Kroger and Nebraska Beef have announced a recall of beef products. The recall was announced after federal investigators revealed that Nebraska Beef products were linked to an E. coli outbreak in Michigan and Ohio. Kroger sold some of the Nebraska Beef products in their stores and has posted important recall information. Kroger’s recall is quite extensive and it involves items in more than 20 states.Make sure to visit their site, read the information carefully, so you can find out which of their products are involved.
The stores that are part of Kroger’s chain include Baker’s, Cala Foods, Bell Markets, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food and Drug of Arizona, Fry’s Marketplace, Gerbes, Hilander, JayC Food Stores, King Soopers, Kwik Shop, Loaf ‘N Jug, Owen’s Market, Quik Stop, Pay Less Food Markets of Indiana, Quality Food Centers aka QFC, Ralphs, Scott’s Food of Indiana, Smith’s Food and Drug, and Turkey Hill of Pennsylvania.

Nebraska Beef Ltd has expanded the recall to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26, and federal regulators have blasted the company for being responsible for the outbreak.

Many people are not familiar with Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, but it can be a great way to “find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area“.

One of my local growers, Desert Roots Farm, describes it like this: “CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm’s yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest. ”

They offer “Whole” and “Half” share memberships. 4 weeks of a half share may be as low as $72, and here’s an example of the quantity of produce you might get weekly in a half share:
1/2 pound bag of gourmet lettuce mix
bunch of carrots
bunch of radishes
1/2 pound broccoli
bunch of beets
smaller bunch of kale
some cilantro

For 4 weeks of a whole share, prices start at $92, and your weekly veggie quantity will look something like this:
1 pound bag of gourmet lettuce mix
bunch of carrots(9-10)
bunch of radishes (7-8)
3/4 pound broccoli
bunch of beets(5-6)
bunch of kale
some cilantro

From what I understand, all shares must be prepaid in advance, but when you consider the bargains you’ll be getting, I think it’s a great deal. For example, the half share works out to $18 a week for all that food. What a great deal for organic produce!

If you don’t live in the metro Phoenix area, don’t worry, there are CSAs nationwide that offer buyers the opportunity to receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, coffee, or any sort of different farm product”. Local Harvest has a great database of farms and farmers that offer Community Supported Agriculture. Some of the farms even offer delivery and/or pick up at convenient locations.

By being part of a CSA, you can maximize your food dollars while eating organic food.You’ll be supporting a local grower and you’ll gain the benefits of knowing who grew your food and what they used on it. In my opinion, it’s a win-win solution for everyone involved.

Do you drink tea with lemon at your favorite restaurant? You may be shocked to learn that a study found that nearly EIGHTY percent of all lemon slices in restaurants have some form of contamination, including germs that cause staph infection, as well as fecal contamination. ?A leading scientist compared the findings to “dipping the lemon in raw meat”. In all, over 25 different Microorganisms were found, some only on the rind, but others in the meat of the lemon as well.

Many restaurant workers use their bare hands when handling the lemon wedges and putting them on the rim of the glass. So the next time you’re in a restaurant, avoid the urge to squeeze the lemon, then drop it into your glass. Better yet, avoid all lemons, until restaurants start handling raw fruit with the same care they use on raw meat.