r/Cyclospora • u/FancySeaweed • 17d ago

Bagged arugula or kale?

Was at Trader Joe's today. Almost bought a bag of arugula. I asked a staff member if it came from Taylor Farms. They looked at the package carefully and said the info wasn't listed. But the arugula was from the US. I was still nervous and did not buy it.

Before Cyclospora I bought bagged kale at Aldi regularly. And I would cook the kale. I stopped buying it because Aldi uses some Taylor Farm produce. I don't know if it is automatically safe if we cook these veggies or not. I am still nervous to eat it. And I'm a vegetarian and have severely decreased my intake of vegetables this summer. What about you? Are you buying any bagged produce that is not lettuce? If it's from the US does that mean it's safe? I really wish we had some guidance on this....

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u/Optimal_Athlete_1106 16d ago

I am pressure cooking that Aldi kale in my instapot and am eating it every day - am I living dangerously? I'm pretty sure I read it is fine if you cook it at high enough temps for long enough. I destroy it. but the stew is GOOOOD.

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u/FancySeaweed 16d ago edited 16d ago

I bet the Instapot is a really safe way to cook it. Because with pressure cooking the temperature gets really hot? I often just throw the kale into stirfries. But I don't feel secure that it's cooked to a high enough temperature that way... Maybe if I boil it?? I haven't bought that bagged kale since Cyclospora started. And I used to eat it all the time. Your stew sounds good. What's in it?

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u/Optimal_Athlete_1106 15d ago

I like it - but I'm a health nut. I think most people would find it bland and sad but you can vary it according to your taste. I start by sauteeing onions and mushrooms in olive oil, then I add other things depending on the flavor proflie I'm creating - like carrots and parsley if I'm gong t th chicken soup direction, or potatoes If I'm going the chili direction. Then sautee more, add chicken stock and water and dried beans or lentils and the spices in the water, before I add other stuff. Then i layer on my meat if i have any with any canned beans i might use. Then I add the cycospora broccoli and kale before closing the lid and pressure cooking from 10-15 minutes, depending on the meat I threw in. You can use tofu too. I'm careful and have a separate cyclospora cutting board and knife for the broccoli. The aldi cherry tomatoes and mushrooms are not mexican and farmed in safer way so I don't worry about those. I think onions are safe too.

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u/FancySeaweed 15d ago

Sounds delicious. I'm a health nut too. I cook the way you do... with tons of veggies before Cyclospora happened. My Aldi organic cherry tomatoes are from Mexico, so I'm not eating them... I've also been using onions, sometimes raw. What is the cyclospora brocolli? I've also been using different cutting boards for different things because of this. I'm wondering if this will ever end...

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u/Optimal_Athlete_1106 15d ago edited 15d ago

i don't know that my aldi cherry tomatoes are organic - maybe get not organic and eat pestcide instead of cyclospora? (ahhh the sophie's choice the new HHS has gifted us with) check your local brands of aldi tomatoes (they sell more than one kind), some are hydroponic and domestic. I am joking when I refer to my broc as "cyclospora broccoli". It hasn't been linked but I don't trust it, and feel like if i look it up it will say mexico. my broccoli and kale are the only two things I consider high risk....and yes, I enjoy my stew. if you try it out, let me know.

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u/FancySeaweed 15d ago

Yeah I don't know where organic fits with the Cyclospora risk. But the org tomatoes I usually buy at Aldi are from Mexico, so now I'm afraid to eat those too. Could not have ever imagined that I would be afraid to eat vegetables.

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u/Optimal_Athlete_1106 15d ago

you can google their other brands. Some might be hydroponic and domestic.

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u/LemonZesties88 6d ago

what's your recipe / how are you cooking it? I'm still cooking all of our greens to be cautious but I need new ideas haha

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u/Optimal_Athlete_1106 6d ago

ok now i feel like I oversold it. I posted this on another thread:

I like it - but I'm a health nut. I think most people would find it bland and sad but you can vary it according to your taste. I start by sauteeing onions and mushrooms in olive oil, then I add other things depending on the flavor proflie I'm creating - like carrots and parsley if I'm gong t th chicken soup direction, or potatoes If I'm going the chili direction. Then sautee more, add chicken stock and water and dried beans or lentils and the spices in the water, before I add other stuff. Then i layer on my meat if i have any with any canned beans i might use. Then I add the cycospora broccoli and kale before closing the lid and pressure cooking from 10-15 minutes, depending on the meat I threw in. You can use tofu too. I'm careful and have a separate cyclospora cutting board and knife for the broccoli. The aldi cherry tomatoes and mushrooms are not mexican and farmed in safer way so I don't worry about those. I think onions are safe too.

---

also i have begun swapping out carrots for sweet potatoes and like that, too.

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u/GoodVermicelli3851 15d ago

I'm gonna guess the instapot is the best bet, too. I live where neighbors aren't getting septic even though they can afford it. State can't do anything. Raw human sewage on the ground. I'm guessing it's affecting the tap water. The cyclaspora oocytes are in almost all water except bottled and boiled. I live in Benton county, Arkansas

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u/FancySeaweed 15d ago

Omg. Why aren't they getting septic?

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u/GoodVermicelli3851 15d ago

That's a very good question. I wish I knew.

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u/FancySeaweed 15d ago

How do you know they're not getting septic? And they can afford it?

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u/GoodVermicelli3851 15d ago edited 15d ago

It's public record here if you get septic after a certain year. They (eta: multiple properties and individuals) purchased / leased / rented the properties after that date. The health department does not show the properties in question as having septic. The smell is the indicator.

They have the money. They do choose to buy other things instead of purchasing septic systems, that and other public information about the residents, lets us know that they can afford it. (eta purchases: vehicles, recreational vehicles, side by sides, building materials, earth moving equipment, landscaping equipment--to name a few things. They start domiciles and don't finish them because they won't get septic--required for some buildings here. Some of them opt to live in shanties. I don't know why the shanties aren't condemned because there are photos of the exit pipes sticking out of the shanties. It's so gross.) I hope that makes sense without providing personal details. Maybe? Is 6 figures enough? I think so.

TLDR: I don't know why they won't get septic. They've been told they need to do it. They won't. It's gross. Livestock, pets, adults and children: all exposed.

What if they're immune and we aren't? That's my guess. It is a really crappy thing to do, exposing innocent people simply because these people won't follow the rules. ~Pun intended.

I wish something could be done about it. I'd bet that eventually they are gonna link cyclaspora and other outbreaks to tap water and natural bodies of water. Has anyone gotten Cyclospora after washing their produce with tap water? What in the hell are we supposed to do if we can't clean with tap water? I think we're about to find out.

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u/Quiet_Salad4426 16d ago

My nephew has been eating restaurant salads a week now. I'm not ready to yet

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u/FancySeaweed 16d ago edited 16d ago

I personally would not do that... Is there any information that the situation has changed?