The Garden Thread - January, 2026

January 1, 2026 | 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.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Those are the kinds of guys to have in your phone! I have all the young men from the surrounding farms in mine - just in case something heavy needs to be moved, I need hay or straw delivered, the steer escapes, etc.

But, never in a million years did I ever think my ‘emergency contact’ (besides Beau) would be someone named ‘Enos Yoder,’ LOL!

[who knows what evil?]

All kinds of ‘Yoders’ around East Tennessee...one of their stores makes kick-*ss sandwiches...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The Seed Savers seed order arrived, today! *SQUEAL*

Mongolian Giant Sunflower (14'!)

Lina Sisco's Bird Egg Bean (Bush, drying)

Wisconsin Lakes Pepper

Chervena Chushka Pepper

Yugoslavian Red Butterhead Lettuce

Tango Lettuce

SSE Zinnia Mixture

SSE Calendula Mixture

Tip Top Nasturtium

[Diana in Wisconsin]

*FIFTY DAYS UNTIL SPRING*

[MomwithHope]

I have the cream but no spinach. Store next weekend. Definitely a soup winter.

[MomwithHope]

Yugoslavian Red Butter Lettuce is IT as far as I am concerned. It was #1 for hubby too. Let a bunch go to seed I have plenty.

[Pollard]

Ha, amazon must have seen what I’ve been typing. Now they have a “better together” hoping I’ll buy Himalayan salt from Spice Labs. Interesting AI note. “Customers love this pink Himalayan salt for its rich color and taste, noting it’s not too salty.”

Were they reading both our posts? Was the AI blurb the same before I looked for grinders? Never know these days.

Amazon Tellichery peppercorns are the third of the better together items.

I’d say based on the bulk pricing, definitely cheaper. The McCormick bottled are 1oz for peppercorns and 2.5oz for salt and probably cost $4-5. The bulk is about 1/10th the price per oz.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’ve adored it (YRB Lettuce) since I worked for Seed Savers back in the day. It is soft, silky, yummy and GORGEOUS. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Check bulk prices on peppercorns at The Spice House:

https://www.thespicehouse.com/search?type=product&q=pepper%20corns

I like a mix of the black, white and red peppercorns in my grinder.

And, yes. I sold your posting and search information to Google for Big Bucks this afternoon, LOL!

[Pollard]

Too mad bulkspice.com went belly up.

[Liz]

Definitely a soup winter.

---

Yup .......nothing more satisfying on a frigid day than hot soup.

[Liz]

Arugula and Red-Leaf Lettuce Salad

Ing ½ lb ea Arugula, red-leaf Lettuce, Buttercrunch or Oakleaf 1 Tbs ea Dijon, red wine vinegar
1 tsp fine-chp garlic, S/p ⅛ tsp ground cumin 4 Tbs evoo 4 Tbs minced parsley or chervil

Wash arugula and lettuce in cold water. Rinse/pat dry or use salad spinner. Make Dressing in salad bowl: whisk while adding oil to mustard, vinegar, garlic, s/p, cumin. Add lettuce/arugula, toss well. Serve w/ parsley or chervil sprinkles.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That’s the idea! :)

[Pollard]

Soup and Salad

[Pollard]

The only thing you need for a good vinaigrette is high-quality dijon mustard, good vinegar, a touch of honey, and pure olive oil. The formula is as simple as adding to a bowl: one part vinegar to three parts oil. Add some honey, mustard, and any other flavorings you like such as fresh herbs, fresh pepper and mix the hell out of it.

Here is a formal recipe:

Champagne/Balsamic/Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 part champagne, balsamic or red wine vinegar
3 parts pure olive oil
small amount of honey
a dollop of dijon mustard (this brings the oil and vinegar together...in harmony)
salt and fresh cracked pepper

Mix all the ingredients

Put whatever you don't use in the fridge and save for later.

Salad of Fresh Bread and Seasonal Vegetables (gardener's salad)

Serves 4

To the eye, this recipe seems boring. But what could be better than some great crusty bread, toasted and tossed with freshly picked vegetables dripping with flavor?

Ingredients

Any loaf of fresh bread cut into large cubes (enough to fill roughly 2 cups)
head of fresh lettuce
any seasonal vegetables (carrots, squash, peppers, zucchini, asparagus)
2 fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
Red Wine Vinaigrette from above

Pre-Heat oven to 350F

Line the sheet pan with the bread and toast in the oven for 10 minutes.

For the vegetables, be sure to slice according to vegetable type. For example, a carrot is going to take longer to cook than a zucchini so slice it much thinner than the zucchini.

Toss the root vegetables in your vinaigrette of choice and roast in the oven for about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince the thyme, slice the tomatoes, and clean the lettuce.

When the vegetables are finished toss them with the lettuce, tomatoes and toasted bread and serve immediately.

Chef Andrew Gruel

[FamiliarFace]

I’m a tiny bit jealous of you that you have so much room to garden in. It’s probably a good thing I don’t have more here. Those all look beautiful!

Have you ever had those beans before? They’re beautiful to look at. I wonder what they taste like.

Are the chuska peppers hot or sweet? The butterhead lettuce looks amazing too!

I can’t wait to hear how they do for you.

[FamiliarFace]

I use tellicherry peppercorns and they’re fine. I mix them in with rainbow peppercorns sometimes too.

[FamiliarFace]

That looks like a dressing I made not too long ago, and it was really good!

[Paul R.]

Definitely a soup winter.

I concur with that!

Chili-mac, too!

I bought some Great Value "Mixed Chili Beans" from Wal-Mart just to try them out, and a local market had ground chuck for $4.69 / lb. in 4+ lb. packages. I'll freeze half of that and make spaghetti sauce with ~ 1 lb. and chili with ~ 1-1/4 lb.

Gee, I never thought 4.69/lb. would be a good price for "family pack" ground chuck, but, that market gets good reviews for its meats and it's the best price I've seen for a while... :-(

[Paul R.]

Ouch!

Slightly OT, I found in my deceased brother’s stuff (a bunch of little stuff we never got back to until recently) a small ceramic cup with a New England Patriots’ logo on it. It almost looks like a shot glass except it’s just 1 tbsp., right on the money. There is no “handle”, grip”, or indication of volume it holds, just straight sides but running at a bit of an angle — Sort of a truncated-bottom “V”. Bro’ worked as an assistant manager in a restaurant, so who knows?

Has anyone ever seen such? It’s solid & definitely does not look like a kids’ toy.