The E. coli/bagged spinach issue has received a lot of press. Has it affected how you view bagged produce? Are you buying more local produce or thinking more about the local movement? Are you still cooking with spinach or how have you changed your diet/menu to incorporate other dark leafy greens into your diet?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Carolyn,

We drove past fields of mature spinach in New Jersey yesterday. Most farm stands in that area are not open on Sunday. I live in Lancaster PA and it is not yet in the stores where I shop.
I've been using romaine but anxious for spinach again.

I believe this incident will prompt producers to be a lot more careful! When growing for the masses, just one small slip can cause castrophe. As a dietitian, my clients have compromised health. For right now, I have advised that they grow a fall garden; in fact, I even passed out "free" spinach and lettuce seeds. Healthy greens are coming up all over the Houston area!

I live in Wisconsin where one person has died. The stores have pulled the bagged spinach and maybe the non-bagged (I have not checked).

I usually do not buy the bagged greens as I like to make my own mix of fresh greens that I like. However, when I do buy bagged, I always wash before using. Does that defeat the purpose of buying bagged? I'm not sure, but I am a freak about washing my produce.

To answer your question, yes I have been avoiding spinach, but I miss it

I ate spinach every day, used it in place of lettuce.
I don't feel comfortable about eating it again. I will, I think once we are told how it happened.

We're in Michigan and there isn't a trace fo spinach anywhere. I wish we had time to hit our local farmer's market, because I would much rather shop there. I would prefer to support local farming than mass production farms. Unfortunately the market is only open a very limited amount of time.

Instead of spinach, I've been using organic arugala and boc choi. I've actually found that the arugala adds a nice change in flavor to the things I've tried. I do still miss spinach though, as the texture of the arugala is not quite as hearty as the spinach.

I also have considered trying mustard greens or some other greens along that line.

Spinach used to be a staple for me.
I live in Canada but am still afraid to eat it fresh.
I don't know if I really will feel safe eating it again/. It is getting bad when you can't eat fresh food.
Since I now live in a city with no yard I can't grow it.
I think we are in trouble.

When I picked up my share at the organic CSA that I participate in, the newsletter today had a paragraph about E.coli and spinach.He stated as the news said that it could have come from the fieldor the facility where it is handled. It could have come from raw manure or contaminated water or unsanitary conditions. Manure must be thoroughly composted before use with agriculture. Documentation must be kept about the manure. He does not use manure but relies on cover crops that are tilled into the soil. We are hoping for spinach next week.The local arugala is getting spicy.

Our local newspaper said in an article by a dietician yesterday that we shouldn't eat cooked spinich either because we most likely cannot cook it to a temperature--or for long enough--to kill the E.coli. That surprised me. Any comment?

I've switched to Swiss Chard for the time being. My family loves it and it's cooked similar to spinach.

I always buy local when I'm able to, so the scare didn't effect me as much as some - so I continue to buy spinach & enjoy from local farmers. I'm disgusted with what happened, and look forward to a greater move towards local support of your close-by farmers to happen. it's been needing to happen anyway. i just hope this doesn't affect people's opinions on Organic.

Frozen spinach that is in the stores now was probably frozen way before the outbreak started. I don't buy it often but need to check and see if there is a date on it for processing.

This is a time of year that I usually pull out some spinach recipes. It's a little dissapointing that I won't be able to do that this year. I've been told that washing and heating of fresh spinach won't rid it of the E. Coli. Not being able to eat my spinach recipes did push me to try a new recipe for tortelini and zuchinni soup that I found in the current issue of Eating Well. It was a great find!

quote:

Originally posted by Michtoo:
Our local newspaper said in an article by a dietician yesterday that we shouldn't eat cooked spinich either because we most likely cannot cook it to a temperature--or for long enough--to kill the E.coli. That surprised me. Any comment?

The CDCs website says the following about cooking spinach:
E. coli O157:H7 in spinach can be killed by cooking at 160° Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. (Water boils at 212° Fahrenheit.) If spinach is cooked in a frying pan, and all parts do not reach 160° Fahrenheit, all bacteria may not be killed. If consumers choose to cook the spinach, they should not allow the raw spinach to contaminate other foods and food contact surfaces, and they should wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the spinach.

I miss fresh spinach greatly - also other fresh bagged salad greens. I have to say I was so horrified by this incident that I have completely stopped buying ANY bagged fresh produce. I am skeptical of almost anything now, although I am still buying things like broccoli and iceberg lettuce (which has virtually no nutritional content - sigh...). It's a shame. But it isn't worth risking the lives and health of my family. I'll stick to canned veggies for awhile, I'm sure.