Eggs Recalled Due To Salmonella Outbreak

380 million eggs have been recalled because of a salmonella outbreak in 4 states, California, Colorado, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Suspicious cases have also been reported in Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

"Eggs from Wright County Egg were linked to illnesses in the four states. The eggs were distributed around the country and packaged under the names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp. It wasn't immediately clear when the eggs were produced and distributed."

This is why I recommed always fully cooking eggs. I used to love eating raw cookie dough every time I made cookies. I stopped doing that several years ago when salmonella problems started becoming more common. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling eggs. For more tips about egg safety, go to http://www.eggsafety.org/.

I just got home from a neighborhood dinner. I was assigned to bring a salad but when I discovered that I was out of potatoes, I decided to make devilled eggs instead of potato salad. I always boil eggs for 13 minutes so that they are cooked through. I heard about the recall on the radio this morning but completely forgot about it. Fortunately, the brand of eggs I used are not listed in the recall.

It's Fun Grocery Shopping In My Backyard!

I had fun today "grocery shopping" in my backyard. Most of the stuff in the garden is not ready yet but I did get some zucchini, lettuce, one small serrano pepper, and one small red potato. The best part is, I don't have to pay for it! I still have to wash the dirt off, but at least I don't have to worry about e-coli or salmonella recalls on my own homegrown food.

For dinner tonight we had lasagna (nothing from the garden in it), fried zucchini with Nature's Seasoning on it, and a small salad with the lettuce I picked (the carrots are from the store). I planted carrots this year but I don't think they came up at all. I'm not 100% sure, but I think there are only weeds in that area. Once the tomatoes are ripe, I'll add them to the sauce next time I make lasagna.

My Garden

I finally finished planting my garden last Monday. It has been so cold and rainy here, I haven't been able to get any seeds planted. I started last Friday since the weather had been dry for a couple days. I planted six rows of corn and some serrano peppers for my husband before it started raining again. I was in Salt Lake City all day Saturday, so I finished planting on Monday since the weather was dry again. This is only my second garden ever. I actually enjoy going outside and working in the dirt. I just make sure to wash my hands thoroughly when I am done, including under my fingernails. This year, I'm growing sweet corn, blue corn, red potatoes, carrots, spaghetti squash, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, lettuce, serrano peppers and jalapeno peppers (my husband likes to torture himself with the hot stuff). I also planted strawberries in my flower bed. Last year I planted watermelon seeds but, like this year, it was cold and rainy well into June. Watermelon needs heat and sunlight (which I didn't know last year) so it didn't come up at all. I am going to try again this year, so I'm waiting for warm weather before I plant those seeds. Again, I am a total amatuer at this. I'm learning as I go. I will be happy with whatever survives and provides me with food. At least I won't have to worry about recalls due to e-coli or salmonella contamination on the food I grow.

Salmonella Causes Alfalfa Sprout Recall

Salmonella found in alfalfa sprouts has sickened 23 people in 10 states. The FDA issued a recall on Friday, May 21, 2010 on raw alfalfa sprouts labeled as "Caldwell Fresh Foods alfalfa sprouts" from Maywood, California. My daughter bought some sprouts last Thursday, the day before the recall because she likes them on sandwiches. I don't care for sprouts. In my opinion, they taste like dirt (not that I eat dirt, it reminds me of the smell of dirt). We checked the label on Friday after seeing the recall in the newspaper. Fortunately, the sprouts she bought are from Utah and not part of the recall. As I have said before in previous posts, be careful and wash raw fruits and vegetables very thoroughly before eating. Also, keep an eye out for news reports about recalls. Avoid higher risk produce like prepared salads and pre-cut fruit and vegetables. It may be more work to do it yourself, but it's better than getting sick and also less expensive.

Raw Chicken

Today I was at the store in line behind a woman with 2 kids. As she was unloading her cart, I noticed that the raw whole chicken she picked up (which was even bagged) was dripping all over the floor. I informed her of this and she carefully handed it to the cashier who scanned it and bagged it. If my hands weren't full, I would have offered her some hand sanitizer. After all, raw chicken can contain salmonella. She just went about her business as if it was nothing.

I looked at the checkstand and the cashier's hands thinking there is raw chicken juice there now. I considered getting in another line, but all the other lines were long. The cashier did not wipe the checkstand or his hands before moving on to my purchases. So, wierdo that I am, I grabbed a couple cart wipes on my way out the door. When I got to my car, I wiped off everything that I bought and threw the bags in the trash. Fortunately, I didn't buy very much. I bought some chips and a sub sandwich and I didn't want myself or my kids to risk handling the packaging and possibly transferring salmonella to our hands. I've had food poisoning in the past and that's something I would rather not ever experience again. Too bad this particular store doesn't have self-checkouts.