Pretty & Playing in Dirt With My Plant Cousins

Pretty & Playing in Dirt With My Plant Cousins � Welcome to Pretty & Playing in Dirt with My Plant Cousins! We learn laugh and grow together!

06/24/2026

AND THE COLLARDS ARE BACK!!!
And these kids don’t care nothing about what I have got going on

🌱🥒 COUSINS, LET’S TALK PICKLING! 🥒🌱Y’all, everything in these jars came straight from my garden.✅ Cucumbers✅ Peppers✅ On...
06/22/2026

🌱🥒 COUSINS, LET’S TALK PICKLING! 🥒🌱

Y’all, everything in these jars came straight from my garden.

✅ Cucumbers
✅ Peppers
✅ Onions
✅ Garlic

And next on my list?

✨ Pickled Okra! ✨

There is something special about taking what you grew with your own hands and preserving it for later. Long before “farm-to-table” became trendy, our ancestors were finding ways to make food last, stretch harvests, and reduce waste.

Pickling isn’t new. It’s one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world, and Black families have been preserving vegetables for generations.

And speaking of garlic…

If you’ve seen Sinners, then you know garlic got a little spotlight for its protective powers. 😂

But garlic wasn’t just folklore. For centuries, people used garlic as both food and medicine. It was believed to help fight illness, support the immune system, and promote overall health.

And who can forget The Color Purple? Garlic has long held a place in Southern kitchens, healing traditions, and family remedies passed down through generations.

🌱 Why Pickled Vegetables Can Be Good For You

🥒 Cucumbers

* Low calorie
* Hydrating
* Contains antioxidants
* Great crunchy snack

🧄 Garlic

* May support heart health
* Contains beneficial compounds linked to immune support
* Adds amazing flavor

🧅 Onions

* Rich in antioxidants
* Contains compounds that may support heart health
* Adds sweetness and depth

🌶️ Peppers

* High in Vitamin C
* Rich in antioxidants
* Add flavor without adding calories

🌱 Okra (when pickled)

* Contains fiber
* Supports digestion
* Great source of vitamins and minerals
* Delicious straight from the jar

Now let’s be real, Cousins…

Most of us started pickling because we had too many cucumbers and didn’t know what else to do with them. 😂

Then one day you’re standing in your kitchen talking about brines, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and fermentation like somebody’s great-grandma.

And honestly?

I love that for us. 🤎

There’s something powerful about growing your own food, preserving your harvest, and sharing the knowledge with the next generation.

📸 Show me your pickles, relishes, chow chow, pepper sauce, pickled okra, pickled onions, or anything else you’re preserving this season!

What are y’all pickling this year, Cousins?

06/21/2026

🐛💜 COUSINS, LET’S TALK ABOUT UNINVITED DINNER GUESTS! 💜🐛

So I was out checking my eggplants when I spotted THIS fuzzy little somebody helping themselves to my harvest. 👀

Now before we panic…

This appears to be a fuzzy caterpillar, likely a tussock moth caterpillar or one of its cousins.

And while it may look cute and fluffy…

🚨 It is NOT there to help.
🚨 It is NOT there to pollinate.
🚨 It is there to EAT.

These caterpillars can chew on:

🍆 Eggplant leaves
🌿 Garden foliage
🌸 Flowers
🥬 Other vegetables if given the chance

⚠️ Cousin Warning:
Don’t pick up fuzzy caterpillars with your bare hands. Some species have irritating hairs that can leave you itchy, burning, or regretting your life choices.

WHAT I DID:

✅ Inspected the plant
✅ Checked nearby leaves for more caterpillars
✅ Removed the culprit

Because around here, everybody has to contribute to the garden…

and this cousin wasn’t paying rent. 😂

💬 Plant Cousin Roll Call:

Have you ever found a pest that looked cute until you realized it was destroying your vegetables?

Drop a picture below and let’s identify it together!

🌱 We Learn Together.
🌱 We Laugh Together.
🌱 We Grow Together.

06/21/2026

So I was out checking my eggplants when I spotted THIS fuzzy little somebody helping themselves to my harvest. 👀

Now before we panic…

This appears to be a fuzzy caterpillar, likely a tussock moth caterpillar or one of its cousins.

And while it may look cute and fluffy…

🚨 It is NOT there to help.
🚨 It is NOT there to pollinate.
🚨 It is there to EAT.

These caterpillars can chew on:

🍆 Eggplant leaves
🌿 Garden foliage
🌸 Flowers
🥬 Other vegetables if given the chance

⚠️ Cousin Warning:
Don’t pick up fuzzy caterpillars with your bare hands. Some species have irritating hairs that can leave you itchy, burning, or regretting your life choices.

WHAT I DID:

✅ Inspected the plant
✅ Checked nearby leaves for more caterpillars
✅ Removed the culprit

Because around here, everybody has to contribute to the garden…

and this cousin wasn’t paying rent. 😂

💬 Plant Cousin Roll Call:

Have you ever found a pest that looked cute until you realized it was destroying your vegetables?

Drop a picture below and let’s identify it together!

🌱 We Learn Together.
🌱 We Laugh Together.
🌱 We Grow Together.

06/20/2026

🌱 Cousins, Here’s Your Plant Cousin Resource Library! 🌱

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been putting together these informational graphics to help us learn, laugh, and grow together. Whether you’re brand new to gardening or you’ve been growing for years, my goal is to make gardening feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more fun.

If one of these posts has helped you, taught you something new, saved one of your plants, or simply made you smile, I have one small favor to ask:

💚 Share it.

Share the one that helped you most.
💚 Or share them all!

Every share helps another Plant Cousin find information they may need, and it helps our community continue to grow.

This post will serve as our growing resource library/index. I’ll continue adding new informational graphics as we move forward so everything is easy to find in one place.

Because around here we don’t gatekeep garden knowledge. 🌱

We learn together.
💚 We laugh together.
💚 We grow together.

Drop a 🌱 in the comments and let me know which informational has been your favorite so far!



🌱 Cousins, Here’s Your Plant Cousin Resource Library! 🌱Over the past few weeks, I’ve been putting together these informa...
06/20/2026

🌱 Cousins, Here’s Your Plant Cousin Resource Library! 🌱

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been putting together these informational graphics to help us learn, laugh, and grow together. Whether you’re brand new to gardening or you’ve been growing for years, my goal is to make gardening feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more fun.

If one of these posts has helped you, taught you something new, saved one of your plants, or simply made you smile, I have one small favor to ask:

💚 Share it.

Share the one that helped you most.
💚 Or share them all!

Every share helps another Plant Cousin find information they may need, and it helps our community continue to grow.

This post will serve as our growing resource library/index. I’ll continue adding new informational graphics as we move forward so everything is easy to find in one place.

Because around here we don’t gatekeep garden knowledge. 🌱

We learn together.
💚 We laugh together.
💚 We grow together.

Drop a 🌱 in the comments and let me know which informational has been your favorite so far!

🌱 Cousins, Let’s Talk About Juneteenth ❤️🖤💚Today is Juneteenth.A day that celebrates freedom, resilience, and the streng...
06/19/2026

🌱 Cousins, Let’s Talk About Juneteenth ❤️🖤💚

Today is Juneteenth.

A day that celebrates freedom, resilience, and the strength of a people who kept growing even when life tried its hardest to break them.

As gardeners, I can’t help but think about the connection between our ancestors and the soil.

Many of our ancestors were forced to work the land without owning it.

They planted crops they would never harvest.
Built wealth they would never keep.
Passed down knowledge they often weren’t given credit for.

Yet through it all, they learned the land.

🌱 They knew when to plant.
🌱 They knew how to save seeds.
🌱 They knew which herbs healed.
🌱 They knew how to grow food from almost nothing.

That knowledge survived.

It traveled through generations.

And whether we realize it or not, every time we plant a tomato, save seeds from a favorite pepper, grow collards, pickle cucumbers, or teach a child how food grows… we’re continuing a story that started long before us.

Gardening isn’t just about vegetables.

It’s about legacy.

It’s about remembering that our ancestors found ways to create abundance even when resources were limited.

It’s about taking something small—a seed—and believing in what it can become.

❤️ Today we honor freedom.
🖤 Today we honor resilience.
💚 Today we honor growth.

So today I want to ask my Plant Cousins:

🌱 Did anyone in your family garden?
🌱 What crops remind you of home?
🌱 What gardening knowledge was passed down to you?

Drop a ❤️🖤💚 below and tell us about an ancestor, elder, parent, grandparent, auntie, uncle, or family member who helped shape your love of plants, food, or gardening.

Because every garden tells a story.

And every seed carries a little bit of history.

Happy Juneteenth, Cousins. ❤️🖤💚

06/17/2026

🌱🥒 COUSINS, LET’S TALK PICKLING! 🥒🌱

Y’all, everything in these jars came straight from my garden.

✅ Cucumbers
✅ Peppers
✅ Onions
✅ Garlic

And next on my list?

✨ Pickled Okra! ✨

There is something special about taking what you grew with your own hands and preserving it for later. Long before “farm-to-table” became trendy, our ancestors were finding ways to make food last, stretch harvests, and reduce waste.

Pickling isn’t new. It’s one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world, and Black families have been preserving vegetables for generations.

And speaking of garlic…

If you’ve seen Sinners, then you know garlic got a little spotlight for its protective powers. 😂

But garlic wasn’t just folklore. For centuries, people used garlic as both food and medicine. It was believed to help fight illness, support the immune system, and promote overall health.

And who can forget The Color Purple? Garlic has long held a place in Southern kitchens, healing traditions, and family remedies passed down through generations.

🌱 Why Pickled Vegetables Can Be Good For You

🥒 Cucumbers

* Low calorie
* Hydrating
* Contains antioxidants
* Great crunchy snack

🧄 Garlic

* May support heart health
* Contains beneficial compounds linked to immune support
* Adds amazing flavor

🧅 Onions

* Rich in antioxidants
* Contains compounds that may support heart health
* Adds sweetness and depth

🌶️ Peppers

* High in Vitamin C
* Rich in antioxidants
* Add flavor without adding calories

🌱 Okra (when pickled)

* Contains fiber
* Supports digestion
* Great source of vitamins and minerals
* Delicious straight from the jar

Now let’s be real, Cousins…

Most of us started pickling because we had too many cucumbers and didn’t know what else to do with them. 😂

Then one day you’re standing in your kitchen talking about brines, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and fermentation like somebody’s great-grandma.

And honestly?

I love that for us. 🤎

There’s something powerful about growing your own food, preserving your harvest, and sharing the knowledge with the next generation.

📸 Show me your pickles, relishes, chow chow, pepper sauce, pickled okra, pickled onions, or anything else you’re preserving this season!

What are y’all pickling this year, Cousins?

🥒🧄🧅🌶️🌱🤎

🌱🥒 COUSINS, LET’S TALK PICKLING! 🥒🌱Y’all, everything in these jars came straight from my garden.✅ Cucumbers✅ Peppers✅ On...
06/17/2026

🌱🥒 COUSINS, LET’S TALK PICKLING! 🥒🌱

Y’all, everything in these jars came straight from my garden.

✅ Cucumbers
✅ Peppers
✅ Onions
✅ Garlic

And next on my list?

✨ Pickled Okra! ✨

There is something special about taking what you grew with your own hands and preserving it for later. Long before “farm-to-table” became trendy, our ancestors were finding ways to make food last, stretch harvests, and reduce waste.

Pickling isn’t new. It’s one of the oldest food preservation methods in the world, and Black families have been preserving vegetables for generations.

And speaking of garlic…

If you’ve seen Sinners, then you know garlic got a little spotlight for its protective powers. 😂

But garlic wasn’t just folklore. For centuries, people used garlic as both food and medicine. It was believed to help fight illness, support the immune system, and promote overall health.

And who can forget The Color Purple? Garlic has long held a place in Southern kitchens, healing traditions, and family remedies passed down through generations.

🌱 Why Pickled Vegetables Can Be Good For You

🥒 Cucumbers

* Low calorie
* Hydrating
* Contains antioxidants
* Great crunchy snack

🧄 Garlic

* May support heart health
* Contains beneficial compounds linked to immune support
* Adds amazing flavor

🧅 Onions

* Rich in antioxidants
* Contains compounds that may support heart health
* Adds sweetness and depth

🌶️ Peppers

* High in Vitamin C
* Rich in antioxidants
* Add flavor without adding calories

🌱 Okra (when pickled)

* Contains fiber
* Supports digestion
* Great source of vitamins and minerals
* Delicious straight from the jar

Now let’s be real, Cousins…

Most of us started pickling because we had too many cucumbers and didn’t know what else to do with them. 😂

Then one day you’re standing in your kitchen talking about brines, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and fermentation like somebody’s great-grandma.

And honestly?

I love that for us. 🤎

There’s something powerful about growing your own food, preserving your harvest, and sharing the knowledge with the next generation.

📸 Show me your pickles, relishes, chow chow, pepper sauce, pickled okra, pickled onions, or anything else you’re preserving this season!

What are y’all pickling this year, Cousins?

🥒🧄🧅🌶️🌱🤎

Awww yea…. It’s coming!Come on cause I been itching for some okra water!!!!
06/15/2026

Awww yea…. It’s coming!

Come on cause I been itching for some okra water!!!!

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Canton, MS

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