TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce - An American Tradition

This American-made gem has been manufactured by the family-owned McIlhennny Company on Avery Island, Louisiana since the 1860s. Edmund McIlhenny was an avid gardener and loved good food. Finding that southern cuisine of his era lacked enough zip, McIlhenny concocted this special sauce from Capsicum frutescens peppers, originally grown in Mexico or South America. He sowed the seeds in his garden, and aged them in a mash with Avery Island salt, finally mixing it with white wine vinegar and bottling it in distinctive small bottles featuring a sprinkling element since the concentrated potion was best used in small quantities. While many other small food companies have been gobbled up by large multinational conglomerates, TABASCO^® brand Pepper Sauce is still made on Avery Island, Louisiana, to this day. According to the company website, about half of the company’s 200 employees actually live on Avery Island, with many of their parents and grandparents having worked and lived there as well. Paul McIlhenny, the current president, is the sixth McIlhenny in a chain of direct descendants who has strived to preserve the legacy and traditions of the company’s creator. Whether you're fixing burgers, baked beans or a bloody mary, this stuff will add just the zest you need! For a list of recipes, [CLICK HERE] and enjoy!

Banking Locally Keeps Money In Your Community

It has become a common scene across America. The bank on the corner has another new sign. When I graduated from high school, I landed my first summer job working as a bank teller for a local savings and loan in suburban Detroit known as Standard Federal Savings. Since that time, the sign in front of a branch by my Mom and Dad's home has changed numerous times as Standard Federal merged with Michigan National Bank, which was later sold to Netherlands-based ABN-AMRO, which then merged it into its existing North American operation under the LaSalle bank name, and most recently, sold to Bank of America. This is a scenario that has played out time and time again as industry consolidation, and investment in the American banking industry by foreign multi-nationals has created a handful of very large banks, where centralized operations have greatly stripped away the notion of community banking. The good news is that consumers still have a choice to bank locally, keeping their money and lending decisions in their own back yards. According to the Independent Community Bankers of America, there are still nearly 8,000 community banks, including commercial banks, thrifts, stock and mutual savings institutions, with over 50,000 locations throughout the United States. Community banks are a critical source of lending for farms and small businesses. According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, community banks provide 35% of the total dollar amount of loans to small businesses under $1 million dollars. Moreover, community banks' boards of directors are made up of local citizens who want to advance the interests of the towns and cities where they live and where the bank does business. Most community bank loans benefit the neighborhoods where depositors live and work and independent research has shown average fees for checking accounts and other depository services are lower at small banks than at large, multi-state institutions. The ICBA website features a handy online tool to help consumers locate nearby local independent banks [CLICK HERE]. Another equally good alternative is to locate and join a local area credit union. Unlike banks, credit unions are member-owned, not-for-profit, cooperative financial institutions. Credit unions operate under a unique philosophy of “people helping people,” allowing their members to pool their savings, lend to one another, and own the organization where they can obtain financial services. This does not mean that all credit unions are "small potatoes" in either the number of members or amount of assets. In fact, some of our nation's largest credit unions have as much capital as medium-sized commercial banks. Historically, credit union membership eligibility was based on a common bond between members such as employees of a particular company, members of a church parish or the like. Today, many credit unions hold a community charter, allowing them to offer membership to anyone who lives, works or worships within the given geographic area. Savings are generally insured by the NCUA, an independent federal agency that oversees and charters federal credit unions in the same manner that the FDIC insures deposits in commercial banks(make sure that your credit union is NCUA insured). The National Credit Union League offers a website located at http://www.findacreditunion.com to help consumers find local credit unions where they may be eligible for membership. The choice is ours, place our money in large banks that have no vested interest in our families and business other than charging ridiculous fees, or bank locally and keep investing in our own communities.

There is nothing quite like 100% Florida Orange Juice

If you're like me, breakfast just wouldn't be complete without a glass of O.J. Now that fresh juice is readily available in your grocer's refrigerated section, gone are the days of mixing up orange juice concentrate that came from a can in a frozen glob. Of the major brands competing for shelf space, only one of them is made from 100% Florida oranges. Florida's Natural is produced by a cooperative of Florida orange growers who own the land, own the trees and produce 100% natural juice here in the U.S.A.

Just down the aisle are cartons from Minute Maid and Simply Orange (both subsidiaries of the Coca-Cola Company) and Tropicana (a subsidiary of Pepsico), along with the store's own brand of juice. In each case, their product labels reveal that they contain a blend of juice from the United States and Brazil.

Our country has a proud history of producing first-quality citrus fruits and related products. Let's support our domestic farmers and our citrus industry by purchasing 100% home-grown orange juice for our breakfast tables!

A Tale of Two Boxes of Crayons

No need to look at the calendar, simply walk into any grocery or drug store and it is clear that back-to-school time is upon us. As the kids head back to the classroom, we'll stock up on brand new folders, notebooks, pencils, pens and of course, crayons. In my day, a new box of Crayola brand 64 crayons with a sharpener built into the back of the box was like hitting the jackpot. I loved to draw and color, so getting to start with a fresh set of crayons was definitely an exciting moment. Back then, I don't even remember seeing other brands on store shelves since my childhood pre-dates the influx of "house" or "store" branded products that are common place in today's chain stores. This morning, however, as I passed through the school supplies aisle of my local supermarket, I noticed another brand stocked beside the trusty Crayolas from a company called Rose Art. I stopped and took a few photos, and as you can see, Crayola crayons are manufactured here in the United States, while the Rose Art crayons come from China. Crayola, which is now owned by Hallmark (the greeting card folks) has called Easton, Pennsylvania its home for nearly 100 years. The company's world headquarters and major manufacturing facility are located in Easton, as is "The Crayola Factory", an attraction for kids and parents alike to enjoy. Rose Art crayons are distributed by a company called "Mega Brands", based in Montreal, Quebec Canada. As for what company actually manufactures their crayons in China, who knows, which raises a host of other quetsions about quality control, product safety and the like. The Crayola crayons cost fifty cents more than the Rose Art crayons but if you stop and think about it, there is a much greater price for all of us if we stop buying Crayola crayons made in Easton, Pennsylvania for our children.

Don't outsource the Maytag Man!

When I was growing up, you couldn't buy a washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, cooking range or dishwasher that wasn't made in America. Maytag manufactured in Newton, Iowa, Whirlpool in Benton Harbor, Michigan, GE and Hotpoint at their Appliance Park facility in Kentucky just to name a few. But in the past year or two, competition from Asia has made it to your local Home Depot, Lowe's and Best Buy stores in a big way. New models from two of Korea's largest manufacturing companies, LG and Samsung now compete side-by-side with domestic brands. The lonely Maytag man found himself unable to compete and was acquired by Whirlpool Corporation, which closed the Iowa headquarters and manufacturing facilities in 2006. GE has publicly announced it is seeking a buyer for its major home appliance business and Frigidaire became part of Swedish Electrolux group which manufacturers appliances for the U.S. market in Mexico. Last week, we purchased a new refrigerator and chose an excellent side-by-side model from Whirlpool, manufactured at its plant in Michigan. Not only do I feel good about supporting an American company and American workers, the fridge is very well made, boasts EnergyStar compliance and I'm sure it will serve us well. I'd encourage anyone in need of a new appliance to consider very carefully before opting to buy an Electrolux, LG, Samsung, Bosch or other brand that is imported from overseas. Consumer Reports, the magazine published by the non-profit organization Consumers Union, regularly conducts objective and independent testing of home appliances, and American made units often rank higher than the models from Asia. Let's all do our part to keep the men and women who design, build and sell American brands gainfully employed buy supporting them with our purchases.

A novel idea for a blog? Probably not. But since it is becoming more and more difficult to find products made in the U.S., I felt compelled to do something to help other folks like me, who want to support our own economy and keep Americans employed by purchasing goods that are "home-grown", rather than imported from China. If you don't believe me, visit your local Walmart or Target store and start looking at packaging or labels. I'm convinced that if everything made in China was removed from the shelves, the store would be 3/4 empty, if not more! Here on my blog, I hope to post articles, links and information about companies who continue to produce goods in America, in hopes that others like me will support them and pass the word along. Thanks for joining me on this journey and God Bless the USA!