China plant seeds mystery solved? – It’s all a SCAM

Police think packages sent to US homes could be tied to scam reviews.

Mysterious, unsolicited packages of seeds being sent from China to homes across America.
Prompting agriculture departments in at least 31 states to issue warnings against planting the seeds may be tied to a fake product review scam, police and officials are saying.

The packages, based on photographs and statements from officials, appear to have been shipped by China’s state owned postal company and contain Chinese lettering on the exterior, advertising products ranging from jewelry to toys.

Here’s how the scam works: a seller trying to boost the ratings of their own merchandise sets up a fake email account to create an Amazon profile, then purchases the items with a gift card and ships them to the address of a random person.

James Thomson, a former business consultant for Amazon said “Once the package is delivered, the owner of the Amazon account is then listed as a “verified buyer” of the product and can write a positive review of it that gets higher placement on product pages because of their status.

Unsolicited seed package warning

This is the third or fourth blog post I have seen in the past 2 or 3 weeks about garderners receiving ‘unsolicited’ seed packages that seem to be coming from China.

Mysterious packages of seeds sent from China are appearing in people’s mailboxes unsolicited.
The packages are coming in all different shapes and sizes and are sometimes delivered under the guise of jewelry.

Washington, Louisiana, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Colorado Department of Agriculture is warning residents not to plant, throw away, or open the seeds.
Cheryl Smith, a specialist for the Colorda department, said “allowing the seeds to grow could be harmful to local ecosystems. They could be an invasive species here in the United States.
If they were to grow and survive, then they could also attract pests that we are not familiar with and don’t have already. Which could then attack other agriculture crops that we do have.”

Even worse the seeds could produce plants, folage, seeds and fruits that are poisonous to children, pets, livestock and poultry if eaten.

If you receive a Unsolicited seed package.

Do keep all packaging and mail/shipping labels. These can assist investigators to trace the source of Unsolicited seed packages.

Do call your county or state department of agriclture and request they pick-up the unsolicited seed package(s).

Do Not open unsolicited seed packages.

Do Not plant unsolicited seed.

Do Not dispose of unsolicited seed package(s) in trash bins.

Do Not flush unsolicited seed in your toilet.

Do Not throw unsolicited seed packages in your compost pile.

Agriculture departments in other states including Washington, Louisiana and Kansas have reported similar events.

Okra – Boiled – No Slime Trick

I wish I had book marked this blog, but I didn’t so of course I don’t know who to credit with this easy to cook No Slime boiled okra.

I wish someone had taught me this No Slime Boiled Okra trick 50 years ago.

Pick smallish tender okra. Pick enough to feed you and your family.

Wash Okra. Leave Okra whole.
Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil.
You may need more water if your cooking a lot of Okra.
Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to your boiling salted water.
Put Okra in the boiling water.
Return to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 8 to 13 minutes until tender.
Plate Okra, serve and enjoy your No Slime Boiled Okra.

Happy Gardening

Doing the right thing to help feed hungry Americans

It matters not whether you like or dislike President Trump. It is still a good opportunity to support your community in it’s effort to feed Americas hungry and homeless.

Re-post from https://mediandtruth.wordpress.com/ blog

Goya ‘buy-cott’ begins as customers load up on Goya products after Goya foods CEO praised Trump for his leadership and support of Latino – Hispanic community.

The controversy has inspired some Goya Foods fans to give back. Virginia resident Casey Harper started a GoFundMe on to buy Goya products to donate food pantries. The page is already more than halfway to its $10,000 goal.

Casey Harper said “I’m not surprised we have raised so much because people are tired of having to walk on eggshells in political discourse. Americans are fundamentally generous people so a chance to feed the hungry and stand up to cancel culture was an easy win.”

Goya Foods touted its charitable giving on Friday after calls for a boycott, including from socialist democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Goya Foods said it has given “two million pounds of food to food banks across the nation who are in desperate need of food for families impacted by COVID19.”

Go out today and buy Goya foods for your home and to donate to your local food bank.
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Posted by pobept @ https://mediandtruth.wordpress.com/

GOYA FOODS CEO WON’T APOLOGIZE – Conservatives rally around Goya foods

Conservatives have offered their support for Goya Foods as it faces mass calls for boycott over its CEO’s decision to praise President Trump.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted: “Goya is a staple of Cuban food. My grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. Now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. #BuyGoya”

President Trump tweeted “I LOVE @GoyaFoods!” amid the backlash.

Lunatics such as former model Chrissie Teigen had advanced the boycott as a way to retaliate against Goya CEO Robert Unanue, who appeared beside Trump at a White House event this week.

Goya foods CEO, Robert Unanue said “We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder. Trump was promoting the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, which is designed to expand educational and economic opportunities for Hispanic-Americans.

Robert Unanue has refused to back down and called the push-back against him visiting the White House “suppression of speech.”
Robert Unanue said “that he was previously invited to the White House for an event hosted by the Obama administration for Hispanic Heritage Month.
“So, [now] you’re allowed to talk good or to praise one president, but you’re not allowed to aid in economic and educational prosperity? And you make a positive comment and all of a sudden, it is not acceptable.”

Eat your daylilies moma said

I have heard of eating daylilies many time in the past but have never actually eaten one.
After reading this bloggers post I am going to collect some blooms from a friend that has a large daylily garden.

I send my thanks to mortaltree.blog for this interesting blog posting.

When Do the Seasons Begin – year 2020

When Do the Seasons Begin?

Each season has both an astronomical start and a meteorological start. It sounds complicated, but it’s not!
The astronomical start date is based on the position of the Sun in relation to the Earth, while the meteorological start date is based on the 12-month calendar and the annual temperature cycle.

The First Days of the Seasons

Seasons of 2020	Astronomical Start	Meteorological Start
SPRING	Thursday, March 19	Sunday, March 1
SUMMER	Saturday, June 20	Monday, June 1
FALL (Autumn)	Tuesday, September 22	Tuesday, September 1
WINTER	Monday, December 21	Tuesday, December 1

Of course these season dates do not apply to our friends living and gardening south of the equator.

2020 National Doughnut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June.

The original doughnut wasn’t at sweet as we have it today, and it wasn’t glazed.

** 1918 Doughnut Recipe

Ingredients:

5 cups flour

2 cups sugar

5 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt (a.k.a 1 “saltspoon”)

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1 tub lard

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make dough.
Thoroughly knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4-inch thick.

Drop the rings into the hot lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the doughnuts gradually. Turn the doughnuts slowly several times.

When browned, remove doughnuts and allow excess fat to drop off.
Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy.

Grin … if you don’t have a ‘tub of lard’ feel free to use shorting or oil to fry your doughnuts.

*When finding items to cut out doughnut circles, be creative. 1918 Salvation Army Doughnut Girls used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.

Coronavirus aka Covid-19 virus aka Chinese virus

It seems that the American news media does not want to do their home work and tell you the whole story about previous pandemics occurring in the past 100 years.

1968 – 1969 * Hong Kong flu also known as 1968 flu pandemic was a flu pandemic whose outbreak in 1968 and 1969 killed an estimated one to four million people globally.
This outbreak actually began in mainland China before spreading to Hong Kong.

1957 – 1958 * Asian flu, originated in Guizhou, China.
This pandemic caused two to four million deaths worldwide.

1918 – 1919 * Spanish flu, The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify with certainty the pandemic’s country of origin.

It should be noted that WHO estimates 250,000 to 500,000 people die of seasonal flu annually.

It seems that covid-19 is little or no more dangerous than the number killed by the flu each year.
To date there is no known effective covid-19 medical treatments or vaccines available to treat those infected with covid-19.

The main difference between flu virus and covid-19 virus is we have better treatments and flu virus vaccines to battle flu out brakes.

BBQ – Are you using your BBQ grill wrong

For many lock-down has been lifted.
Memorial day is often the first big BBQ outing of the year.

Hints and tips on using your BBQ grill

* Check for any damage before using the grill for the first time each year, and check the entire grill regularly.
* If cooking using propane, check hoses and check for leaks by applying soapy water to hoses and connections. Leaks will cause your soapy water to bubble.
* Using old grill brush for years is a bad idea. Get a new brush every year or every 2 years.
* A grill (charcoal or gas) needs to preheat for about 15 minutes or more until the temperature reaches around 500 degrees before cleaning and applying fresh cooking oil to it’s cooking grates.
* Keep your grill a safe distance from your home, wood fencing, decks and over hanging low tree limbs.

December 2019 post
USDA recommended safe cooking temperatures
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USDA Meats, Poultry and Water Fowl cooking Charts

Have a happy and safe Memorial day weekend.

Spring time – plant your garden seeds soon, or miss your optimal planting time

It’s that time of year again, soil, day and night time air temperatures are nearing the optimal temperatures for direct seeding in your garden or raised bed soils.

An older blog post you may find useful Seed To Fork
North Dakota State University Agriculture Extension – Combinations found to be beneficial

Temperature, it’s all about the soil temperature.
Soil temperature is almost never to warm, however, soils that are to cool and damp at worst can cause your seed to rot in the ground and at best take many days to germinate. Seedling in cool soil grow slowly and often do not develop into healthy productive plants.

Words of wisdom: Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day. Harry S Truman