The Garden Thread - November, 2025

November 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’ll post my Thanksgiving Menu when I finalize it. It will be mostly what’s already on hand. Mom & Sis will bring appetizers.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’re right - the Hardneck varieties tend to have fewer but larger cloves.

On years when I grow it, I grow Northern White and/or German Porcelain. Of course, I’ve been known to plant the random garlic bulb that fell on the floor at work and couldn’t be identified, too. Waste not, want not! ;)

They’re sold out now, but here are the Garlic varieties from Jung’s:

https://www.jungseed.com/category/s?keyword=garlic

[Liz]

ok

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Love it! They did a nice job. I can hear it from here; so soothing.

Love your statue of St. Francis. Looks like he’s gotten a recent paint job; I do that with my statuary, too.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You had me at, ‘Morsels.’ And not chocolate ones this time, LOL!

[Liz]

NO-BAKE BLUEBERRY PIE
The fruit spread thickens nicely. Dieter's take note: no additional sweetener is needed.

Ing---1 shortbread cookie crust 1/2 c sugar-free Smucker's blueberry fruit spread 3 c washed/dried fresh blueberries + 2 tbl garnish 1/2 tsp cinnamon 8 oz tub Cool Whip grated nutmeg for top

Warm Smucker's on low-med heat, stirring, do not simmer. Stir in cinnamon. Fold in blueberries. Lightly mash about 1/4 c blueberries with potato masher. Stir. Turn off heat and cool. Pour into crust. Top w/ whipped topping. Sprinkle w/ bit nutmeg, garnish. Refrigerate 2 or more hours. Serve.

[Liz]

Nice recipe for small “morsels” of leftover turkey.....is all I’m saying.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’ve got a busy three days ahead! Check in when you can.

Right now I am helping Beau get packed for his Mule Deer hunt in CO. They’re leaving sometime this afternoon, will stay over in NE then on through northern CO, almost to the Utah border.

Friend Jeff has waited 22 years to get this tag, so they are staying for as long as it takes to get him the Mule Deer of a Lifetime - because this is more than likely his one and only chance! ‘Mule Deer’ is the western term for what we call ‘Whitetail Deer’ here in the Midwest. They grow a LOT bigger out there, though. A. LOT.

I will be in charge of ELEVEN hunting dogs, ‘Dolly’ (Beagle) two cats, the steer (’Stew’ is in the barn now), ‘Jennifer Cooniston’ (raccoon), the chickens and everything and anything else that moves and poops around here! ‘Ithaca’ (mule) is in the lower pasture where he can still graze and Beau left the water tank on for him.

Other than that, I’ve got nothing to do, LOL! Well, more mulching - going to have three very nice weather days ahead of me, too. Loving the sound of leaves crunching underfoot!

Veteran’s Day Sale (10% off for Vets!) at Farm & Fleet starting Friday, so I’m going to do some Christmas shopping. :)

[Augie]

We checked on cremation. It would have been a little over $2000. Better to bury her here for a lot of reasons.

Yesterday wasn't all bad, though. Tire truck guy showed up with Nanner's new shoe. It cost a little over $1300 by the time it was done. I'm glad to have the little Kubota tractor here for the light stuff, but when there's heavy work to be done Nanner is so much better. I didn't like having to part with all that coin, but I'm glad that he's back in service.

[FamiliarFace]

No, St. Francis hasn’t been repainted…yet! When we get the chairs and bench repainted, I will look at giving him an update. They are vintage wrought iron pieces, and are in dire need of sandblasting and powder coating, which we hope will last another 80 years until someone else takes them on.

I got several of the plants put in yesterday, but I need more topsoil in one section. Somewhere under the ground is a power line and we don’t know exactly where it is. We were told the minimum to locate those lines would be $200, so the topsoil will be much less than that. So kind of a raised bed in effect for that section of the garden.

It’s already taking shape, but I know it will be a work in progress, and probably won’t be “completed” until next June. It is very peaceful out there…as long as my neighbors aren’t mowing their lawns or using their leaf blowers! Have to work around their chores! ;)

[FamiliarFace]

*** ‘Jennifer Cooniston’ (raccoon) ***

Did I read that right? Do you have a pet raccoon?

[Pollard]

Two weeks later, chain saw still not ready. They’re waiting on a carburetor. It’s still only going to be a little over $100 with the new carb, Genuine Stihl I presume

Poly film and wiggle wire/track are really on the way now. I said that a few days ago right before my laptop decided to restart. It’s old and has issues. My browser clears cookies when it shuts down so I lost my cart contents. I also had a text file with calculations and list of what I needed but hadn’t saved the file so that got lost. Just redid all that this morning and just now ordered.

When I painted my tunnel frame, the tips of the uprights were sitting on the ground and the arches up on saw horses so the arches got painted but not the uprights/posts. I had bought a gallon of flat white. I didn’t want gloss because the sun would reflect too much and cook the inside of the poly right at the pipes. I wanted semi-gloss or satin etc but they only had gloss or flat and I didn’t want to spend the money for a gallon of each to make a satin. Bought a quart of gloss today to mix with some flat and make something that won’t catch a bunch of dirt like flat. Kinda important for the posts. I can recoat the arches with satin some day when it’s time for new poly.

I better get out there because they’re calling for a high of 45 next Monday so based on that, my Tues/Wed/Thurs off will be more like cooking indoors weather.

[Qiviut]

Beautiful spot already!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Skid steer (major) and two truck repairs this season set Beau back a good $5K this year.

A few days ago he said, ‘That should be IT for a good long time!’

I said, ‘Tell my another STORY, Grandpa!’ LOL!

Those repairs were a big part of the reason he was a mowing maniac this late-summer-into-fall.

I also mentioned that if he didn’t put all the wear and tear on all of the vehicles with his outside ventures and just stayed home and did my simple bidding, he’d stay well ahead of the financial curve.

I think he was just PRETENDING not to hear me. What do you think? ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Well, she’s not really a PET - more of a training aid. If Beau comes across a kit in the field when hunting, he will grab it. He keeps one on hand for two reasons.

The new pups that we raise get to sniff her (large and luxurious!) enclosure so they know what a raccoon smells like so they can track better and she also participates in spring Water Races, where the ‘coon is in a cage on a platform on the pond. She’s dragged across (by hand cranked rope) and the dogs jump in to chase her for their exercise to get in shape for the season after lounging around all winter and to learn to not be afraid to cross small bodies of water. The coon is never in danger from the dogs, though I’m sure it’s not the most pleasant way to make a living!

‘George Coonie’ and ‘Rocket’ were previous Coons on Hand. They both lived long and generally plush lives for the most part. George and Rocket are gone now. I think Jennifer will be the last of the line - she’s going on 10 years old. Coons in the wild live just a few years, tops. She’s very glad I am taking care of her this week. I give her cookies, half an apple, a carrot, along with her dog kibble. Coon Heaven.

I will admit that it is a VERY weird Hunting World that I live in. Very. Very. Weird. ;)

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you! When I went to a new-to-me landscape center, I saw yellow flag irises growing in a pond. Well, I have blue flag irises in a few spots, and one of them was totally out of place, hangin out in my liriope. So I looked it up, and the *internet* has told me that the irises don’t mind wet legs. So this morning I transplanted two of them, but I plan to add more tomorrow. They’re on the backside of the water feature. They should die back in the winter and re-emerge in the late spring.

The young men are coming late morning to help, and bringing a yard of river bottom topsoil. I am really hoping that by tomorrow night we are finished for the season with this project. Mind you, I still have bulbs to plant in a few areas. Tulips, bigger bearded irises, and some allium bulbs. Tomorrow night is the first official true freeze, but Saturday or Sunday we will get to 25 for our lows. It is truly downhill from there.

I keep adding little nuances to the meditation garden. A vintage iron Asian lantern with a waterproof candle (remote controlled) was the most recent addition. It is very pretty. I had it in the yard in a different spot, but I think it will like it’s new home.

[Qiviut]

We’re supposed to be 26 overnight Monday, 29 Tuesday night. Our hostas in the pots next to the front porch are now yellow. My flowers have not been killed yet, but next week will definitely be bye bye. I have the porch ferns in the garage & they look great. We are likely going to have company next week & I will hang them out for the day.

Mom & I were at the old house today. I was scouting for Christmas wreath materials for dad & my cousin. We will be making a trip in December & can gather materials then. Last year I did simple rosemary wreaths with some lavender & holly berries. This year we have loads of nandina berries, holly berries, rosemary, ivy, cedar with blue berries & I will probably cut some pine. I might also cut some magnolia. Mom will be looking to fill her hosta pots with something festive, too.

[yesthatjallen]

Thank you.

[yesthatjallen]

Thank you.

[Liz]

Fast Noodle Stir Fry / from scratch
Sauce is just 2 ingredients. So handy for busy weeknights.

Ing-14 oz thin slice chix thighs, lb hokkien noodles, or lo mein, prepared per packet, rinse well, drain, tbsp peanut oil 2 minced gar/cl, 7 green onions in 2″ lngths 5 c sliced green cabbage (or Napa/Chinese cabbage). Sauce: 2 tbsp kecap mani (sweet soy) 1/4 cup fish sauce pinch wh/pepper optional tbsp+ chilli crisp, chilli paste or sriracha

Sauce – Mixed in bowl. Toss chicken, tablespoon sauce (no marinating time needed). Cooking: Cook – Heat the oil in a large 12" non-stick pan on high til very hot. Add/cook chicken 2 min. Add garlic and white part of the green onion, cook 30 sec til chicken is just cooked. Add cabbage, toss for 1 1/2 min til floppy. Add noodles and 1/2 sauce, toss a minute til sauce is absorbed and no longer pooling in the pan (~ 45 sec). Add rest sauce; toss to evenly coated and no liquid remains (~ 1 minute), add chilli crisp at end. Serve – Toss in green onion part til wilted (barely 20 sec), then into bowls. Serve.

Notes: 1. Noodles – Fresh fridge noodles are best – closest to good noodle shops Prepare per packet, rinse and shake off water. Dont use dried vac packed noodles. 2. Kecap manis (aka sweet soy) in the Asian aisle of grocery stores. 3. Chilli sauces and chilli crisps differ in spiciness, flavour, garlickiness etc, so just add, toss, taste, can add more. 4. Adding sauce in 2 batches reduces faster, or add all at once w/ a super strong burner. Leftovers keep 3 days in fridge. Freeze no.