Help finding US made products

Got a great comment from the blog

Find US Made.com .

They were able to verify for me that Hershey had in fact moved production of chocolate to Mexico. If you visit their site, you will get to read a great story about how JC Penny's "American Made" line of apparel is produced in various countries, not the USA. The most shocking tid bit from the story: JC Penny's response was "The American Made slogan refers to the person wearing the item, not the item itself."

http://findusmade.blogspot.com/

I've commented on this before. I've found it hard to buy USA when I wanted to. Most of the tools I find are made in China. Often there isn't even an option to buy American. I have found an alternative: hitting the tag sales and buying on Craigslist!

http://www.craigslist.com

Last night, B. and I drove down to the capitol to buy five used tires and wheels from a guy we found on craigslist. It cost us $125 (and the set of wheels was almost worth that!) but we knew that we were buying American (at least from an American) and keeping those particular tires out of a land fill. Of course when we took the old wheels off the Cherokee, there on the drum was stamped the letters "Made in Argentina", but what can you do!

So I ask my fellow Americans, do what you can to keep jobs in the USA. Buy USA!

Made in USA

Made in USA

Here's a message I got from my friend C. today. I agree completely! I haven't checked out all of these personally (In particular, I have to see if Hershey is importing chocolate, since I know the town still smells like they are making chocolate there) but the sentiment is right on!

Help out your neighbors, keep jobs in America. Whenever you can, buy "Made in the USA".

(quoted message follows:)

One Light Bulb at a time - Very good Idea

Check this out. Someone was in Lowes the other day and looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day she was in Ace Hardware and, just for the heck of it, she checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA .. Start looking! In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job.. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her! My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything. This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value.." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio . So onto another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets.....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like20the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

Throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA -the job you save may be your own or your neighbors! If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies! (We should have awakened a decade ago.......) Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.I'll accept the challenge and also challenge you all to stop using the "self service check out at the supermarket and Wal-Mart. That's somebody's job you're doing away with!!!

Preservative Free

M. and I joined a CSA. I'd never heard of it before. Community Supported Agriculture is a concept where community members purchase shares in a small farm's anticipated harvest. That way some cash is infused into the farm's operations early on, and the risk of the harvest is distributed among shareholders. Tuesday's share was a tasty delivery. It featured a mixture of greens including arugula, Anis hysop, and Basil. There were cucumbers, peppers, and shallots. We had also purchased a share of eggs every other week so we got a dozen. There were no tomatoes because the blight virus had claimed most of the crop, but that's just part of the risk we accept. Our farmer's estimation is that many of the tomato plants purchased at big box stores have brought the virus in from distant communities, and it has spread to local plants. Fortunately the virus doesn't winter.

The first meal we made with the haul was a Spanish tortilla: a fritatta of eggs, red potatoes, shallots, and some jalapeno peppers I had gotten from a friend at work. The eggs had a great bright orange hue to the yolks, and the vegetables were all so crisp. I don't get too worked up about dirt, impurities, or other stuff in my food. I figure, if you never get the little doses of that stuff bit by bit, the first time your system experiences it it will lay you out flat. Still, it was good to know that we weren't eating chemicals, preservatives, steroids, antibiotics, high fructose corn syrup or any of the other garbage that gets mixed into processed supermarket food. I'm not ready to go completely off the grid, but it was a great dish!