You’re right. I haven’t been to Costco for 2 weeks to see their shelves since they did carry some Taylor products.
Our #s continue to grow here. It’s not good. I think I’ll be doing lots of salad without greens - just lots of veggies. Remember when we were all spiraling our veggies? Time for that again.
I worry somewhat about the outbreak. But I also worry that hesitancy for folks to eat lettuce means it sticks around longer on shelves / restauarants. I’m traveling and would normally order salad sometimes when eating out… but not this trip.
Just got back from our local farmers market and guess what I bought? Everyone in the checkout line was buying lettuce and a lady who was working there told me that last week was the first time they ever sold out!
Came home and made a big salad. I joke that with my love of lettuce and all greens as well as carrots, I might be part rabbit. 
I just bought some Green Leaf lettuce and had a salad last night. Greenhouse grown. Fingers crossed. It tasted SO good!
I can’t seem to stay away, either. I just finished washing a bag of cole slaw 
. Earlier in the week I ate a head of iceberg lettuce that was grown here in the U.S., discarding outer layers and washing well. We have been eating more spinach salads. This has dragged out entirely too long.
I have not stopped eating salads, but I buy local produce. Once fall comes, I’ll switch to greenhouse/hydroponic. I miss spinach right now, because I can’t find good local spinach yet. I’m eating chard, but it isn’t as good as, IMO.
We’ve had a few ready to eat seared ahi salads from Costco. The greens are mostly cabbage with some romaine and cilantro. So far, so good. I’m avoiding bagged salads though. And I noticed that the snack bar where I used to grab a salad for lunch when I am in the office no longer sells typical salads, mostly Asian style noodles with cabbage or pasta salads.
This time of year I routinely put my vegetable chopper to good use making salad often minus greens. You can chop by hand of course but this is quick and sort of fun and satisfying and I put everything from veggies to cheese to olives through it and have a great chopped salad. Or throw it over pasta. Sometimes tomatoes don’t chop the best and I do them by hand.
This outbreak has served to remind me that while buying individual heads of lettuce won’t allow for the variety in a salad mix, the greens are likely to be crisper and fresher (and local!), and really, it’s just not that hard to wash and chop a head of lettuce.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY1PBQRD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
I purchased this to wash and store my fruits or vegetables. I fill it with water and put a tablespoon of vinegar to clean and then rinse. I have found that I am able to keep my berries fresher because moisture is kept out of the berries.
I have this small salad spinner for washing small amounts of firmer berries or greens.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CTG-00-SSAS-Salad-Spinner-Green/dp/B01FCJHWIG/
Thanks, I never thought to use a salad spinner to wash berries!
I had lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant today. I found myself carefully considering ingredients, and I avoided dishes with cabbage (which could be bagged) & green onions even though the food is cooked. If I am not the one in charge of buying & preparing the ingredients, I’m super careful right now. Our state has almost 10,000 cases. It looks like it has peaked & cases are dropping since the lettuce recall … but I prefer to wait longer before letting my guard down.
I just returned from Costco. I bought Taylor Farms vegetable tray @$3.99. It came with 2 dipping trays, carrots, celery, broccoli, and a few peppers. I rewashed all in small batches with a generous splash of vinegar & then put them through the salad spinner so they’re VERY dry. I trimmed the celery & threw away all the split carrots. I still have a nice small veggie tray for my meeting tonight as well as a nice small veggie tray for us at home & we each have our own ranch dip.
I also bought a pair of Tuscan melons (they’re sweeter than cantaloupe & perfect). The pair was $9.99. Also bought a local watermelon @$12.99, some poke & poi for S (got to buy his favorites while he’s home.
Also bought some pot stickers that came with sauce packets. That should make some nice, easy meals.
Painters who are painting outside of house are done “for now,” so moved our cars back into carport so they’re not baking our hot sun & UV. The guy who contracted with us said they’d finish replacing the screens and rebuild a window for us, so we are waiting for that and will move our cars back out when they come to do that.
My 5 year old GD was at day camp today. D just texted me to tell me that GD said they had salad with their pizza today and she asked if it was washed really well because she didn’t want diarrhea. Even the little ones are being careful!
Received today in Colorado healthcare email
Some excerpts (which made me feel better about home/CO… but I’m traveling now and trying to be careful)…
“Bryan said people in Colorado don’t need to worry too much yet about cyclosporiasis because the case numbers are not unusually high this summer in the Rocky Mountain region. She and other medical experts encourage people to keep eating fresh produce because it’s nutritious and healthy”
It’s so discouraging that there has been no guidance on what is happening with this outbreak. I’m avoiding most all fresh produce unless I cook or peel it.
Am I being too paranoid?
You should do what makes you comfortable.
Personally, I am eating salad, greens, beans and cucumbers that I buy at my local farmers market. I am eating strawberries and blueberries from the grocery store (well washed). I’m not eating raspberries (there are no local raspberries now).
In my very humble opinion, if you are in the western half of the US you are being paranoid; if you are in the Great Lakes region you are decidedly not, and if you are anywhere else, you are being cautious. But what do I know?
We are in Maine, eat a ton of produce/lettuces, and have not paid any attention at all to this outbreak. I don’t think it’s been an issue here.