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.

[Liz]

Mmmmmm.....

[MomwithHope]

I’m not much of a chocolate eater but with a glass of milk turtles are great.

[Liz]

ITALIAN BEEF BRISKET / very flavorful

Ing 4-4 1/2 lb beef brisket Adolph's seasoned meat tenderizer bottled Greek seasoning 1/2 c Italian creamy dressing 1 pkg dry onion soup mix 1 pkg prepared brown gravy 4 oz can sliced mushrooms

Method Pierce beef allover w/ fork. Rub with tenderizer and Greek seasoning. Place on double sheet of heavy foil in b/pan. Pour over combined Italian dressing, soup mix, brown gravy and mushrooms. Fold tightly and seal carefully. Bake 300 deg 1 hour per pound. Remove from gravy to cool completely. Serve sliced thin reheated with gravy; add caramelized onions, vegetable, and mashed potato sides.

[dakine]

Save...

[Liz]

French Bread Pizza
Simple to make; bakes in minutes. Add your fave pizza toppings.

Ing 1 loaf French or Italian bread 1/2 c well-seasoned pizza sauce 1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella
½ c shredded Parm 1 tsp Italian seasoning Pepperoni sliced black olives green pepper strips

Method Slice bread loaf in half lengthwise. Oven-toast bread loaves briefly. Spread each half with pizza sauce (add in oregano, etc) . Top with cheese. Sprinkle w/ Italian seasoning. Arrange pepperoni peppers and olives over cheese. Bake 375 deg 10 min; cheese has fully melted. Serve hot.

Tips & Notes: Italian or French bread loaves work well. Add more or less pizza sauce,
depending on how saucy you like your pizza. Swap toppings for whatever you like.

[9YearLurker]

Yum.

[Liz]

This French bread pizza is so good, it almost
makes you forget about delivered pizza.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

My buck has a very nice layer of fat on his rib meat and in between each muscle group.

So the rib may and little individual muscles on the let legs didn’t need any pork but the larger muscle groups did.

The old lady at work who I adopted as my work wife and who I recently promoted to “mom” is going to yeah me how to make snack sticks, smoke rings, and summer sausages as soon as wehave some cooler weather..... said we need 4 straight nights of low 40s and days in low 50s.

It was 80 the other day so may have to freeze then the simmering out when it’s time to make those delicious treats.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That’s a great use of the Venison. Everyone loves those. We used to have ‘Sausage Making Day’ once a year with my Grandma. Good times, great memories. :)

[Qiviut]

Well, bummer. My brother & SIL were coming for the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church tonight, staying over & then the traditional oyster feast was to be tomorrow. He told me Tuesday he was coming down with ‘something’ & would let me know today if it was better or worse. It’s worse - he’s hacking & coughing, head hurts, feels bad. He’ll be staying home. The oysters are good until Jan. 2 so he’s got time to make it up here.

I got busy early & put on cinnamon apples (going to make cobbler with them), a crockpot of pasta fagioli soup, with some ‘vegan’ eggnog (no dairy - it’s pretty decent) in the works for a festive drink. All will keep (freeze) except the eggnog and I’ll be drinking this batch (I have enough for 2 batches).

House cleaning (just touching things up) has been canceled for the day - hoorah! :-)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“House cleaning (just touching things up) has been canceled for the day - hoorah! :-)”

Always the BEST of Christmas Miracles, LOL!

I’m not cleaning, either. Our Foster Son (the one who painted our house and did the flooring for us) is coming down today from Appleton. He wanted PIZZA, so that’s what we’re having - easy peasy.

Saturday to Beau’s family gathering and Sunday to mine, and then it will all be over and I can HIBERNATE until Spring!

Merry Christmas!

[Liz]

Italian Breakfast Sandwich / a little different

Buttermilk biscuit, fig jam, prosciutto, Burrata cheese.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Buttermilk biscuit, fig jam, prosciutto, Burrata cheese.”

It just so happens that ALL of those are in my personal Food Pyramid. ;)

Merry Christmas!

[Liz]

“Buttermilk biscuit, fig jam, prosciutto, Burrata cheese” are ALL in my personal Food Pyramid. ;)

---

Merry Christmas....... and happy eating.

[Liz]

Salade Nicoise Salad / French salad w/ Lemon Dressing
Do as the French do----use the best tuna in oil......not in spring water.

Ing 8 baby potatoes 4 oz green beans, 2 tomatoes in wedges 1/2 baby cos lettuce (romaine), cut or torn in large bite size 3 hd-boiled egg quarters ¾ cup black olives 8–10 oz canned chunk tuna in oil, drained and broken into lge chunks. Lemon Dressing: 1 1/2 tbl l/juice 4 tbl evoo small minced gar/cl s/p 1 tsp Dijon

Instructions Dressing: Shake all ingredients in a jar. Cook ptoatoes: Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and leave to fully cool. Slice into halves. Blanch beans: Boil green beans until tender or done to your liking. Drain and refresh under cold running water to quickly cool. Drain, pat well to dry. Assemble the salad: Arrange the cos leaves on a large, wide plate. Scatter and layer the remaining ingredients artfully around the plate, finishing with the eggs, olives and chunks of tuna. Drizzle with dressing over and serve.

Chef's Recipe Notes: 1. Potatoes – Regular potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks or slices are totally fine too. 2. Olives – Get the best olives you can find. Unpitted kalamata, Ligurian or Nicoise olives in brine or oil are best. 3. Tuna – Not all tuna is created equal! Tuna in oil trumps tuna in spring water. 4. Variations: – Instead of tuna, anchovies are common and arguably more traditional. Use around a dozen draped over the salad. Modern versions often turn the salad into a seafood meal by serving a whole seared, rare tuna steak on top of the salad. – Other vegetables sometimes seen in a Nicoise salad: Cucumber, capsicum, artichokes, broad bean (fava beans), red onion, eschalots, radishes. Soft herbs are also sometimes included such as parsley or basil.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

We are having a Florida Christmas here, was 70F today! That said, wishing everyone on the Garden Thread a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

[Paul R.]

Nothing much to say this morning except “MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!”

[Paul R.]

Here too! We have and will set a bunch of warm temperature records this week.

[Paul R.]

Lot’s of respiratory “crud” that hangs around for weeks has been going around. I have it too - it makes me ornery* sometimes because I get frustrated to be so fatigued and slowed down for so long, esp. with so much to do, many things missed, and who knows how many Christmas’s I’ll see?

10 would be beating the odds...

Younger folks typically seem to be able to stay more functional — the 30’ish gal at my retirement fund manager’s office says she’s had it for 3 weeks, but has been able to work most of that time. Those “kids” surely act as carriers, but God bless ‘em though - somebody has to keep the country running!

*So if I’ve been ornery to anyone, I apologize!