UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Washington, D.C. 20250
September 2007
By the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS mushrooms--sliced and sauteed, breaded and fried, diced in
sauces or raw in salads--are the quintessential finishing touch to any
meal, from nouvelle cuisine to traditional down-home cooking; and
WHEREAS more than 2,500 varieties of mushrooms are grown in the
world today, ranging from the common Button--which has a subtle flavor
and mixes well with virtually any food--to the exotic Shiitake, which
has a smoky, woodsy flavor; and
WHEREAS mushroom production is an important part of American
agriculture, with U.S. growers producing more than 843 million pounds,
valued at $881 million, during the 2005-2006 season; and
WHEREAS this important crop helps increase the sales and profits
not only of growers and wholesalers, but of restaurateurs and grocers as
well; and
WHEREAS mushroom growers help our environment by using agricultural
by-products efficiently;
NOW, THEREFORE, to promote the greater appreciation and use of
mushrooms, I, Mike Johanns, Secretary of the United States Department of
Agriculture, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2007 as
"National Mushroom Month" and call upon all Americans to
celebrate marvelous mushrooms with appropriate ceremonies and
activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of
July 2007, the two-hundred thirty-second year of the Independence of the
United States of America.
MIKE JOHANNS
Secretary
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