Nutmeg

Seldom do I use ground nutmeg. Instead, I grate nutmeg with my nutmeg mill, a wonderful tool that seems not to be a standard kitchen gadget.

I was surprised the other day when I went to load my mill with another nutmeg and discovered that I was apparently out of whole nutmeg. I thought I had bought some recently, but, as one gets older, “recently” seems to refer to a longer and longer time interval.

I hate running out of nutmeg because so few supermarkets stock it. Indeed, my nearby store, although it carries a wide assortment of spices and dried herbs, did not have nutmegs. Today, however, I got to my nearest Giant Eagle. After scanning the spice shelves for a few moments, I noticed a jar of McCormick whole nutmeg.

When I got home, I unscrewed the top of the jar, and, before I even removed the protective paper seal, I noticed that one of my “whole” nutmegs was not whole at all. (See photo at left. Click on it for a larger view.)

Suddenly upset, I resolved then and there to contact McCormick & Co., Inc., to complain. That’s when I took the photo, which was intended as evidence of McCormick’s deception. Before lodging a complaint, however, I decided that I should check on just how much product I had received.

I felt considerably better after I weighed the contents of the jar. The nutmeg in the jar weighed 46 grams, 4 grams more than promised on the label. Moreover, the partial nutmeg weighted only 2 grams; even if I threw it away, I would have 2 grams more nutmeg than promised on the label.

Sorry, McCormick, that I doubted your integrity.