I may have been a little over enthusiastic in sowing the seeds for my cabbage patch. I have over 60 little plants. Cabbage is great for saurkraut, of course, and if you make your own you can add all sort of good things to it…carrots, kale, onions..even oranges. Delicious! I like to stir fry cabbage in coconut oil. It is sweet, a little crunchy and doesn’t smell like sulfur when cooked this way. Onions, fresh garlic and sea salt taste great with it. Pea pods make a great addition too.
I have a lot of calendula started too. Fresh calendula petals added to stir fries, salads..even fruit salads make things look pretty and add extra nutrition. Dried petals retain their shape and color when added to glycerine soaps, vinegars and oils. In the garden, they are workhorses and make terrific companion plants.
I notice the fruit flies beginning to hover and multiply over my seedlings. A little food grade Diamataceous earth sprinkled on the potting bench will take care of that problem in no time. It’s non toxic and safe for pets. Once it gets wet it is no longer effective. In the past, I’ve had issues with ants and japanese beetles in my old house. Last year I sprinkled Diamataceous earth in all the windowsills, along the perimeters of the cellar and on top of the beams. It really worked .
Speaking of Cabbage Patches and little sprouts…my daughter is having a baby! The first grandchild! I added the last stitch to this happy little quilt last night.
Your garden is waking up
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It surely is!
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Oh! Congratulations! My grandma once told me that you think you know what love is when you have children, but it gets even bigger with the grandchildren. (I think it’s like exponents: Child Love x Grandchild Love = Love to the 4th power.) I am wishing your little girl all the best things as she goes through her pregnancy. Such a magical time. . .
I know there was a tip about ants and fruit flies in there – which I will surely refer to in the near future – but I got all caught up in the good news.
Your quilt is beautiful. Such a lovely thing to make for a wee one, and so rare these days.
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Thank you Jodie! I got a little choked up reading your comment, not sure why. On a funny note, my husband was reading comments on my blog last night and he said, ” wow, this girl Jodie sounds a lot like you!” Lol!!
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I got misty writing it, too. It’s a big thing!
I love that he called me a girl, heh heh. Yeah, the similarities are there. Pretty cool.
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Congratulations, Cynthia!!! I’m so happy for all of you!!!
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Thanks Sue!! Funny, I still feel like Amanda is my baby!
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As you know, I have 2 sons. They will always be my babies. Amanda was my work daughter!!! I really enjoyed my time with her. You raised a wonderful girl with outstanding values and a big heart! She is going to make a great mom! I miss her a lot!
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She misses you too, Sue! I’ve heard so many nice things about you. Thank you so much for saying such wonderful things about her, it makes me so happy to hear that.
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Oh, congratulations to you, your daughter, and the darling baby that will soon be in your lives.
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Thanks Laurie! Hard to imagine but I am really happy:)
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Congratulations, what fantastic news. I do hope all goes well with both the pregnancy and birth! Wow, a lot of cabbages, my favourite has to be bubble and squeak! Sharon x
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Thank you! Bubble and Squeak, lol! I love those British names. I’m not sure what that is but I will check it out. I would love to make and serve something called Bubble and Squeak
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Sorry, I didn’t think you may not know what it was!! It is basically left over cabbage and potatoes mashed together and fried in butter but can be done with any veg. I am just cooking some now for our dinner! X
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Ooh, that sounds really good!! Thank you!
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Congratulations on your first grandchild! The quilt is lovely :} Cabbage is one of my favorites and will have to give it a go cooking it in coconut oil…Thanks :}
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Thanks Maggie! I hope you like it:)
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What a blessing Diamataceous earth is! We’ve used it for years. Unfortunately, it didn’t work on the bugs that attacked my squash and eventually took over the whole garden. 😦
Congratulations on the happy news!
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Thank you! Good to know about the squash bugs. They ruined my whole crop last year . I think it may have been the squash borer in my case though
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To be honest, I never figured out exactly what they were. I only know they would suck the life out of my squash. I’d have pretty little zucchini and crookneck squash, and then I’d find the bugs and shriveled squash. Then they attacked my tomatoes.
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How frustrating!!!
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Congratulations!!! What wonderful news, the new generation. You must be so excited!! and anything else in this post is lovely too…but oh, a new baby in your life! xo Johanna
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Thanks Johanna! It is very exciting:)
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Congratulations!! I love cabbages – such a great and versatile vegetable, I often add a little bit of ham to the mix and it’s just delicious
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So good! Bacon is good with it too… What isn’t bacon good with, lol?!
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Huh! I had a few fruit flies on my cabbage seedlings and used a bit of oil spray, which seems to have worked. Hadn’t thought of diatomaceous earth. I will have to plant calendula and try them! Congratulations on your first grandchild. When is she due? I am expecting my first GREAT grandchild in September.
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Congratulations!! Mine is due in August.
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Congratulations Cindy!!! This must be such an exciting time for all of you. I can just feel what a delight it must have been for you to sew this sweet precious quilt so filled with love, stitch by stitch for your very first grandchild. You have just created a timeless treasure which will surely be cherished for many years to come……SO happy for you!!!
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Thanks so much, Gloria! She’s more than halfway there now. It will be nice to have little ones around again.
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We are having a quasi problem with fungus gnats ourselves. They are maddening the way they flit about the soil and destroy seedlings if they get hold of them. They lay a LOT of eggs if they find a mate, so we smash them whenever we see one. Congratulations on the grandchild. Can’t say we relate, but we are happy for you anyway 🙂
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Thanks, lol!! Those things sound very annoying! Maybe the diamataceous earth would work for them. It’s cheap and you can get it at the hardware store. Supposedly it gets rid of any kind of bug that comes in contact with it, as long as it’s dry.
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Congratulations to you and your family! Best wishes to you all 🙂
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Thank you!!
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O what fun – and you get to hand them back at the end of the day ! Congratulations 😊
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Lol! Yes… Definitely a big plus there
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Congratulations on wonderful news – love the quilt too!
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Thank you!! Maybe I’ll be visiting some of those wonderful places you share with a little one too:)
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Oh, congratulations on the grandchild! I’m just getting to the age where I feel the need to nag my older son about him not getting any younger and neither am I (he’s 28, I’m 56). But he should really get married first. I do love cabbage, and you mention so many wonderful ideas for dishes I have never tried. Please don’t forget the homemade cole slaw. Also, braised purple cabbage with apples, vinegar, and bacon.
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Lol!! So he’s at the age you were when he was born! I completely forgot about purple cabbage… Thanks for the reminder. I’ve never made coleslaw and now you’ve got me wondering why. Thank you!
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Congratulations! Having grandchildren is so grand!
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Thanks Camelia!
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You saved the best news for last. Congratulations!
The quilt is very nice, too.
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Thanks… Can’t help but speculate how nice it would be if there was another little namesake on her way….
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‘twould be lovely!
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Hi Cynthia, Delighted to see that you’ve visited my blog. Your writing reflects your life style and focus in life; I am most envious. I will be mining for more wisdom from your posts. Thank you.
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You have a beautiful blog, Mary. Very eloquent and diverse! Thank you.
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ooh! calendula in stir fry? that sounds amazing. I have some calendula seeds that a friend gave me that I need to plant!
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they grow so easily:) A cinch..
Great pruning post! that sure is not one of my talents . perfect time to read it too!
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How wonderful–a grandchild! They are so very special 🙂
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It is wonderful… I bet even more wonderful than I imagine it to be. At this stage, I’m focused on my daughter and very thankful that things are going well.
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