Public Service Announcement

[bagoly]

There is a simple and very effective way to clean fresh vegetables, including bagged salads. This will kill any and all microorganisms, including bacteria such as E. coli and Shigella.

In a bowl or basin, put 1/3 C Chlorox Bleach (generic is fine as long as it is chlorine bleach). Add AT LEAST 6 C water to bleach. Pour in your vegetables,

Comments

Thanx for putting the message out.

[wymzie]

I just creeps me out when I'm in a public restroom and folks use the facility and walk out without washing their hands.

[wyldraven]

You do realize that there is a theory that E. coli is being taken up into the plant from contaminated ground water, and that no amount of washing will remove it, right? If that theory is true, the E. coli is inside the plant cells.

That's what I have read

[charlayne]

There has been use of natural fertilizers within the organic folks. There is a suspicion that this natural stuff is made, partially, from animal feces (cattle, etc). It isn't sterilized and has seeped to the water.

What they are saying (CDC, etc) is that the e-coli cannot be bleached or washed out, it is in the cellular area.

And, tragically, the little 2 year old that died yesterday, has ties into the Texas pagan area and we were asked to send energy.

Hell, I at chinese down in the china district tonight and I scraped all the fresh spinach (which I love) off of it.

I miss spinach.

[texaswillow]

In order for that to be true, wouldn't the E. coli bacterium have to be smaller than the outer cell wall of the root hairs of the plant? And, if it is that small, wouldn't it be transpired out of the plant with the rest of the moisture?

Manure has been used as a fertilizer for at least hundreds of years. If E. coli could enter plants through osmodic absorption, and be stored there, I would think that there would have been a much larger outbreak much sooner.

Maybe I am just not understanding the process.

[wyldraven]

I'm a computer geek, and have no biology beyond minimum graduation requirements. Therefore, I cannot speak intelligently on that topic. I was simply parroting something I picked up from the news.

The FDA has repeatedly stated"If you wash it, it is not going to get rid of it," said Robert Brackett, director of the agency's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition.
This is without explanation as to why washing it isn't enough. I did read last week, though I cannot find the quote now, the theory I mentioned above.

wont work for me

[dshanklin]

This is a good thought in theory. However, I am alergic to chlorine. I can not even drink the city water because of the small traces it has. The chlorine causes a reaction the eats my stomach. It is very painful and no medication helps stop the reaction. The gas form of clorine casues the worst affect any part of my body that comes into conatact with the gas breaks out in hives and swells. I found this out when I worked for a swiming pool service company one summer. I lasted only three days and spent two week in bed after.

Re: wont work for me

[bagoly]

Well, an allergy to chlorine would obviously take care of that. You can use lysol (liquid, not spray) instead, at the same concentration. It does not have chlorine in it at all, and is as effective, if not moreso, than chlorine. You would just need to rinse twice as much as the chlorox (5-6 times instead of 2-3).

If that won't work, then you really should avoid uncooked foods of any type.

[ex_galkin639]

the best way is the autoclave.
do not forget to rinse in with 70% ethanol to be sure it is "E.coli free".