Mexican Tomatoes

Tomatoes have dropped off a lot of menus and grocery stores in the United States due to an outbreak of Salmonella which they say has been traced to tomatoes although there doesn't seem to be an answer as to where the tomatoes were grown. The last I read the Food and Drug Administration thought that the tomatoes were from Florida or Mexico.....but they weren't sure.

An article in the Houston Chronicle quotes Mexico's Agriculture Secretary, Alberto Cardenas, "The Mexican tomato is safer and cleaner than ever." The article continues: Even U.S. officials agree that certified Mexican exporters are among the safest in the world. Their fields are irrigated with fresh water, and their packing plants are staffed by workers covered head-to-toe in sterile clothing. Inspectors monitor the process at every step.

Do most Americans wash produce these days? My mother insisted that all vegetables had to be washed before they were used. Now, most people seem to trust the packaged vegetables are safe just because the package says that it has been washed before packing. So maybe we have become less careful about washing produce. Living here in Mexico, washing every leaf of lettuce and every fruit or vegetable has become such a habit, I can't imagine not washing them when we are back in the USA. We are eating foods from all over the world. They've been handled too many times by the time they get to our plates to know what might have happened to them since they were packaged in Florida, Chile or Mexico.

At any rate, all the beautiful tomatoes grown in Mexico for export can't cross the border and they are showing up in our markets here. We don't usually see tomatoes like these here. I bought this one yesterday, washed it in disinfectant as I always do, and put it in the window to ripen up just a little bit more. It will soon be combined with some fresh mozzarella, basil, a few drops of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar.