The Garden Thread - August, 2025

August 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]

Are you felling the tree solo? Please be careful. Have your mom nearby to call for help should things go awry.

[Liz]

SHREDDED BEEF TACOS

ING 1 lb rump steak 3 tbl olive oil 6 corn or flour tortillas 2 tbl dry oregano 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbl olive oil 2 lge onions, thin-sliced 5 gar/cl, peeled and crushed 1/2 tsp. dried anchos or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes cilantro s/p shredded lettuce salsa sour cream

Stack tortillas w/ p/towels or wax paper; micro 30 sec; turn over for 30 sec, if needed.

Fill heated tortilla with shredded lettuce, a heavy layer of shredded beef, salsa, and tomatoes. S/p to taste (can use Hot Salt). Garnish, Serve w/ lime wedges. Top with a dollop of sour cream and shredded Cheddar cheese for a Taco Supreme.

MEAT FILLING----brown steak on high both sides in 2 tbl ol/oil with 2 gar/cl and one minced onion. Add water or beef broth to cover; simmer tender 1-2 hrs. Shred cooled meat w/ two large forks pulling in opposing directions. Transfer shredded steak to a bowl; season with ground cumin, oregano, s/p. Final: Add tbl olive oil and 2 gar/cl to pan. Saute briefly on high (1-2 min). Reduce heat, add cooked steak and heat thru.

[Qiviut]

Lol - I am a bit discombobulated this morning (now afternoon).

[MomwithHope]

how about shredded bear tacos? 😁

[Qiviut]

Mom is hauling what I cut so she’s out there.

You will be relieved to know that all the tall stuff is down - I am relieved too! The tree trunks are about waist high at this point so I’ll be cutting them down from there.

Cutting rotten wood is dangerous because you don’t know what you’re cutting ‘inside’ a trunk or large branch & worse, which way it will fall. I did have one go exactly opposite of the way it was notched, but I had good safety/escape zones.

One of the pieces I cut was full of ants! I only got one bite - I might have to get my Ortho House Defense spray out to kill them before we pick it up to haul away.

Mom & I are talking about the blooming bushes we want to plant - a nice mental picture among the mess we have to haul away - I’m not sure we’ll finish by dinner.

[FamiliarFace]

If Mom is hauling, she’s a pretty strong woman. Is she related to Annie Oakley by any chance?

BTW, our dying hickory tree was full of ants! I’d never seen anything like it.

[Qiviut]

Farm girl - she & her 3 sisters worked from an early age in the fields, had mules to do the plowing, everything else was by hand (topping tobacco, weeding, hoeing, picking cotton, milking some of the cows not in the dairy) .... working in those days was a matter of survival.

I am giving my back a break & relocating our motion alarms. One was in a tree I took down & the other needs a better location. Stumps are about knee high now - I’ll need a low stool to sit on to get them lower.

[FamiliarFace]

Farm girl, I should’ve known!

Take care of yourself! I hate when I overdo it and my back hurts. It’s one of the few times I will take a prescription muscle relaxer.

[Pollard]

I went to cut a large limb at above shoulder height and as soon as I cut into it, a gallon of water came pouring down on me.

[Liz]

how about shredded bear tacos? 😁

---

To each his own

[Liz]

Musta been confusing.........chuckle.

[Qiviut]

I might be done with the chainsaw. I have one tree down pretty far & the other one has cut trunk pieces & limbs piled up around it. Mom will be making a debris pile run with small stuff & by the time we haul the big stuff, I won’t be able to lift the chainsaw.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bear works for tacos...but you have to call them ‘Bah-cos.’ ;)

I make a ground beef/ground elk Meatloaf and we call it ‘Belkloaf.’

[Qiviut]

The two stumps. I hope we can haul the big branch & trunk pieces by dinner. Cutting that stump lower will have to be another day. My chain came off the saw - got it back on & working after cleaning a ton of sawdust out of where the bar & chain go - it was quite the mess after all the sawing today.

We're going across the mountain tomorrow morning to a Farmers Market where my niece has a flower booth - it will be a half day vacation from work around this place! :-)

[MomwithHope]

Wow that is a lot of work. Great job. And the driveway and everything looks great. Nice work!

[Qiviut]

The view from our porch - great place for a rest & some refreshments! :-)

[Clay Moore]

“We had a couple of them and I’d be fine without every hearing that Nubian scream again”

After seeing this video, I found a new purpose in life. Getting goats to scream!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlYlNF30bVg

[LilFarmer]

I have to share this. These are my goats every morning, lol:

https://vimeo.com/1099659010?share=copy

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Lovely! Hey! That’s my $12 Walmart Fern you’ve got hanging there, LOL!

All my view consists of these days is a massive field of feed corn. There’s a break in it, like a deer must’ve jumped through it, and I keep expecting to see ‘Shoeless Joe Jackson’ walk out of there and come up to the house for some Lemonade!

(’Field of Dreams’)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

WOW! You weren’t kidding about cutting down the timber this week! :)