The Garden Thread - June, 2025

June 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Gardening 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 Gardening 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.

[Liz]

Tomato and Egg Puff Pastry Tarts / breakfast or brunch
Baked eggs and garden tomatoes cradled in golden puff pastry.

Ing sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 lge egg, beaten filling pkg Boursin or other herbed cheese 1 small red onion, sliced paper thin 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes asst fresh herbs, black pepper ol/oil for brushing 4 lge eggs cracked black pepper

Instructions Roll dough on floured surface to 12×12" square. Cut into four 6X6" squares. Use a blunt knife to score a 1/2 inch border around each square, don’t cut all the way through. Prick insides w/ fork tines, but leave the border alone. The border will puff up during cooking. Brush outside edges w/ beaten egg, then spread some of the cheese across the center of each square. Arrange the onion slices and the tomatoes on top, leaving center free for egg later. Bake 400 deg 10 min, til they start to puff and turn light golden. While the pastry is cooking, crack each egg into a little cup of its own, and set aside. This will allow you to gently slide the egg onto pastry.

Remove from the oven and gently arrange each square so center is free for egg. Slide an egg into centers. Put back in the oven carefully, bake 10-12 min, just until the egg is set and the pastry is golden. Serve hot, or at room temp, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

[MomwithHope]

Good to know especially if you wanted very nice looking eggs.

[MomwithHope]

That looks totally scrumptious will try that for sure.

[Paul R.]

The deep and / or deep-at-an-angle approach backfired for me this year, as noted previously...

[Qiviut]

For some years (when I was much younger), I wanted to have a B&B. I was thinking a neat old (restored) house, cottage garden, kitchen herb garden, countryside setting overall. Then I stayed at B&Bs while traveling out of state to hike sections of the AT. I had the opportunity to have some long conversations with inn owners & I was fairly quickly disabused of the (somewhat romantic) notion of owning/running a B&B. The reality & practicalities were things I didn’t know & hadn’t thought about.

I was finding places to stay on ‘bbonline’ & they have a recipe section. The B&B folks post their favorite recipes. Breakfast casseroles are a favorite - make the night before & pop in the oven for your guests in the morning.

A totally decadent breakfast casserole (I have made it several times) is “Overnight French Toast” from the Long Hill B&B in Winchester VA. They are no longer on bbonline so neither is the recipe & I couldn’t find any other current recipe similar enough to post a link, so here is the recipe I have in my recipe book:

Overnight French Toast

Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup butter
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup (I think maple syrup would work - don’t like corn syrup)
2 Granny Smith apples
½ cup pecans or walnuts
Loaf of French or Italian bread
5 eggs
1½ cups milk
1½ tsps vanilla

Steps
Quarter, core, peel and slice apples into one quarter inch thick wedges.
Cut bread into 3/4-inch angled slices.
Combine sugar, butter and syrup in a heavy saucepan; heat until syrupy. Pour into greased 9x13 in baking dish.
Layer sliced apples on syrup and baking dish; sprinkle nuts over the layer of apples; fit bread slices tightly over the apples and nuts.
Blend eggs, milk and vanilla and pour over all.
Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned on top and done.

This is SO good - like having dessert for breakfast. Obviously not low carb & I don’t make it for myself- it’s a special treat reserved for company.

[Augie]

Having little devil Donald Duck standing on your shoulder yakking in your ear is normal after a thing like this happens.

I was aggravated to no end after that chick smashed the front end of my truck back in February, but then I calmed down enough to let the fact sink in that the only real damage was fleeting - two cars and two wallets - both fixable with a little time. No blood, no broken bones, no loss of life - it could have been a lot worse.

At this point I’m chalking it up to “shit happens”.

“Things” can be replaced.

Loved ones, not so much. I’m glad they’re all ok.

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you. She’s pretty tough, but this may be her biggest challenge to date. She’s been through some whoppers. I know it will all subside soon. We are extremely grateful and thankful that she and the baby, and her husband who was stranded, are all okay. The rest is just STUFF. It can be replaced eventually.

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers with my family as we navigate through this with them. FReepers are the BEST!!

[Augie]

(That probably applies to #1 Marine Daughter, too!)

Daughter is fierce indeed. She got her mother's hot head and my stubbornness. I know better than to mess with her that's for sure. lol

What I don't know is how to go about training a hound.

Pops had a Walker/Black and Tan mix back in the 90's. Leon was smart as a whip but utterly untrainable. She (yep, Leon was a girl, long story. lol) just figured things out on her own and did whatever she wanted to do. Usually that meant she hopped in the truck with Pops and did whatever it was he was doing on a given day, but some days it meant she spent the whole day laying on the front porch barking at squirrels in the big red oak tree.

That sort of behavior was ok back then - the neighborhood was sparse compared to today. I don't dare let a dog run free without supervision now. So I've got to figure out how to keep close a dog that isn't wired to work that way.

[daniel1212]

BTW, these are the seeds I plants for the https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JAPQVF4?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

But I sent away for these for a neighbor:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMXQPT49?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title (about 350 seeds).

Thank God for a variety. Even creatures in total darkness can have colors.

[Qiviut]

I just made a half batch (6 eggs) using your recipe. It’s a very easy recipe to split in half. Based on the ingredients, I knew I’d like it, but wanted to check it out before committing to a large batch.

The result of my small batch experience: I will be using your recipe for the church event on the 29th. I went light on the cayenne, but won’t do that again. I had sprinkled paprika on top & since the cayenne was light in the filling mix, I added cayenne on top with the paprika, just to check out the ‘spice’ factor ... definitely need more cayenne in the filling next time!

I have two deviled egg carriers that make transporting deviled eggs a breeze - each holds 20 halves. I will bet all of the 40 deviled egg halves will quickly disappear ... it’s going to be a big crowd. :-)

Thanks again for the recipe!

[MomwithHope]

.

[Pollard]

No problem. I need to go through that cookbook and try some other recipes too. Bunch of them sound good and/or interesting. Neat pictures too that kind of make it a coffee table book.

I’ve got one of the same egg carriers. Leaves you with four halves for “taste testing”. :)

Every time we brought them to a gathering, they disappeared quickly. I originally thought the qty of 20 was stupid but if it weren’t for the “taste testing” we wouldn’t have got any on a couple of occasions.

[FamiliarFace]

Hey, thanks for the test batch! I’ll go forward with this recipe going forward based on the recommendations!

I’ve lost my family’s recipe. Though it’s around here somewhere, this will be one I can find easily.

[FamiliarFace]

My egg carriers hold 24 halves. I kinda like the idea of taste testing, so I think y’all may be the real winners here. ;)

[Qiviut]

The 20 spots rather than 24 used to annoy me, but now I boil a dozen eggs & add the 2 extra yolks to the filling mixture. This gives me a little ‘extra’ filling so all the shells are good & full. If I taste test, I just get a little on a spoon.

BTW, I think you posted a chicken bacon ranch casserole recipe. I think this is what I’m doing Thursday for lunch when we have company. There is a Southern Living version that uses rotisserie chicken & I have plenty in the freezer. It’s rated 5 stars & the comments are good, so fingers crossed it turns out the first time I make it :-)

[FamiliarFace]

I am certain it will turn out great! Southern Living is a very reliable resource! My mom used to subscribe back in the day, and we always looked forward to the latest issue.

[FamiliarFace]

Daughter said they retrieved everything they could today from the tow yard. The whole back end was smashed in, so they couldn’t get to the contents of their built in drawer system that contained lots of cooking gear.

She said they did get the license plates and have hung them up, until they reuse them, if at all. I think that brought her some comfort.

She said she was doing better today.

Thank you to all of you who have reached out. The prayers and sentiments have been very comforting for all of us.

[Liz]

That recipe is a keeper-——thx for sharing.

[Paul R.]

Hmmm... Do you think that recipe can be modified so the egg is completely solid / cooked? I like eggs, but only when thoroughly cooked. Just as I like meat (hamburger, for example) cooked to just to the point when any pink disappears.

Yes, there are a lot of “partially cook it” foods I avoid. IIRC, it may be due to a very bad experience as a teen, with a slightly undercooked goose. But, in this case, we have backyard chicken eggs, so, they’re not pasteurized. (Just pasture-ized...)

Thx.

[Paul R.]

Lucky ‘possum. Here, they usually get turned into food for the chickens. (Turn about is fair play?)