The Food and Drug Administration has lifted its ban on tomatoes weeks after the fruits were said to be linked to the Salmonella Saintpaul, which sickened more than 1,200 people.
The FDA said it has determined that fresh tomatoes now available in the domestic market are not associated with the current outbreak. However, it is continuing to follow epidemiological and other evidence showing that raw jalapeño and serrano peppers available in stores now may be linked to the outbreak. People who are considered to be high risk — elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems — should refrain from eating raw jalapeño and raw serrano peppers at this time.
While I’m still coming to terms with the fact that it is already July (where do the days go?), it’s time to start thinking about mid-summer gardening to-dos.
My gardening to dos are as follows:
- Water all containers regularly.
- Prune and deadhead all perennials to stimulate further blooms.
- Pull spent annuals and replace with fall bloomers such as mums.
- Weed, weed, weed.
- Pull the lettuce that’s bolted and sow some new seeds.
- Keep picking raspberries and strawberries, keeping an eye out for evidence of pests.
- Divide the bearded iris before they take over everything.
- Prune and fertilize roses.
- Keep checking on those tomato plants, watering regularly and watching for any color (other than green, of course) on the fruit.
- Keep cutting and using the herbs in the garden to encourage further growth.
- Enjoy my garden! As fast as summer arrived, fall will be here and the temperatures won’t be nearly as friendly and encouraging for outdoor activities.
What’s on your to-do list this month?
While it insists that tomatoes are still the leading suspect, the U.S. government is about to start testing several other types of fresh produce as it continues to look for the source of the nation’s record salmonella outbreak.
Items that are commonly served with fresh tomatoes what Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson said was now being looked at in the probe.
Sixty nine people are now confirmed ill since the outbreak began. Most concerning is that at least 179 of them fell ill in June, the latest on June 20. Therefore, the outbreak is continuing weeks longer than food-poisoning specialists had first anticipated, which also suggests that the culprit is still on the market.
See the FDA website for updates on the outbreak and varieties of tomatoes and sources that have been deemed safe.
Lettuce is an easy to grow annual vegetable that should be a staple in every garden. There is nothing like going out to the garden and snipping off a few cool, crunchy leaves of lettuce for a salad or a sandwich (mmm …. BLTs!). Lettuce is easy to grow - just sow the seeds right into the ground (or in a container), and in a few weeks you’ll have leaves or bunches of lettuce ready for the picking.
Lettuce is a cool weather crop so start the plants early in the spring, or later in the summer. Keep the plants shaded for the most part, and pick off a few leaves every few days so that the plants continue to grow and produce.
Here’s how my garden has been growing. The warm weather has done wonders for my tomatoes and they all have several blossoms! In fact, at last check, one of them had wilty, about to drop flower and a teeny, tiny little green tomato starting to come in.
Beans are doing well, too. In fact I am having trouble deciding whether to pick them now and eat them, or save them to dry and use later in soup or chili.
The raspberries’ blooms have fallen and been replaced with fruit buds, which are just beginning to get a blush of color.
And the blackberries are flowering like crazy; soon we will have an abundance of the dark, sweet berries.
Sadly, my peach trees aren’t doing as well. The trees seem to be fine, but they are dropping fruits. Also on the fruits themselves we are finding more evidence of pest. I think it’s too late in the season to save any of the fruit, so there won’t be the bushels of peaches I was dreaming of. The fruits still on the tree sure look pretty, though.
I can’t believe the weather we are having lately. Here in zone 4/5 we are recovering from a serious heat wave. It’s the beginning of June and temperatures have passed 90 degrees. As I sip an icy cold lemonade and enjoy the air conditioning, it’s a good time to talk about hot-weather crops.
There are several vegetable plants that love hot weather. If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to plant them. If you have them already planted, be sure to water them regularly and check for wilt. You may also need to move them to a less sunny location to prevent them from drying out and wilting too quickly - especially if they are in containers.
Six hot-weather-loving plants every garden should have are: tomatoes, corn, hot peppers, beans, squash and cucumbers. All are easy to grow and will provide an abundance of veggies in mid- to late summer. Check the plant tags for complete instructions and be sure to mulch to conserve water and help the plants grow healthy.
Last night’s trip to the grocery store found slim pickings in the produce department. Instead of finding big, red, juicy tomatoes for the burgers we were planning for the grill, we found bare shelves. Turns out, a number of grocery stores, including Wal Mart, Winn-Dixie, Giant Eagle, and Trader Joe’s have all pulled the tomatoes suspected in the recent Salmonella outbreak.
In addition, McDonald’s, Burger King, Outback Steakhouse and Taco Bell are among several restaurants that have voluntarily pulled tomatoes from the menu, in light of the recent Salmonella outbreak that has sickened people in at least 16 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said at least 23 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
The California Tomato Farmers President Ed Beckman said in a report that most of the salmonella cases have been clustered in New Mexico and Texas.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this is one more excellent reason to have a garden, and to know exactly where your fresh produce comes from.
It’s also a good reminder to take precautions and follow food safety tips when it comes to fresh produce.
The salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has spread now to 16 states, federal health officials said on Saturday.
“We’re seeing a steady increase,” Deborah Busemeyer, New Mexico Department of Health communications director, said.
Another 50 people have been made sick by the same Salmonella “Saintpaul” infection in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The source of the tomatoes causing illnesses has not been pinpointed. Health officials say cherry and grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and home-grown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak.
The CDC recommends that consumers:
- Refrigerate within 2 hours or discard cut, peeled or cooked tomatoes.
- Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged tomatoes, and throw away any that appear spoiled.
- Thoroughly wash tomatoes under running water.
- Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.
- Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops with soap and hot water when switching between types of food products.
More information: FDA website
Photo: DruMcpherson.com
On Tuesday, an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to raw tomatoes has now been reported in nine states, according to U.S health officials.
Forty illnesses in Texas and New Mexico were confirmed by lab tests to be the same type of salmonella, right down to the genetic fingerprint. Texas and New Mexico health authorities and the Indian Health Service investigating the outbreak have linked those cases to uncooked, raw, large tomatoes.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. It is usually transmitted to humans by the consumption of foods contaminated with animal feces. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, which begin around 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness can last for four to seven days, and many people who get it recover without treatment. However, severe infection and even death has been caused by salmonella. Infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for severe infections.
I love to eat fruits and veggies, but sometimes when I wash apples I can never seem to get that film off of them. Somehow, water and a cloth just doesn’t seem to cut it.
Even if you purchase organic produce, it can be sprayed with natural substances such as sulfur, copper, dolomite, Bacillius Thuringensis, and diatomaceous earth, according to the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets website .
If you want something more to clean your produce, here’s a simple recipe to make your own fruit and veggie wash.
In a glass measuring cup, mix together:
1 tbsp. organic lemon juice
2 tbsp. baking soda
1 cup purified water
Pour the mixture in a spray bottle. To use it, simply spray produce well with the wash, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse and eat.
