the book grabs one. . . I will give it a whirl. Really don’t think that you could give up GFTs, maybe cut back, but don’t quit unless your home is bursting. Your videos are epic. How could that amount of garlic not be enough???

    Reply

  7. judy
    November 5, 2019 @ 12:18 pm

    What a smile on my face,to see a post from you. I don’t know you and never will but I like you and Paul much better than a lot of people I do know. Any hoo- I always worry when a writer stops dropping in for a chat. So glad you were busy being super productive as usual. Paul probably built a stairway to Paradise -just to keep his hand in. Take care and do a dance post once in awhile. Even bigger smiles.

    Reply

  8. Linda
    November 5, 2019 @ 12:29 pm

    I have the book and the cookbook ā€” both are excellent! It has been fun trying the different recipes and choosing our favorites.
    Highly recommend. Love the kitten in a bucket. ā¤ļø

    Reply

  9. Maria Barnes
    November 5, 2019 @ 1:13 pm

    I read that book…it’s profound. I try to tell others, but few people want to change dramatically. Regardless, it changed how we eat and think about what we put in our bodies. Really, it’s one of the ONLY things that we can control when genetics are predetermined.

    Reply

  10. Jayne Z
    November 5, 2019 @ 1:15 pm

    You’re garden is A-MAZING! I especially love sweet peas! The dahlias are beautiful too — when I was quite young, my grandmother would send me the rhizomes to plant! Not surprised your kitten likes the cukes. “Shadow – a special kitten” (facebook) has a cat, Pepper that loves lettuce, so Cheryl always puts some in a cup for her when she brings it in from the garden. I think you would enjoy her posts too.

    Reply

  11. JeanFB
    November 5, 2019 @ 2:54 pm

    Your garden is ginormous and your flowers look amazing! Kudos to you for doing the work even though you don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy it either, but if I still lived in PA I would be doing it, like you – unfortunately it is so hot and humid in NC where I live, there is just no way… and stuff grown in our soil down here doesn’t taste as good as it did in PA. I’ll check out the book – sounds very interesting. All the best to Paul’s dad – hoping for continued recovery!

    Reply

  12. Lisa D.
    November 5, 2019 @ 3:09 pm

    OMG, your garden is amazing! What are you feeding your plants – steroids?! I’m suffering from a serious case of garden envy! And I love your adorable kitten with the cucumbers. Every time I see your kitten posts and videos, I want to adopt more kittens. Not a good idea – already got two. I wish I had volunteered, like you, to take in rescues until they found their forever homes, but I know my two male kitties would not do well with that.

    I know you are a reader and I’m going to take the liberty of recommending a book that I think you would enjoy. It’s called “A Street Cat Named Bob”. It’s a light read. A feel good true-story about a young man who kind of lost his way, and then this amazing cat comes into his life and helps him to turn things around.

    Thanks, as always, for the great post, Victoria.

    Reply

    • carolyn
      November 5, 2019 @ 4:55 pm

      The movie was very good, you should watch it.

      Reply

  13. carolyn
    November 5, 2019 @ 3:22 pm

    But we ARE going to die. Iā€™d rather die eating doughnuts than kale and sprouts.šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

    Reply

    • Marianne in Mo.
      November 5, 2019 @ 7:57 pm

      Carolyn, that’s what I thought too! No one lives forever. This comes from a 65 yr. old who just had a heart attack in September. I’m not the healthiest person to walk the earth, although I try. Heart issues are in my genes on both sides, and I consider myself lucky I’ve already surpassed my fathers’ age. Mom managed to make it to 91, although she wasn’t aware she did. I ask myself which one would I rather be like if I could choose? Dad went fast as a snap of the fingers, so that sounds better than not being “there” at the end. And my whole point is that I doubt changing things at my age will make much difference overall. I’ll eat the doughnuts, thank you! Kittens forever!!!!

      Reply

  14. Lisa
    November 5, 2019 @ 3:38 pm

    Here’s how I do turmeric: on sourdough toast, spread virgin coconut oil, sprinkle turmeric and black pepper (supposed to be important to use with turmeric) and then spread a little organic honey. Also good with lemon pepper that doesn’t have salt in it. I used to buy Penzey’s Florida Pepper when they were in Chestnut Hill, but now I just do plain pepper. I also sprinkle some turmeric in when I cook rice which gives it a lovely yellow color. White rice now looks anemic to me. You can add a little to many dishes and never even know it is there.

    I envy your basil. Mine got fusarium wilt this year for the first time. Very disappointing.

    How’s that kitchen coming along?

    Reply

    • June
      November 12, 2019 @ 4:48 pm

      Lisa, Yes I really miss that Chestnut Hill store too. You do know they are now in Center City? What I do is check their Facebook for discount codes and specials and order online. They also have free shipping quite often.

      Reply

  15. Carolyn
    November 5, 2019 @ 3:56 pm

    Your dahlias are beautiful. I planted flowers for the first time this year. Planted dahlias in June and they didnā€™t bloom till September and they are gorgeous. I also planted a vegetable garden for the first time and I had so much fun.

    Reply

  16. Sheila McNeil
    November 5, 2019 @ 5:47 pm

    Victoria, it is so funny that your kitten is OBSESSED with cucumbers. There is a plethora of video compilations on YouTube about cats being scared of cucumbers…your kitten is rare, going by the compilations!

    I am currently reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Eye opening, scientifically demonstrated benefits of whole food plant based diets, and so very educational! We truly are what we eat.

    Love your gardens, you are such an inspiration!

    Reply

  17. Charlotte Bruce
    November 6, 2019 @ 3:59 am

    Enjoyed this post very much, as usual. I live on DAHLIA LANE. Wish you posted more often. Are you kind of on a sabbatical? We need to do that once in a while. That was funny what one person said about Paul building a stairway. lol Are you hunkering down for the winter? I am here in WA. Looking forward to your next post/blog.

    Reply

  18. Laura J
    November 6, 2019 @ 7:38 am

    Lovely! Would love to see the garden plan — how do you fit it all on your property? I thought you had a city lot — ha! Obviously not! I’m too lazy to dig a garden and I’ve tried tomatoes in a patio pot but the result have been disappointingly not worth the effort, regardless of the variety I try. What kind of tomatoes do you plant?

    Enjoy the bounty

    Reply

  19. Sarah
    November 6, 2019 @ 8:11 am

    Oh, LOVE the flowers and the veggies.. funny that your kitty liked the cucumbers.. usually cats are suspicious of anything with that “shape” . Great book! I ordered a used copy, will inspire us to eat even more plant foods only. Your posts , when one comes out, are a special time that I set aside to just enjoy!
    Giving thanks for YOU this season.

    Reply

  20. Caroline
    November 6, 2019 @ 4:28 pm

    Your garden looks lovely and productive–gorgeous dahlias. I envy your ability to grow sweet peas–my favorite flower of all. My grandmother grew them in lovely profusion every summer in England. I have a combination of too much shade and too much heat in this garden in Virginia to grow anything that needs sun, unfortunately. Hostas do great–but I miss flowers and have given up on vegetables.

    Reply

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