Weekly Garden Thread - November 4-10, 2023 [Favorite Gardening Tips Edition]

November 4, 2023 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[HartleyMBaldwin]

My parents would just drape bird netting over the blueberry bushes, with weights around the edges to keep the wind from blowing the netting off. Easy and cheap, and worked pretty well, though once in a while a bird would get trapped inside a net.

[Qiviut]

I made the French Corn Pumpkin “Pie” recipe this morning - you posted it on last week’s thread. It is very ‘dense’ not quite cake, but not as ‘soft’ as pie filling, either. Mom & I just had a piece & it is very good. I served it with whipped cream & mom liked the extra sweetness since the ‘pie’ itself is not that sweet.

I made 2 minor changes to the recipe:

#1 - Used Swerve instead of sugar to knock out some carbs.

#2 - I mixed the dry & wet ingredients separately, then combined.

This may be something I take to our Thanksgiving feast this year - need to get a handle on what desserts others are bringing before I decide. It’s easy to make, so that is helpful.

Thanks for the recipe! 😋

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Not yet gardening? Looking at your new rural "vacation retreat"?

PRE PLANNING TIPS for those who want to garden but are not yet gardening, or are planning to buy a house or property: (I know, sort of obvious....)

1) See Diana's note on your growing zone, above. Make certain that your prospective property has a minimum of eight to ten hours of daylight in summer months. (Be aware of shading trees on the south side of the property! Late Afternoon Shade is better than Morning Shade. ) Mature trees add value to most properties. Consider whether you will need to remove them in order to garden. (Tree of Heaven or dangerous Silver Maples? Woody weeds! Does not apply! Cut away! I had shade and 4 shattered maple trees in my back yard and expensive removal cost in my current house!)

2) Make certain that the property has enough soil for a garden; Some places have only a little soil on top of rock, or on coastal sand might require expensive purchase of top soil or years of composting in order to garden. (My Parents retirement home in Northern Arkansas had a thin 4 inches of gravel and clay on rock!)

3) Have a nearby fresh water source close to the garden. ( How deep is your Well? How long is your hose? Within 80-100 feet if possible!)

4) Know what kinds of fauna** live in the area and understand how much and what kinds of fencing you will need to erect to protect your garden and labor. (**Rabbits, cows, buffalo, deer, elk and moose, woodchucks, squirrels, poop cats, digging dogs, feral swine, feral neighbors, etc)

5) If you have not already done so in your preliminary location search, exclude any location near a garbage dump, rock quarry, Coal fired Power Plant, Nuclear power plant, Oil refinery, Superfund Clean up site, Antifa, Islamic, or Democratic run demographic No-Go zone! (Yes, very obvious stuff...OK, Humor/>!)

[metmom]

Check for flood plains.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

See original post: (https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4192874/posts?q=1&;page=51)

Qiviut; Thank you, I appreciate the feedback! (I wonder if 2 of the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks and folded in to the wet ingredients would result in a lighter result??)

Click the photo to link to the website "Pardon your French" source for the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup (375g) Pumpkin puree
1 cup (150g) cornmeal
1 tbsp (12.5g) cornstarch
A pinch of salt
½ cup (100g) sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup (330ml) milk
1 tbsp (14ml) rum

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350F(180C), with a rack in the middle.

"Combine the pumpkin puree with the corn meal, corn starch, salt, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until just incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter and rum. Slowly pour into the pumpkin mixture, and mix until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into a prepared 9-inch circle springform pan (buttered and with a circle of parchment paper at the bottom).

Cook for 45-55 minutes (until the edges are golden, the center will still look slightly under-baked). Let cool for at least one hour before serving (the center needs time to firm up).

For serving, enjoy on its own (the French way) or with whipped cream (the American way). Me, I enjoy it topped with Greek-yogurt."

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

How did I miss that one? Thanks!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I love bringing something back from the dead! I’ve inherited a lot of long-time houseplants that way from others in my family.

“Here! It’s just dying at my house - I know you can save it!” ;)

I love to force Paperwhite Bulbs in the winter months. The MOMENT I find them I snatch up as many as I can carry. Beau HATES the scent of them, but I love them. You either love them or you hate them. *SHRUG*

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks, Pete!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for being the Taste Tester! I want to make that at Christmas.

[Qiviut]

I actually like the dense, rich texture & wouldn’t want to try to lighten it up - it’s not cheesecake, but that’s what I think of. I was worried it would be more like cornbread, but it’s not, although the texture is not super smooth due to the corn meal.

The only thing I would say is that folks expect sweeter desserts & this is not real sweet. Whipped cream on top added more ‘sweet’, which mom liked. I will be curious to see how it is cold - we ate ours after 30 minutes although the recipe says wait an hour, but we didn’t/couldn’t wait. Another thing - I baked mine in the toaster oven & it was fine 🙂

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It sounds like breakfast fare to me. :) And now I’m hungry for Cheesecake!

LIZ! HELP!

[MomwithHope]

Someday I’d like to find a christmas cactus like your big one, peach colored as I recall. I used to have so many plants, about 20 orchids at one point. I like life better without so many. I have a rabbits foot fern, my 4.00 orchid and a miniature rose plus a small aloe plant. Seasonal I have 4 amaryllis.

[Liz]

Hmmmmm......you say you want cheesecake? Okey dokey.

Impossibly Creamy Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
Hands down the creamiest, most flavorful Dulce de Leche Cheesecake ever. The chocolate chip cookie crust is foolproof, as is the indulgent, smooth cheesecake. You’ll never buy from a store again!

Ingredients-—For the crust
1 ½ cups chocolate chip cookie crumbs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Ing-—For the filling
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese softened
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
¼ cup dulce de leche (melted (canned is fine!))

Instructions-—Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine 1 ½ cups cookie crumbs, 4 Tbsp butter, and 2 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. Pour into a greased 7-inch springform pan, then press into an even layer along the bottom, reaching up maybe a ¼” on the sides. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil (trust me on the ‘heavy duty’ part) and bake for ~10 minutes, or until the crust turns a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the filling.

Make the filling——Beat 16 oz cream cheese, ⅔ cup sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides, then add 2 eggs and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated and mixture is well mixed and fluffy.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust.
Pour ¼ cup melted dulce de leche on top of cheesecake mixture, then use a knife to swirl into the batter.
Place springform pan in a large baking pan, then fill about ~1” with hot water. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until edges of cheesecake turn golden brown and pull away from the sides. The middle of the cheesecake will be a little jiggly.

Turnoff the oven and crack the door just slightly. Let cheesecake cool for an hour in the oven, then remove and continue at room temp til fully cool. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Notes Cheesecake can be frozen...will last up to 1 month (hah).

[Liz]

Store-bought Dulce de Leche Cheesecake---$120.00

[Qiviut]

I used to make a pumpkin cheesecake - I think it had a sour cream ‘icing’ .... that would be good on the ‘pie’.

[Liz]

Galatoire's Sweet Potato Cheesecake
Excellent choice for a Thanksgiving dessert, from New Orleans famed Galatoire's Restaurant.

Crust---1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Cheesecake Filling---3 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1 3/4 cups mashed sweet potatoes 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 2/3 cup evaporated milk 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping---2 cups room temp sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions Heat oven to 350 deg. Mix Graham crumbs, sugar and butter to combine. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a 9" springform. Bake until set, not brown, 6-8 min. Remove to counter; cool.

Elec/mixer cream cheese smooth. Add sugar and brown sugar, beating smooth. Add sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg, beating until well combined. Pour into crust. Bake until edge is set, 55 to 60 minutes.

Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract to combine. Spread over warm cheesecake. Return to oven, and bake just set, 5 min. Cool on wire rack. Remove side of pan, and chill for a few hours or overnight.

Serve w/ caramel sauce; add chp nuts to garnish.

Attribution Recipe and photo used with permission from: Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission.

[Qiviut]

Not garden thread related, but I had horses back in the day, including a Thoroughbred mare who had 3 foals, so I love horses.

The premier races in the fall are the Breeders Cup races. They just ran The Dirt Mile and a horse named Cody’s Wish was running, his last race before retiring to stud. A boy named Cody Dorman was there to see Cody’s Wish run .... and the horse WON in a heck of a race - the fairy tale had a happy ending. Not too many dry eyes at the track & mine aren’t dry either (& I was yelling the whole way as CW made his move on the last turn & battled for the win!).

Here is the story of Cody Dorman & Cody’s Wish (story written after he won the Dirt Mile in 2022 & before the win today):

Breeders’ Cup miracle: the tearjerking story of the racehorse and the boy who wished upon a star
https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/5659/breeders-cup-miracle-heartwarming-story-codys-wish-and-boy-who-wished-upon-star/

[Qiviut]

Race replay at the link:

https://breederscup.com/races/2023-dirt-mile?tab=gallery

[Pollard]

Cheesecake does not taste like cheese

Put the new gas tank on my splitter and cleaned the carburetor as best I could but it won't run. It's got spark but the spark plug gets soaked in a couple of pulls of the start rope. Came in and checked ebay and I now have a new carb on the way for $16.

So I moved on to the next project, a more fun project. I went out this morning and got those fittings to be able to install my new inverted micro-sprinklers. Everything worked out well with that so I'd call it a half way decent day.

They're like a nice gentls rain with small drops and I can see how they'd do a 4 foot wide table perfectly. It's amazing how they don't sling around while hanging from 2 foot of flexible 1/4" drip hose. Senninger is good stuff. I'll probably add some weights to them so they don't sling around in high wind. I wouldn't be running them then but don't want them to wrap up around the trellis board. I think a 1/2" nut slid over the tubing and sitting on the sprinkler would do the trick.

I left the middle one out for this 9 foot bed and I think it will be fine. On the bed that's closer to 12 foot long, I'll do three.

I'll do that here shortly so I can moisten that bed and get the Bok Choy and Tatsoi planted today or tomorrow.

Tomorrow is mostly going to be raking and burning. There's actually a driveway on the other side of the garden in the video above. Need to hunt for one of the rakes. I may have leaned it against something and the goats knocked it over and then the leaves came down and covered it up. Need to lightly rake the lettuce bed too. It's densely planted so I'm not worried about losing a few.

[goodnesswins]

Bfl