While working and living in Indonesia for the world's largest mushroom farm, I wrote the following:
HAPPY MUSHROOMS
HOW TO MAKE US HAPPY?
1) Please pick us by the 'one–touch–technique' and don't move us into your hand, bruising and scratching us.
2) Don't pull us off the beds, but with a twisting motion; that hurts less – and please; don't scratch us with your long finger nails.
3) Don't cut us wrong because that looks ugly and we often end up with some soil on stem.
4) Please don't throw us into the tray, because that way we get bruised, but gently put us inside.
5) Don't overfill the trays, so that the ones on the bottom are still happy and not crushed.
6) Please pick us in time. We are like you; we like to be pretty and good looking; not oversized or open.
7) Don't make our babies sick by spreading diseases (contamination) with dirty hands, long hair, wide sleeves, bangles etc.
8) Please don't put us in the sun or wind in front of the shed. We are loosing weight very rapidly and our skin will turn brown and even peels off.
9) Don't smash us into the truck, because a number of us will get wounded – but handle the 'keranjang-keranjang' (trays) gentle.
If you don't forget these points, you can still see us smile, after processing, in the glasses, proud to travel to Green Giant in the U.S.A.
We, Dieng Djaya mushrooms, like to be the happiest and prettiest ones and so become the favourite choice of all people in the U.S.A.
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Hello Mariette, Yes, when you think about it, fresh mushrooms are one of the most fragile and delicate things we encounter in our everyday lives, even after all their specialized compost and growing and harvesting conditions have been met. (Perhaps fresh raspberries are in a somewhat similar category.) However, from your title, "Happy Mushrooms," I'm sure that a lot of people got the wrong idea!
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteHaha, you might be very right on that and when we wrote our book, it was oh so complex for finding the title. EVERYWHERE we ran into the 'other' meaning and that we absolutely did NOT WANT. But the brass mushroom family are my HAPPY MUSHROOMS!
Hugs,
Mariette
Great writing. Lovely mushroom decoration.
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteThank you and this design I spontaneously drew up one day...
Hugs,
Mariette
Hay que tratarlas con mucho mimo, para que llegue en perfecto estado al Mercado.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Querida Antónia,
DeleteNecesitan ser tratados con cuidado y muy suaves para preservar su vida útil y no verse marrones y magullados.
Abrazos,
Mariette
How cool
ReplyDeleteDearest Jo-Anne,
DeleteThese lacquered brass mushrooms have been a great success!
Showing a Happy Mushroom Family...
Hugs,
Mariette
I like the brass mushrooms. Are mushrooms harvested/collected by hand still, or is it now mechanised?
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteThank you, those were happy looking ones.
The top quality mushroom are still hand harvested as only the human eye can distinguish diameter and quality. Mechanical harvesting is only for the food industry, the lowest grade for pieces and stems.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette, this was a very good text your have written and it still is very informative to all of us who do not know many things about mushrooms! I like very much the design of the mushroom family you have created!
ReplyDeleteMany hugs!
Marie-Anne
Dearest Marie-Anne,
DeleteThank you so much for the compliment on the mushroom family. And yes, those points remain forever valid for harvesting unblemished mushrooms with a longer shelf life.
Hugs,
Mariette
Excellent advice on how to keep mushrooms happy Mariette, a happy mushroom is a tastier mushroom ✨
ReplyDeleteDearest Grace,
DeleteThank you, it is always valid and we ALL buy with our eyes after all.
Hugs,
Mariette