The Garden Thread - November, 2025

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

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Eating from The Land, Your Hand, Your Garden:

Supper tonight was Bear Pepper Steak and it. was. awesome! Peppers were frozen, from the garden earlier this season. I used all red peppers as that’s what I had frozen, but any color combo is fine. Also, no reason you couldn’t throw in a few Shishito or a Jalapeno or two for added interest! ;)

I use this Crock Pot recipe, but used a Bear roast that Beau brought back from camp this season. I have also used Elk, Beef and Pork with similar delicious results.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23567/slow-cooker-pepper-steak/

Note: Instead of the Soy Sauce, I prefer Teriyaki Sauce - just personal preference. I also add some homemade gravy mix (a scant 1/4 cup) at the end to thicken it up and skip the corn starch part of the recipe.

Homemade Brown Gravy Mix:

https://iamhomesteader.com/homemade-brown-gravy/

Since I am IN LOVE with a total ‘Meat and Potatoes Guy’ this Brown Gravy Mix has saved me cash and time and effort. They want 50 cents for a little packet of gravy mix? Yeah. No.

Bear Pepper Steak served over rice with crunchy Chinese Noodles and a side salad and homemade bread. Heaven on a PLATE, Baby! :)

[Liz]

https://iamhomesteader.com/homemade-brown-gravy

.........this Brown Gravy Mix has saved me cash and time and effort......
served over Pepper Steak, rice with crunchy Chinese Noodles and a side salad............

---

A winner for sure.

[Liz]

Fill in the blanks

[MomwithHope]

My experience has been the hardnecked has bigger cloves.

[FamiliarFace]

Eating from my garden this season almost always means shishito peppers! Tonight was no exception! Blistered shishitos with smoked paprika aioli were appetizers. Always a win!

A few nights ago, we had most of the last of my baby red potatoes. Nothing short of amazing!

All the herbs are being used, nearly daily. I have ten + different herbs, so every day, one of them is harvested. Basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon (dying back), chives, marjoram, mint (nearly gone), rosemary, sage, dill (almost gone but looking for a rebirth, even now), and parsley.

[FamiliarFace]

I am Snoopy this year. I can’t believe how fast the year has gone already! Is it really November? I have so much to do!

[FamiliarFace]

That’s super cool!

My younger son has had his hand in many different restaurant jobs. Most recently he was a line chef for an up and coming restaurant where he lives. He got frustrated with their business plan. When he cooks, he wants the prep work to have been completed before he goes in to create his masterpiece. He says you can’t prep and cook (amazing meals, anyway) at the same time.

I heartily agree. A chef should always have access to his ingredients before he starts going at it.

I think I could’ve been a decent pastry chef, or maybe my sister, I think she’s more talented than I am, but I am a bit riskier, so I sometimes have inconvenient flops. Ahhh, that’s the stuff of life, isn’t it!

Hubby was recently discussing with me when we go to vacation next June with our adult kids and our grandchildren. He wondered if we should have each family sign up to take a dinner meal. I told him that I don’t think we need to worry about that more than 6 months away. We are, and all of our kids are, accomplished cooks. It will be more likely that we will be fighting to show off some culinary skill to the others. The kitchen is a hyper busy place when we’re all together.

Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are several of us on top of each other in the kitchen. I kid you not. A nice problem to have, no?

[FamiliarFace]

The water feature was completed today! There’s still much work left to do before the meditation garden is where I want it to be. I spent the rest of the day (late morning to sunset) moving dirt around, planting ajuga bits from a larger pot, planting several of the perennials I’ve bought (many more to go), and just continually giving it all an eagle eye, making sure that what I’ve been planting is where each should go. Here’s what we have so far. I realize now this is a longer project than I first figured on. My landscaper friend thinks I will be able to get it all done before the first really HARD freeze of the season.

[MomwithHope]

I particularly like fresh chopped fine shishitos as a pizza topping.

[MomwithHope]

Wow that looks beautiful thanks for the picture.

[MayflowerMadam]

In my post I left out the most important part (duh). Her restaurant is the focus of a PBS series now for a few weeks.

And yes, having so many eager and competent cooks in your family makes you a lucky person!

[Liz]

Green Beans in Butter Sauce w/ Turkey Morsels

ING---use morsels of cooked leftover turkey seasoned w/ s/p, minced onion, minced gar/cl, heated in bit of turkey gravy or chicken broth, dried or fresh minced thyme, or poultry seasoning.

For green beans-- 1 lb fresh green beans 2 tbl butter 2 minced gar/cl 2 tsp Italian seasoning Pinch red pepper flakes, s/p, ¼ c water, lemon wedges.

To melted butter add onions; sauté 3 min, translucent and golden. Add garlic, stir/cook 30 sec. Add broth, bring to simmer. Add thyme, stir to combine, on med-low simmer 5 min. Add green beans, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, s/p. Stir to distribute. Add water, cover. On low simmer 10-12 min, stir occasionally. Remove lid, squeeze lemon wedge over, stir. (Can thicken w/ cornstarch roux; simmer 2 min to heat thru). Serve turkey w/ green beans in butter sauce and lemon wedges.

[FamiliarFace]

We’ve been using shishitos on our pizza, too! Along with pepperoni, mushrooms, and a bit of red onion. Delish!

[FamiliarFace]

Very cool about the PBS show! That’s awesome!

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you! More to come! (Next Spring)