MUSHROOMS AND MOISTURE – ISSUE NO. 402

I would like to share with you my latest shopping adventure with my mother-in-law (fondly called Mama Lafata). I like mushrooms and so does my mother-in-law. I was at a chain grocery store and was going to pick out some mushrooms when Mama Lafata said, "Stephen, we will get them at another store." I asked her why and she told me that those mushrooms are in a plastic container and the store does not provide a brown paper bag to put single or a few mushrooms in. I asked, "why does that matter?" "Do your mushrooms ever seem to get a little slimy after one day at home?" she asked. I admitted that yes, at times they do. She told me that happens because of the moisture. When you buy mushrooms in the plastic container, the moisture stays in the container and that is bad for the mushrooms. That is what causes the slimy feeling. Mama Lafata explained that if you bought mushrooms in a paper or cardboard container, the paper/cardboard acts like a wick for the moisture and your mushrooms should not feel slimy. She told me that a good produce market will have paper bags to place your mushrooms in. Interesting, I thought, never knew that. So it made me think - our tray liners and soaker sheets do the same thing. They wick moisture away and help keep your instrument sets dry. Mushrooms, instrument sets, paper and moisture share some basic principles. In the end, you have better produce and dryer trays. So, if you ever come and look in my refrigerator and see a brown paper bag, it's always a safe bet to say that is where Stephen is keeping his mushrooms.