Usually, I would focus on the positive but, this time I must reveal a personal, somewhat unsettling discovery.
Its about mushrooms, or at least the ones in a jar I love to put on my pizzas. When I was either an elementary student or a Cub Scout, I was on a field trip to Temple, PA, the mushroom capital of the world. It is located near Reading, PA in Berks County. I remember countless huge long barn-like structures without windows. Inside were continuous racks, like bunkbeds, full of manure and thousands of button mushrooms.I have images stored clear as day still and always think of that experience when I buy mushrooms.
So, the other night I was making a couple small pizzas for dinner. I looked at the jar while waiting on something and saw the Pennsylvania Dutchman logo and "Americas favorite mushroom" (which is bordered by the outline of the USA) on the front label. I turned the jar around and saw the funny little caricature of a PA Dutchman. Near the bottom I saw Giorgio Foods of Temple, PA. My mind flashed back to the experience of my youth and felt satisfied.
My eyes swung to the bottom of the label and I was shocked beyond belief; it read PRODUCT OF CHINA. After a moment I thought about how I was mislead by the jar. Then becoming calm again, I wondered how the "Capital of Mushrooms" would outsource their product and ship it in from halfway around the world. Gosh, I wondered if there are traces of heavy metals and who knows what in that jar. Plus, think of the energy required and carbon released to maintain this method. The money would be better spent paying higher wages to the local industry and continue to recycle manure into wonderful mushrooms.
The point of this message is that not all is what it appears or what you used to know. I already spend at least half my time in the market reading labels trying to avoid certain things in the ingredients. Now, it looks like I'll have to ramp up my vigilance while shopping. Great....
