Posted on 12/01/2025 5:54:31 AM PST 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.
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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.
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Absolutely stunning I can almost smell them. But where are your 4 legged babies? I have 4 rosebushes brought up from the house I was raised in. All very old. A rosa rugosa which once got as big as a VW bug, a seven sister climber, another whose name I do not know and the beauty, Amelia Damaske. Smells like heaven and the thorniest rose I have ever seen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulex

Dad would have been 103 this past week - hard to believe it's been 3 years.

No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake / topped w/ White Chocolate Peanur Butter Ganache
An incredible combination: creamy, velvety peanut butter in a peanut butter cookie crust.
Ing Crust: 2 1/2 c 1 Oreo p/butter cookie crumbs, ½ c melted butter. Cheesecake: 18 oz cream cheese (cold), 3/4 c powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 c creamy peanut butter 1 ¼ c heavy cream, cold. Peanut butter ganache-3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 1/2 c + 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips. Garnish Chopped peanuts
Instructions Mix crumbs and melted butter to resemble wet sand. Add to 8” springform baking pan, pushing down into a compact even layer with the back of a spoon; chill 30 min.
Cheesecake: Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and peanut butter to mixer bowl; elec/mixer with paddle on med til combined. Pour in cream and switch to the whisk attachment. Beat on med til thick, holds shape. Spoon atop Crust; spread evenly. Gently tap pan on counter top to get rid of bubbles. Chill 6-24 hours; preferably overnight--run sharp knife at inside edge to loosen. Unclip springform and gently lift onto server.
Peanut Butter Ganache Add the peanut butter to one bowl and the white chocolate chips to another. Microwave each in 30 seconds bursts until melted. Stir together the runny peanut butter and melted white chocolate. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Spread it right up to the edges with an offset spatula or knife, then use a small spoon to gently push small amounts of the ganache over the side of the cheesecake at roughly 1 ½” intervals, allowing it to drip down. Garnish w/ chopped peanuts. Fridg 30 min before slicing.
That is so beautiful!
Thanks!
I know it’s not gardening talk, but... my son got his 1st deer ever on Friday in our backyard
A 7 point White tail....we got about 45lbs of ground meat off of him.
I took a 7 point (was an 8 point ‘center a brow time was snapped off) last night
Put another 60 lbs of deer meat (not counting the pork I added which makes it 90 lbs) in the freezer.
I need another 200lbs in the freezer so we can have 2 meals a week for the next year.
Only 2 weeks left in the season so I gotta get crackin but I like to wait until December to start hunting to lwt some of these bucks knock of the does before they get whacked!
They are the neighborhood deer after all. :)
That’s beautiful! Was your Dad 100 when he passed? That’s amazing!
You are so blessed!
My FIL was 92 when he passed years ago, and we have all held that milestone up as a worthy goal. My MIL, his dear wife, is still with us at age 97. We know she wants to make it to 100.
She is a stubborn but wonderful woman. I have no doubt ahe will make it to her goal.
100 & 22 days. He fell & broke his femur 10 days before his birthday so he had surgery & was in inpatient rehab on the big day. The staff, including the director, all came in & sang happy birthday to him & got him a cake, even decorated his room door - they didn’t get many 100 yo patients so it was a big deal!

TACORITOS
Ing 1 lb grnd beef 1 tsp. gar/powder 2 tbl chili powder 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 can cheddar cheese soup 2 cans water 1 tsp ea sage, oregano, cumin Flour tortillas Grated Cheddar Chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, scallions, Sour Cream garnishes
Method Brown beef w/ garlic, chili powder. Mix in and simmer 30 min, soups, water, sage, oregano and cumin. ASSEMBLE Layer tortilla w/ cheese then lettuce, tomatoes and meat. Rollup like a burrito. Line up in pan. Blanket w/ sauce and cheese. Bake 460 deg 15 min. Garnish. Serve 6.
Congrats on the deer!
,,, how long is the deer season?
That turned out great! Nicely done!
Good shooting! And Venison IS food-related, so it fits. We’re pretty slapdash around here, as far as what we talk about in the ‘off season,’ LOL!
Smart idea to add the pork to the ground Venison. Venison is super-lean, so it gives it a much nicer texture when fried, IMHO.
Only one doe was harvested from our land this year by a friend. We really don’t have as many deer as we used to. Chronic Wasting Disease seems to be the culprit. :(
Beau dislikes Mexican foods, but he might just eat that!
That also means more Fish Tacos for ME! :)
Beau dislikes Mexican foods, but he might just eat tacoritos.
That also means more Fish Tacos for ME! :)
See, there’s a bright side to everything.......chuckle.
The German Habit You Should Try for Fresher Indoor Air This Winter
When winter closes in and your windows stay shut tight, the air inside your home can grow stale without you even noticing. But there’s a traditional German habit called lüften that can change that in minutes. With just a short blast of fresh air through wide-open windows a couple times a day, you can flush out moisture, allergens, and lingering odors while welcoming in cleaner, oxygen-rich air that helps you breathe easier and feel more energized.
Germans rely on lüften in their homes, schools, offices, and other public spaces—it’s even written into some apartment leases.
Find out what it is and whether you should adopt this practice in your own home.
What Is Lüften?
So what exactly is lüften and how is it done?
“Lüften is a historic practice of opening your home’s windows to allow fresh air in and force stale air out,” says Lauren Riddei, Healthy Home Wellness Interior Designer and CEO of Haus Holistics.
There are a few ways to go about this depending on the time of the year, the time of day, and the size of the home.
For smaller spaces, opening all the windows in a room for a few minutes is often enough to improve the indoor air quality. When you have a larger home, it’s a good idea to open all the windows in the morning, the evening, or both to let cool air in and allow warm, moist air to escape.
How Does Lüften Work?
The goal of lüften is to increase the amount of oxygen inside the home, while allowing excess carbon dioxide and moisture to escape.
“Lüften works simply by manually opening your windows either in the morning or in the evening to release an excess build up of carbon dioxide, mold, bacteria, allergens or condensation, while also allowing oxygen back into the interior environment,” Riddei says.
Depending on the season, you can practice lüften at different intervals and for differing lengths of time. In summer, open all the windows about two times a day for 30 minutes to improve the indoor air quality.
During the spring and fall seasons, shorten the amount of time the windows are open to about 10 to 15 minutes twice a day. When winter hits, you should only need to have the windows open for about five to 10 minutes twice a day.
Why Is Lüften Considered Beneficial?
In general, by practicing lüften, you can improve the air quality indoors, replacing stale air with fresh air to help reduce the risk of mold.
Cool, oxygen-rich air also helps you to sleep better at night, while opening the windows during the spring and fall can keep the home feeling comfortable, without wasting money on energy bills to run your furnace or air conditioner.
“Lüften is not only a quick and easy habit to get into, but it’s a great way to release potential volatile organic compounds, condensation, mold, allergens or bacteria that can build up inside our enclosed spaces,” Riddei says.
Why Should People Consider Lüften for Their Home?
Adopting lüften as a regular practice can improve home comfort and air quality. It’s also an easy practice that doesn’t take a lot of time or much effort, so there is little reason to avoid this beneficial change to your morning or evening routine.
“Personally, I prefer to slightly ajar my windows first thing in the morning as I’m going about my tasks,” Riddei says. “During cold winter evenings, there is nothing better than opening my windows for just a few minutes before I go to sleep. Not only does the temperature drop, allowing for deeper sleep, but the indoor air quality is improved.”
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-luften-11865527?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Diana here: Since I open the kitchen door a good 50x a day between the dog and the cats and me, coming and going, I’m pretty sure I’ve got this covered! I will give this a try on above-freezing Winter days for the 10 minutes straight that is recommended, though. The other windows in the house are either too hard to get at, or are old and drafty (in the first place!) and in line for replacement.
The Legend of the Poinsettia as a Christmas Plant
How did a tropical plant become an unlikely symbol of the Christmas holiday? The history of the poinsettia, as it relates to Christmas, begins with an old Mexican legend and, later, a prominent American business venture. Discover the legend of the poinsettia!
You say poin-set-ee-uh, I say poin-set-uh—but let’s call the whole thing off because the name of the ubiquitous holiday plant can be pronounced either way.
Poinsettias: America’s Favorite Holiday Flower
Aside from the Christmas tree, no plant symbolizes Christmas quite like the poinsettia. More than 2 million will be sold this year, making it the largest potted flower crop grown in the United States!
Why Are Poinsettias the Christmas Flower?
In their native region of southern Mexico, poinsettias flower during the winter season. They are perennial shrubs that were once considered weeds and will grow 10 to 15 feet tall in the wild. The colored “flowers” are specialized leaves called bracts, while the actual flowers are inconspicuous beads found in the center of the bracts.
Long before European colonization, the Aztecs called the plant cuetlaxochitl in the Nahuatl language (pronounced “kwet-la-sho-she” or “kwe-tla-so-cheetl”). They used the bracts to make a reddish-purple dye for fabrics and employed the sap in medicines to control fevers, skin conditions, and other ailments. Cuetlaxochitl was planted in the gardens of the Aztec rulers and used as offerings in religious ceremonies.
Later, Spanish missionaries called the plant Flor de la Noche Buena (Flower of the Holy Night) due to its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem.
According to Mexican lore, a young child, Pepita, did not have a gift for the baby Jesus at a Christmas Eve service. She was penniless, so all she could do was pick a bouquet of weeds to offer. The angels felt compassion for her plight. So, after Pepita set the flowers at the crèche of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, the angels transformed the weeds into beautiful red flowers. This is why red and green are the colors of Christmas today.
More at link: https://www.almanac.com/poinsettia-christmas-story

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