Recalled Cucumbers & before that, cantaloupe — how the salmonella?
2 years ago
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Watering Cantaloupes
Comments (9)Cantaloupe and watermelon have a long growing season and they like the heat, so you need to make sure they are in the ground soon enough to have plenty of time for fruiting before it gets cold -- but you also can't plant them before it warms up in the spring. You might want to start the seeds indoors next year so they are mature once it warms up(or buy a mature plant and get it in the ground early). You should also buy shorter maturation plants, so they start fruiting faster. We have a long season in our zone 8a, so that has never been an issue for me. I grow mine in raised beds which can dry out pretty fast in our Texas heat, so I typically water from pop-up sprayers for about 15 minutes every other day. When it starts hitting 100 degrees every day, I'll sometimes water every day. I just keep an eye on the soil to make sure it is not drying out below a really thick layer of mulch that I have on the bed. Once the plant matures, the leaves also usually help shade the ground pretty effectively. If you start getting a lot of fruit, its been my experience that the plant needs a lot of moisture to grow those big juicy melons, so I always want to give mine sufficient moisture. I prefer Charentais. If you are seeing wilting of the leaves during a hot day, that is a natural defense mechanism of the plant to conserve water. Then when it cools down at night and they get some moisture, they will plump back out. If they leaves aren't changing colors and plump back out in the evening or after you water, I wouldn't be that concerned. I am 'almost' organic, and I discourage you from using a bunch of insecticide and fungicide on your plants since you are going to be eating that fruit. You're also going to kill all the ladybugs that are going to hold back the tide of aphids that love melon leaves. Your biggest insect problems will probably be aphids (which the ladybugs should populate and eat if you don't use insecticide and otherwise aren't that harmful or devastating) and the greenish-yellow cucumber beetles that look like green ladybugs. The cucumber beetles munch on the leaves and spread a wilt virus. I have not found a way to kill those suckers, so I coexist with them. They seem to like my cucumbers more than my melon. Once the melon plant gets to a tipping point in the season, they usually produce enough new leaves to keep ahead of the cucumber beetle wilt. I also reseed over the early season as an additional precaution to help keep ahead of it, too (that may be more difficult with your shorter season). Everything I have read says that a vegetable plant gets the most from watering in the early evening b/c it uses it more effectively to replenish in the night. The downside is that watering too late in the evening before the leaves dry off can raise your risk of fungal issues. I just water while there is enough evening light and heat to evaporate most of the spray on the leaves. I would not overwater the plants -- overwatering is just as bad as letting the plant dry out. Try a deep watering as infrequently as possible. If you aren't getting rain, try every other day, if possible. Alternatively, try once a day in the early evening. If it rains, that usually tides the plant over for multiple days. Stick that finger in the soil and see what the moisture is a couple of inches below the soil level. What other problems have you had in the past that caused the plant failure? Sometimes, you just have to plant in bulk and the law of averages ensures success. Here is a link that might be useful: Dallas Fruit Grower...See Morewhen and how to harvest cantaloupe
Comments (8)I don't keep track or grow multiple varieties to compare like that. I wish I had kept notes because I've had some boom years with melons that had to be what is grown local for stores, but since mine were allowed to go full slip they were better. If Ambrosia is small I think I've grown it recently and the size was the reason I didn't grow it again. But it was a big producer. Your description and internet pictures look like what I had. By hold do you mean on the vine or in storage? Pick at half slip for storage. I don't think full slip will store for any. If you mean on the vine, when it comes to cantaloupe I'm on the other side of the disagreement to answer that, none hold, they're either at a stage of slip or not. I am growing Athena this year and have one that I've been expecting to be ripe for quite a while. I just checked it and it could be cut and sold by looks, but I use my nose to buy so I wouldn't buy it....See MoreJensen Farms cantaloupe recall
Comments (31)There are LOTS of food borne illnesses, purple. They can all be grouped under the heading of organisms that cause food poisoning. Think back on all of the incidents of norovirus, E-coli and Salmonella in the past few years! Listeria outbreaks are pretty rare, I believe. Listeria has only recently been placed on the radar as a causal agent for food poisoning. Incidents are MUCH more common with gardeners, farmers, or workers who deal with mulch, soil, etc. Remember, it occurs naturally (without animal contamination) in soil and water, leaf litter, etc. I have a theory that these particular contaminated melons were distributed far and wide and that consumers all along the way didn't wash the melon before cutting into it. Cantaloups are a fruit that we don't often think of as needing to be thoroughly washed, right? Whether in a restaurant, deli department of a grocery store, or at home....cutting into a contaminated melon will distribute the bacterium throughout the edible portion of the fruit. The lesson learned from all of this is to WASH your own garden veggies, wash the produce from the market...including those with a rind or tough outer skin, avoid raw chopped food at the deli or salad bar, and make sure that any raw meat products are cooked thoroughly before eating. Following normal kitchen hygiene practices should protect each of us from the many common agents of food poisoning, including the not-so-common listeria. Here is a link that might be useful: Read about food poisoning agents...See MoreDying from cucumbers
Comments (16)lucillle- I'm not saying it. But in a post above I am quoting from a book who used the information from tests done for Cook's Illustrated. We consume bacteria all the time -- and generally without any problems. The acid in our stomach destroys it. It's when the bacteria has been under the "right" conditions (moisture, temperature, oxygen - or the lack of oxygen) to become a toxin that it becomes a food safety issue. It's not the inside of the cucumber (or a cantaloupe as another good example) that has the bacteria, it's generally on the outside surface after being in contact with contaminated water, soil, human cross-contamination. People who don't wash, or don't thoroughly wash, their produce, increase the potential for bacteria growth under the right conditions. That quick splash under the tap water isn't getting the job done, although water alone (according to the test) does a pretty good job. Therefore, when they slice the cucumber or cantaloupe (or other food item), the bacteria transfers to the inside via the knife they use. Or even from cross-contamination if they have the bacteria on their hands (example: after handling raw chicken). Left under conditions where the bacteria has a chance to grow, it can become a toxin. With something like a cucumber or cantaloupe, if there is bacteria present on the unwashed skin, the bacteria can become a toxin from the food being left in the "danger zone" (between 40°F and 140°F) for too long. That can be indoors, outdoors, or even in your refrigerator. Be sure to check the temperature of your refrigerator because it could be in the danger zone. Refrigeration doesn't prevent bacteria growth, it just slows it down. Vinegar has been used as an effective sanitizer. For more information, including effectiveness on salmonella and E. Coli: http://www.ehowtowiki.com/list_7374655_types-bacteria-killed-vinegar.html -Grainlady...See More
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agopetalique thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10- 2 years ago
2 years agoSpeaking of cucumbers -- just ordered a new (to me) variety.
https://www.rareseeds.com/cucumber-suyo-long?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20947896874&utm_content=&utm_term=&campaign_name={campaignname}&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvsiI2rnFhgMV9jUIBR3JpwFmEAQYASABEgJbU_D_BwE
petalique thanked Judi
laceyvail 6A, WV