How to Deal with the Tomato Salmonella Scare

Consumers are being alerted in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonella outbreak could be linked to consumption of certain types of tomatoes. The expanded FDA warning which is now nationwide, includes raw red plum, round red or red Roma tomatoes. And the FDA warns that these people should also limit their intake of the following tomatoes even though not yet linked with the outbreak, these are cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes,home grown tomatoes and tomatoes with vines attached.

Daniel Salmon isolated the very first strain of salmonella in 1885, Since then they have discovered 2,300 more strains of the disease.

So far there are reports of 16 states,145 sick and 23 in the hospital from this recent outbreak.

If you are not sure where the tomatoes that you purchased came from, they suggest that you ask your grocer where they got them. Just to be safe.
The particular type of Salmonella is called serotype SaintPaul.

Salmonella causes diarrhea,fever and abdominal cramps anywhere from twelve to seventy two hours after infection. And it can last up to seven days.

You can deal with this shortage by using other vegetables in your salads. Add some more carrots or croutons. Probably won't have too many tex-mex lunches either. But as with all produce, wash and dry completely to get rid of any pesticides or unwanted germs. When you get a good crop of tomatoes and want to dehydrate them for future times (like now) but you need to be careful with this process too. The secret to this is to control the temperature. Too little temperature (90 degrees or less) they will dry too slowly and mold and bacteria can form. If it is too high (170 degrees or higher) they will cook or harden and again can spoil. I happen to love tomato sandwiches, these too will not be had for a while, at least until they get this under control.

If you have cut or cooked tomatoes left over from a meal, refrigerate them within two hours. Do not buy bruised tomatoes. Always keep tomatoes separate from other raw foods and meat. And of course wash the cutting board after each use with soap and water, this can prevent contamination.

You can also add beans to your salads, but I wouldn't suggest a bean and mayo sandwich. It's amazing how many things you use tomatoes for, Pasta sauces, salads,stews, just to name a few. The best you can hope for is that they find the cause of the recent outbreak and destroy it at the source. Meanwhile, enjoy your burger with out the tomato and salad with a few more accents to make up for the missing tomato.

There just are no alternatives for some things that require tomatoes. Try as I may, couldn't find anything on line for an alternative! So I guess we just have to be patient and wait it out.