Welp, it was nice having raw vegetables while it lasted.
Reposted from
MisterJayEm
Americans need to get used to the idea of their friends and family members literally shitting themselves to death.
Comments
https://people.com/deadly-e-coli-outbreak-linked-to-lettuce-found-in-15-states-but-fda-hasn-t-publicized-it-11717185
I get why it wasn’t publicized because there was nothing to pull off the shelves, but the responsible response should have been, “there are no recalls, but if you have had diarrhea or gastric distress, and you usually buy these lettuces, please see a doctor.”
The elaborated article actually goes into the major options; they’re all good. Bleach works, acids work, there’s an industry specific acid that works, and hypochlorous.
https://write.as/czedwards/well-it-was-nice-having-raw-vegetables-while-it-lasted
I grew up in HIV activism, and getting that protocol through some remarkably thick skulls (cough Marianne Williamson cough) drove my adults furious.
Regulation sucks.
We don't need no stinkin' regulation.
Get out of my food plant.
How it ends:
Sal Monnella, who's he?
How come our sales are plummeting?
Liability? The judgement was how much?
Customers suck. Wussies. Bankruptcy.
And we can eat like 19th century rich people, who did have well washed everything (which didn’t stop the typhoid salmonella issues, but caught a lot of everything else).
There’s a travel clinic not that far from me since I don’t think my GP does this.
It’s not endemic in the US now… but could make that leap pretty easily.
Humans are the only typhii bacterium reservoir, and it’s not common in the US now; unfortunately, the other salmonellas have avian reservoirs.
A vaccine is not a bad thing if you can afford it and stay on top of getting it renewed.
I do not mind having done that even though I have not traveled yet.
Lettuce is tougher. Iceberg really is my recommendation there.
Hydroponic lettuce is likely going to be fine but you’ll have to be certain what you’re buying is hydroponic.
So… reasonable changes: no more bagged salad, no more romaine or leafy, switch back to iceberg and other tight crispheads because water doesn’t collect in those spaces between leaves in head lettuce.
Maybe DIY your own baby carrots instead of bagged.
Wash everything.
1/
Carrots are okay to buy. Wash before peeling, then peel and chunk, and they’re good for blanching then chilling.
Thanks!
(Pins to remember to do the citric acid wash thing, if xe ever gets back to being able to do food prep in hir kitchen.)
(Wash so your knife isn’t going through contamination)
Blanch sturdy vegetables; a few seconds in boiling water then an ice bath will kill e coli & keep crisp
(The wait time is what does the work.)
Signed,
Someone who really loves raw tomato sandwiches.
I *might* make an exception if you’re able to cut off the exposed surfaces of the hunk of meat (to be used in cooking) and grind it yourself, to be served immediately. But I think our days of beef tartare need to be over for a while.
These farms need the money NOW to build up the infrastructure needed to grow enough to supply the coming demand for fresh, uncontaminated produce. Split the share if you can’t use it all.