Posted on 08/01/2025 6:03:57 AM PDT by 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.
That redbud wood is very pretty. If I were handier, I might see if I could make that into a vase or a bowl or a cutting board. Alas, I’m not that talented!
It never occurred to me that eastern redbud would be a good wood for projects, but it is. The pieces we have that aren’t rotten are too small for bowls, etc. The larger trunk pieces are mostly full of rot as you can see in the pictures. I hate to cut them down because they still bloom on some live branches, but that is early spring only & for the rest of the year, they have really become unsightly overall.
Interesting info on eastern redbud wood:
https://easternredbudtrees.finuvol.com/eastern-redbud-wood/
The link mentioned tools, among other things. (The bowl that is shown is beautiful!)
A few years ago we went to a Mennonite farm market in SE Tennessee. I bought a food sized mallet from there. Hubby balked at first, but he LOVES it now. He uses it to pound meats to thin them. Usually chicken, but sometimes beef and pork. It’s his go to tool before he gets them on the grill.
I bet a piece of redbud would make a great food mallet.
Ok, so a couple of weeks ago, after we had gotten our dangerous 180 year old hickory tree down, we had a landscaping contractor come out to talk about helping us with flagstone installation and possibly making a water feature from said tree. Well, we got his bid today. It’s WAY more than twice was I was thinking. Either I’m a terrible estimator (quite possible), a total cheapskate (also possible) or the company wants to take advantage of how much income he assumes we make (also a possibility).
Nevertheless, using them is now a hard NO. Maybe down the road, but it would be the last part of the project that we might award. Maybe next Spring.
In the meantime, I’ll be working in the meditation garden a little bit every day. Weeding, leveling the ground, and making plans. I expect that a bit of sweat equity will help me stay on budget out there, as usual.
I guess I assume anybody on the garden threads would recognize “TPI”. I don’t know what plant experts actually call it on leaves & Dad’s long gone. (He would know.) Serrations per inch?
Thanks - I’ll give that a try this weekend!
The same (I think) ripple in the atmosphere is still trying to get something here. NWS bumps it to 14% max chance overnight.
I made my 1st spaghetti sauce of the season using some of our tomatoes. Tanginess was spot on (I used mostly the Golden Jubilees and Cherry Falls fruits), but I didn’t add enough spices. A dash of “Slap Your Mama” fixed that. Next time I’ll try adding my wife’s Thai Peppers one at a time, if I have time to let the mix simmer a good while. I’d like to try bits of Jalapeno’s, but one plant is dying and so far the other, while it looks good now, has only produced one pepper, which (since there’s only one) I’m retaining for seed. The idea is not to make the sauce “hot” - just give it a slight hint of “zip”.
BEEF-TIPS AND RICE
Just put it in the oven and you have the rest of the day to yourself.
Ing 2 lb beef stew meat 2 cans french onion soup 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 pkg quick microwaveable rice or 1 bag dutch egg noodles, cooked and drained
In ovenproof casserole, stir first three ing. S/p well. Bake uncovered 275 deg 4 hours.
Pour over cooked rice or noodles; serve w/ a dollop of sour cream and garden vegs on the side.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.