North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["TIM INMAN" <TIM@HISTORICINTERIORS.COM>]

Jim is right:  The federal government does have specific standards for commonly named food products.  One of my favorite 'pet-peeves' is common, ordinary ham.

 

Good 'real' ham is hard to find these days.  If found, it is a great food item.  Mostly, though, one has to read past the BIG print that says HAM, and read the rest of the fine print on the label that says 'and water product'.  'Ham and water product' is not as good as real HAM.  So even though the label is truthful, and most of what we think we are buying is actually not ham, but in reality 'ham and water product' we still call it ham because the marketers want us to think of it as 'ham' even though it isn't, technically. 

 

Hopefully, the Jam-like 'fruit sugar and pectin product' stuff we make with Pomona's pectin is actually a better tasting product than the 'real' jams or jellies we make with regular pectin - like grandma did in the good old days.  Any way to use our best fruits to their best advantage is OK by me.  I prefer to keep the law books closed at the kitchen table, anyhow.

 

A rose by any other name.  .  .  .

 

Tim Inman

Randolph, IA