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.

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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.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Is it the Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings? That looks really good! And the biscuit trick is fantastic! It would be a good use-up for leftover ‘Cheater Chicken’ from the deli, or canned chicken would be fine, too.

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/crock-pot-chicken-and-dumplings/

When I was a kid, I HATED dumplings. Mom’s were the pastiest, most icky thing I’d ever eaten. (Her dumplings have not improved with age!)

I was a kid that ate most anything, but I drew the line at those dumplings. You could send me to bed without supper; I was NOT eating them! I disliked them so much that I wrote a story called, ‘The Dumpling That Ate Our Home Town’ complete with illustrations.

She was not amused. ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Got a pool? Even a Kiddie Pool is fine - I’m not fussy. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Plans for the day include fertilizing tomatoes and peppers, dosing the roses with their bug-prevention go-go juice, pruning out suckers that are getting out of control, and weeding. If I need to water anything, it will be things in pots. Looks like we're getting a break from the rain, but still a 30% chance here overnight. Hot, hot, hot but relatively dry for the upcoming week. Good growing weather! Beau is replacing all the inner-workings and then the track on his skid steer. Who has more fun than us? Nobody!

[MomwithHope]

Yes that’s the one but I would make my own dumplings. Sour cream dumplings. Haven’t made them in ages. Mine are small, light and fluffy. That is funny about your story.

[numberonepal]

Got a pool?

Nope, just the Gulf of America.

[FamiliarFace]

When I was a kid, dumplings were what Grandma made to go as a side to pork roast with sauerkraut and gravy. They looked like big fluffy round balls that you fork split and poured the gravy on. She was from Czechoslovakia, and that was one of the things I love so much of hers. I still have a copy of her hand-written recipe that was passed around the family. When my aunt went off on her own, she asked Grandma for that recipe, and of course, Grandma obliged. It’s the sweetest letter. A treasured keepsake and when I make pork roast like that, I have to pull that recipe out. I can almost hear my Grandma’s kind voice.

Other than Grandma’s dumplings, I didn’t know what chicken and dumplings were until I got older, and they just looked like big fat noodles to me. We probably called the dish chicken with noodles, even though they are a little different than just egg noodles. I’ve never tried to make those from scratch. I’d love to have a nice recipe for them though. It’s pretty good comfort food.

[FamiliarFace]

P.S. Forgot to mention that I hated my Mom’s beef stew. I don’t like anyone’s stew much either. It was always made with an inexpensive, tough cut of beef, and whatever vegetables were leftover from another meal. Just no. Don’t go near it. It took me years to think about eating anything remotely similar, including beef pot pie.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Just looked. Rain totals for this storm show about 9” in an area north of Lebanon. I think you are east of that so I do not think its there yet. NWS US Gov storm total radar gives about 3” here, but I’ll bet it gives a higher total in the rain gauge.

I planted a number of sweet potatoes last week so this works well. I have already picked several braces of Sweet 100 tomatoes. I saw an Annannas Noir breaking color this AM, but need to wait til it stops raining to go in and pick it.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Glad to hear its going well! I dug up all the garlic. Its curing on the back porch. Beans all picked. Tomatoes are doing well. Basil is doing well! Almost time for Bruschetta on toasted bread and Caprese Salad!

[MomwithHope]

This is very similar to what I make the trick is to make them small. And just spoon them or they will be packed and tough in the middle.

https://www.heb.com/recipe/recipe-detail/handmade-southern-style-sour-cream-dumplings

[Qiviut]

The deviled eggs were a success! Two of us had signed up & a third person also brought eggs ... plenty for everyone. I brought home 6 (out of 40) & mom will have them eaten up by tomorrow.

One of the church members is a professional cook. Everything he makes is really good. He was doing fried chicken for the crowd today. I was packing up my egg carriers when he stopped by, pointed to my carriers & said 'those are the ones I've been eating- they are the best ... did you make them?" When I said 'yes', he said again they were the best eggs :-)

So thanks again for the recipe ... my status as a decent cook has been further enhanced!

Actual picture of what I took to church today.

[MomwithHope]

Looks delish!

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you! Those look sort of like Grandma’s, not the thick doughy noodle kind that I see lately.

I found this photo on the internet, but it’s about right for what Grandma (and then Mom) made. Picture it drenched with pork gravy made from the roast drippings. I can almost taste it! 😍

[FamiliarFace]

Excellent! Those looks so yummy!

[Pollard]

@Pete from Shawnee Mission
I need to grab a bag of concrete tomorrow so I can set the post for my bucket style rain gauge. Ag Research center near me says 5.61” today and 0.82” yesterday. Things did clear up a bit yesterday so I was able to get a tank of water for the tunnel garden. Good thing I did because the creeks are raging and had 3” deep overflow on the concrete bridges which was fine for me to cross on my way in. I’ll probably take the long way out in the morning when it’s dark though.

Crossing an overflowing bridge in the dark is pucker and shrivel freaky. It does wake you up fast however.

@FamiliarFace
My Shishito peppers got big fast. They were 1” long a week ago and full grown 3” or so yesterday. They never get as big or as dark of a green as a lot of the pics on the web. I ended up letting some start turning red the first time I grew them because I was waiting for them to get darker. They’re still good though and they do get bigger as the season goes and the plants get bigger. Mine will get up to 4” or so and they’re coming fast by then too.

I bought one plant this year and then then a few days ago, when I was going through my seed packets to toss the old stuff, I ran across a fairly new packet of shishito I forgot I bought. Might start a few seeds in early August. My shed will be air conditioned by then. If that makes it too dry, I’ll add a couple of vents with a fan in one to circulate some outdoor air through it at night.

[MomwithHope]

Looks good!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Mom with hope! Thank you! Saved as pdf to the recipe file!

Atlas Obscura on adventures in eating! Not gardening, but food, so something that comes from the garden!

Why Menu Translations Go Terribly Wrong

Snip...."Examples:

Translation one: Floating Island. Good luck understanding what that even is intended to mean.

Translation two: Custard, Poached Meringue, Caramel Sauce. Descriptive, but not very emotional.

Translation three: A cherished childhood memory. A light and creamy vanilla-based custard is topped with a very light meringue. That meringue is actually made with one-third of the regular amount of sugar used in meringues, and is only lightly poached. And while it is floating atop the light custard (actually called Crème Anglaise), it is itself topped with a hardened caramel—cooked not too long, so it is rich in flavor but not bitter. And it is left to harden so that when you push your spoon into the floating island, you first break a bit of that caramel, push through the fluffy meringue, and finish with your spoon full of the crème anglaise. Three flavors and textures, which would make you believe a ménage à trois is a great idea in the kitchen. ...snip

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Going through high water. Not really worth it. Its never really good for your car. If the water gets up in your engine compartment you might get corroded contacts in your electrical system and good luck trying to fix that. If the water gets in something like your transmission that causes more than a few problems too.

[FamiliarFace]

I can make my Grandma’s dumplings relatively well. I think she could make them in her sleep. Mom’s were also noteworthy.

My Dad had to learn that sauerkraut was good for you! (Florida boy through and through…maybe I should clarify…OLD Florida!!! (He picked oranges in the groves for the grove owners.)

This week we have our oldest (son) and his family visiting. He’s a Bbq guy. We are planning big things for the 4th, food wise. Narrowing things down to ribs, tri tip on the BBQ, collard greens, Mac n cheese and HUSH PUPPIES (secret recipe!) for that day. If I can find great corn, that will probably also be on the menu. Everything will be Southern style. Getting excited!

[FamiliarFace]

Meant to ping you to my 699.