Propagation Not Propaganda

It seems like there is a ton of propaganda out there these days. Whether it's governments or billionaires, everyone seems to be pushing their agenda.

Until January of 2021, the head of the United States government was pushing the idea that wearing masks is unconstitutional. And then pushed the false claim that the election was stolen from him. He and others like him incited a riot by pushing their paranoid propaganda.

Elon Musk pushed the idea that BitCoin was THE coin. Until it wasn't. Doggie Coin was. But it wasn't. His own Billionaire propagandas furthering his own agendas. Maybe, one day, he will create something that won't explode when going down.

Other billionaires like Warren Buffet, are freaking out about crypto exchanges and wallets. Because people are taking money out of the banking system. This terrifies them because the way banks work is to take money from Peter Everyman and lend it to Paul. The banks charge Paul an exorbitant interest to pay back the loan. They are raking in the Benjamins! And they charge Peter a monthly fee for the privilege.

But now, crypto exchanges and wallets are taking away the income big banking has so come to rely on by allowing people to buy crypto with fiat money, taking it directly out of the bank's pockets.

So, Warren Buffett and his ilk are using "Crypto is a scam" propaganda to try to get the U.S. Government to regulate our favorite exchanges.

I get so tired of listening to people who are so stuck in the way it's always been trying to dictate the way they think it needs to be. They can't understand blockchain, proof of work, and proof of stake. I think their tired old brains can't process these concepts. So they push false information on the world who believes them because they are rich, so they must be smart.

Instead of stressing out about all the world's propaganda, I take little breaks and do some propagation. Actual propagation. With plants and seeds and dirt.

This article is going to share my dirty experiences with you. Prepare for lots of photos!

Let's start with my lazy helper.

Earlier this year I started some seeds inside. I used a square tray with a clear plastic lid. Here in the U.S., these seed starter kits are available to buy at hardware stores and dollar stores.

This is one brand. You can order it here. I got mine from the Ace Hardware Store. The dirt in the little round things is peat moss.

You have to soak the pellets until they are completely wet, pop the little seeds into them and cover them up with the plastic tray.

The peat will hold the moisture and the plastic tray holds the heat which also creates moisture as the mositure slowly evaporates from the soil. It is important to get good airflow by removing the plastic lid for a few hours a day. Otherwise the dirt will mold.

In a few days, you'll see baby sprouts.

I planted 2 rows of squash and planted the rest with scallion seeds. A few little squashes came up, but the onions only made tiny green things before disapearing.

My husband's parents were visiting. When my mother-in-law saw the little round soil bundles, she thought they were chocolates at first. She asked me what kind of chocolates they were and whether I made them myself. She had a good laugh when I showed her the tiny seed sprouting. I wish I could grow a candy plant!

After a few days, the squash got too tall to fit under the plastic. I let them grow under the grow light for a couple more days and then I transferred them to pots. I set the pots outside so the seedlings could adapt to outside temps. They started growing even taller.

I also planted some seeds in pots on my back stoop so they will be easy to pick while I'm cooking. I just used regular potting soil for this.

I planted radishes and onions. The beets might have been a little crowded. I will have to thi the sprouts or the root, which is the radish, will get all clumped together. or, will never make the little round radish.

The onions are what are called "bunching onions". They look like chives or scallions. They don't make a big bulb. So I don't think I'll have to thin the little sprouts.

I already had a chamomile plant growing in one of the pots. I threw some radish seeds in there, too.

Chamomile is self propagating. It blooms and the seeds go everywhere. We'll have chamomile growing in all kinds of places. It is like a weed. A very healthy and delicious weed.

Chamomile is good as a tea. It's natural sweet taste is wonderful before bedtime. It helps relieve stomach upset, nausea, mouth sores, and anxiety. It is also great for burns. Just make some tea and use the spent flowers and (after they cool down) press them onto the burned area. I've known people who found relief from eczema and other rashes using chamomile. This is one weed you want to keep around!

The day after I put my little squash plants outside, there was a big storm. I brought them inside before any hail broke their little heads, but I'm afraid the wind brok the stems on most of them I just have one or two left. Maybe three. This is ok with me, as every year I have more than enough squash to feed my family. I freeze a good portion of it. I make pasta sauce and, of course, other vegetable dishes with the squash. I make bread from the zuchini. I also add some zuchini to a chocolate cake that makes the cake super moist. Yum! I gues I did grow a cany plant, after all.

When I transplanted the little seedlings to bigger pots, I also removed the peat from its little round bindings. I put the dirt, along with some potting soil, back into the black plastic tray. I planted sunflower seeds.

They sprouted almost immediately. I didn't get a chance to take baby pictures. They are already too tall to go under the plastic. I'm just keeping them inside under the grow lamp, probably for another week. I'm looking forward to these sunflowers making lots of seeds. i love roasted, salted sunflower seeds.

While I was transferring the squash seeds to larger pots and planting the sunflower seeds, I also started some seedling in pots using plain potting mix soil. They, too are doing very well.

The first seeds I planted were black eyed peas. I love these peas. They look like a bean, but you open it up and find little cream colored, kidney shaped pods with a black spot. In Texas it is traditional to eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day to guarantee good luck for the rest of the year.

I don't know if eating them brings good luck, but they sure are delicious. I see five plants are growing as of 14 May, 2021.

I also started onions, herbs, and carrots.

I've already got several herbs growing in the garden area as well as in the herb garden by the kitchen. I have rosemary, terragon, and sage in the garden and spearmint, peppermint, and apple mint in the herb garden. But I don't have any basil. So I planted basil seeds in these same kind of tiny pots.

When it starts getting cold again, I harvest great bushels of herbs and hang them upside down from a line I have strung across my kitchen.

My carrots I planted in three rows in a raised container bed.

But the rain pushed all the seeds to one side. I guess the container dirt wasn't quite level.

I can't believe how well the other vegetables are growing. I harvest every three days or so. I love to eat vegetables. My husband doesn't like them as much, but he will try them when I grow them in the garden. We've got cabbage already making little heads.

What goes better with cabbage than some ground meat (lamb, cow, or goat) with fresh tomatoes. Roll it up into a cabbage for delicious, yummy goodness. So we've planted a few romato plants. They are blooming already.

We call tomatoes a vegetable, but they are really a fruit. Whatever you call them, and whatever they are, one thing is for sure. They are delicious. When these tomatoes get big, red, and ripe, I sometimes eat them just like an apple.

We also have a grape vine that's been growing for several years. It is putting on a lot of tiny grapes. i love to eat grapes, make jelly, and even ferment grapes. The resulting juice tastes delicious and is chock full of probiotics which are good for the health of any gut. In addition to using the fruit, I use the leaves to roll ground beef and rice into an Armenian delecacy called Sarma. It differs from the greek Dolmas in that Sarma does not have tomatoes.

Sometimes I use leftover spanish rice rolled up in the grapeleaves. Sometimes I store some of my soft goat cheese in a grape leaf with balsamic vinnegar over it. Heaven.

We're also growing peppers, swiss chard, and kale. Oh! I can't forget the strawberries! I even harvested some yesterday.

My grandparents were vegetarian. They ate a lot of "greens." Mustard greens and swiss chard have a similar flavor. Grandpa didn't much care for the flavor so he would cook it with brown sugar. I cook my garden veggies with bacon. Yum!

I also love putting them in a smoothie with grapes and strawberries. Very refreshing and fulfilling. On a hot day, drinking an ice cold green smothie is almost as good as jumping into a swimming pool. I don't have a pool.

I have strawberries, though.

It isn't just fruits and vegetables in the garden. Our cat died in April of 2020. So, my husband burried him in the garden. We didn't want to accidentally dig him up, so he put a flowering plant over the grave. The flowers come back every year.

It isn't all about edibles. We plant to nourish our souls, too. And our noses. These flowers are blooming for the first time from bulbs we planted two years ago. They smell amazing.

Since I don't know the names of the flowers, maybe a horticulturist will read my story and tell me in the comments below.

Image of Warren Buffet license free from Wikimedia Commons

All other images courtesy of the author.

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