Center for Disease Control (CDC) Spinach E. coli Outbreak UPDATES http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/More spinach news--
Spinach E. coli: Farmers Warned a Year Ago KXTL - TV/DT Sacramento
Salinas Farmers Warned About Spinach Safety in 2004 KNTV-TV—San Francisco Bay Area, CA
"This is not the first time those supposedly healthy, leafy greens have made people sick. Rather, it is the 20th incident since 1995 in which E. coli outbreaks have been linked to spinach or lettuce. The cause could be fertilizer or irrigation and flood waters fouled by animal waste. Finally the FDA warned the industry last year to improve its safety record and in August, just weeks before the latest outbreak, announced inspections under its Lettuce Safety Initiative."-- Newsday.com editorial
Spinach Cultivation in California:
Spinach Production in California UC VRIC
Growing Home Garden Spinach UC VRIC
Northern California home gardeners... it's time to plant spinach. If you have trouble finding plant starts, or if you have the heebie jeebies about where the starts came from, plant spinach from seed.
And in the San Francisco Chronicle, Lynette Evans explains why Gardeners Don't Have to Give up Spinach.A sign spotted at the local Midas Auto Services shop...
I'm not giving up spinach, but I certainly am giving up using cow manure in my garden!
ReplyDeleteI second that! I've got a half used bag of steer manure that's going into the trash. I haven't heard but a brief mention of the possibility of contamination from this type of fertilizer but it definitely has convinced me not to use it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI've never planted spinach, but am considering the experiment now. Our Austin gardening experts are assuring us that there's little danger in the stuff at local organic farmers' markets, and I think they're right, but it might taste even better if I could pick my own. Thanks for the updates, Angela!
ReplyDeleteAnnie