The Garden Thread - December, 2025

December 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.

[FamiliarFace]

The things we take for granted here, right?

[Albion Wilde]

Did it look like this?

Pretty much so, yes, only the wood in the roller is in better condition. It is heavy and very hard wood, with no blemishes after all this time. And as noted, the paint is almost gone. How I remember her wonderful pie crusts, which she made with lard and a pinch of salt! Such a great combo with apples or other fruits.

[shaggy eel]

,,, good morning Diana. You’re posting some great recipe links... my wife will love to sort through these!

[Liz]

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
This recipe is amazing. The real thing is $7 a pop, a WONDERFUL knockoff.

ING for one serving: 3 tbl Ghirardelli-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder, 3 tbl warm water, 1 1⁄2 tbl Peppermint Syrup (recipe below), 4 oz espresso, 12 oz steamed milk, whipt cream, candy cane, red sugar crystals

Method: Combine cocoa, water to a rich syrup. Pour into 16 oz mug. Add hot espresso Add Peppermint syrup. Steam milk and add to cup. Garnish with whipped cream, candy cane and sugar crystals.

Note: To make espresso, buy a $30 Mr. Coffee ECM250 machine. Put water into carafe up to band and put into machine. Put any kind of finely ground coffee into filter head and pack down well. Turn on and brew until carafe fills to 4 cup line that way there is still enough water in machine to steam milk. Switch to steam mode and steam milk (if you do not have a frothing pitcher a 12 oz ceramic mug will work filled half way with milk but takes 2 fill ups to make one serving of this recipe).

Peppermint Syrup: mix 1 c powdered Splenda, 1 c water, heat to dissolve, then add 1 tbl peppermint extract. I used 4 TBSP peppermint syrup to the coffee/cocoa mixture before adding steamed milk. The end product is close to Starbucks. Very delicious.

[Qiviut]

Update: Mom had some thin wire the other day & remembered where she put it - after checking it out, it's florist wire! Wow, what a difference. One wreath is done & after a rest (back is whining), I will tackle #2.

In the meanwhile, COOKIES!:-) There's a second layer of cookies under the top layer, too.

[MomwithHope]

Lard is the best for pie crust. My grandmother was the baker. Cakes, pastries and the strudel.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Good afternoon Diana! I hope your weekend is going well!

I looked at the prices for Beef Prime Rib in the local HyVee and Sams Club and did not see any roast for less than $65. Instead, bought a $27 bone in pork loin roast for Christmas. (7 Pounds 10 rib rack of pork loin roast ) Meat packers are focused on making hams this time of year and this roast is very available at a good price.

I will Season with Rosemary and Garlic, salt and pepper, and cook Sous Vide in vacuumed plastic bag in water at 138F for 5 hours. When done, remove saving liquid for gravy, dry it, do an egg wash, season, finish in a 375F oven for 20 or 30 min, Rest, and present. Sides...Wild Rice and Rice with Mushrooms and dried cranberries, 2025 Green Beans from the Freezer, Asparagus, maybe oven cooked small potatoes, gravy from the roast, bread or rolls, Stonehill wine from Herman MO; Will see what my wife has left for us!

Dessert....Mincemeat pie, maybe Apple too!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Baking day....today's sourdough, mostly King Arthur bread flour with 1/4 cup of spelt flour and 1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour.

In the proofing basket out of the refrigerator from its overnight rest! Then, on parchment paper on the counter, scored and ready to put in my heated crock pot!

Baking done! Out of the oven in the crock pot! and onto a rack on the countertop to cool!

("It turned out well!" he said with quiet pride! :)

---

[Liz]

Looks mighty good........great job.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We love to EAT as much as we love to GARDEN! :)

Welcome! So glad you came and joined us all the way from New Zealand!

We now have Gardeners from Hawaii, New Zealand, Alaska and many of the other United States posting here. I’m not sure if we have anyone from Europe or the UK, but I’ll double-check. Don’t want to forget anyone. Exciting times! :)

FRiends: Shaggy is in the throws of gardening right now. I’m hoping he’ll fill us in on what he’s growing and how it’s going in his ‘Down Under Summertime.’ ;)

[Qiviut]

Beautiful! I LOVE homemade bread, sourdough in particular 😋

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I have a built-in wine rack above the microwave - it's part of the cabinetry. Since I'm not a big wine drinker, I have the ports filled with vintage Rolling Pins. Looks pretty cute!

Similar to what I have. LOVE that vintage mint green so much!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“I showed her a carton of beef broth from the store. She just could not believe something like that existed.”

When I was a kid and we were still living in Milwauee, Mom & Dad hosted a good number of college-age exchange students. We had people live with us from India, Germany and Columbia and a few more countries, but I forget which.

I remember Usha from India being absolutely FASCINATED with both Jello and instant puddings! Mom made them for her often and I know she took a bunch of packages home with her. I seem to remember some sort of problem getting a whole SUITCASE full of Jello & Instant Pudding on the plane, LOL!)

She was later on ‘Jeopardy!’ Yeah, she was THAT smart. From a very high Caste in India, obviously, if she was able to travel and study here in the US. She had this boyfriend at college, also an exchange student (she said they were JUST FRIENDS) named Ashoke and he was Movie Star HANDSOME. Mom & we girls were all SO crushed out on him. *SWOON*

We had SO much fun learning how to wrap a Sari (Usha had flying fingers - us? - not so much!) and she would take Mom’s red lipstick and put that red dot on our foreheads while we were playing Dress Up. She brought yards and yards of SILK with her to give to us!

I still have some of the glass bangles she gave us little girls and also an elephant carved from Rosewood that she gave to me. The trunk is facing UP which means Good Fortune. So far, so good, Usha! :)

[shaggy eel]

,,, many thanks Diana! A warm and sunny Sunday afternoon here [Dec 21]. Cherry tomatoes, spring onions (shallots), grapes (Albany Surprise variety - disease and frost resistant) trained on the tops of our fences; three J2 olives (self pollinating), buttercrunch lettuce, German hops, Omega plums and early Billington plums, garlic and passionfruit are all doing well in our garden right now.

As for roses, we have - Dublin Bay, Sir Edmund Hillary, Graeme Thomas, Western Sun, Iceberg, Pink Peace, Fellowship, Casino, Blackberry Nip and City of Auckland.

The feijoas are flowering well. They'll produce in autumn, with the pumpkins coming on stream after them. My wife makes a killer bacon, curry and pumpkin soup which I hang out for on autumn and winter nights when the fire's blazing. That's June, July and August and even into September here over the last few years.

[Albion Wilde]

That is amazing! And does it keep Beau mindful while in the kitchen... LOL

[FamiliarFace]

Super cute, and a great use of the space you were given!

Vintage mint green is so cool! I don’t have enough of it!

[FamiliarFace]

Beautiful! I haven’t made homemade bread since early in in the lockdowns, when we had our family food challenges every week.

[MomwithHope]

Gorgeous bread!!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"I need a beer." LOL!

Hint for next years wreath building. Yes, buy some florist wire! Secondly while you're traveling around 'The Manse' this coming spring and summer, look for wild grapes and steal those vines! Strip them of their leaves and make yourself a grape vine wreath (or a few!) as a BASE and then wire all of your evergreen trimmings to that. Leave the grapevine wreath in the sun and it will be more than dry by the time you need it in early winter. Works like a charm!

When you're done with the wreaths, again, leave them outside. The cut evergreens will dry and fade away, but the grapevine base will be usable for many years to come. Not sure why they haven't used grapevine as a building material? The stuff is pretty much indestructible.

[MomwithHope]

I would love o see pics from anywhere warm where people are gardening. Bob of Babble - would love to see some of your beautiful flowers.