CANTALOUPE Safety Tips
When the FDA sampled domestically grown cantaloupe, it found that 3.5% of the melons carried Salmonella and Shigella, the latter a bacteria normally passed person-to-person. Among imported cantaloupe, 7% tested positive for both bugs. And because you eat melons raw, the bacteria go right down your gullet. That's a big part of the reason why from 1990 to 2001, produce in general has sickened as many people as have beef and poultry combined.
When you go to the grocery store check for dents or bruising on the fruit which can provide a way in in for the pathogens. But don't think precut cantaloupe is safer - produce is sometimes cut by personnel who didn't wash their hands after handling eggs and other items.
When you bring the cantaloupe into your home: Because cantaloupe grows on the ground and has a netted exterior, it's easy for Salmonella to sneak on, and once on, it's hard to clean off. Scrub the fruit with a dab of mild dishwashing liquid for 15 to 30 seconds under running water. And make sure you buy a scrub brush that you use exclusively to clean fruits and vegetables; otherwise it could become cross-contaminated.
Although they have become increasingly available throughout the year, their season runs from June through August when they are at their best.
The cantaloupe derives its name from the ltalian papal village of Cantalup, where it was first cultivated around 1700 A.D. It belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin and gourd, and like many of its relatives, grows on the ground on a trailing vine.
One cup of cantaloupe is just 56 calories, but provides 103.2% of the daily value for vitamin A. And one cup of cantaloupe contains 112.5% of the daily value for Vitamin C. Cantaloupe is also a very good source of potassium and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, and niacin (vitamin B3). The combination of all these B complex vitamins along with the fiber found in cantaloupe make it an exceptionally good fruit for supporting energy production through good carbohydrate metabolism and blood sugar stability. Clean it and eat it and enjoy it's wonderful benefits!
When you go to the grocery store check for dents or bruising on the fruit which can provide a way in in for the pathogens. But don't think precut cantaloupe is safer - produce is sometimes cut by personnel who didn't wash their hands after handling eggs and other items.
When you bring the cantaloupe into your home: Because cantaloupe grows on the ground and has a netted exterior, it's easy for Salmonella to sneak on, and once on, it's hard to clean off. Scrub the fruit with a dab of mild dishwashing liquid for 15 to 30 seconds under running water. And make sure you buy a scrub brush that you use exclusively to clean fruits and vegetables; otherwise it could become cross-contaminated.
Although they have become increasingly available throughout the year, their season runs from June through August when they are at their best.
The cantaloupe derives its name from the ltalian papal village of Cantalup, where it was first cultivated around 1700 A.D. It belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin and gourd, and like many of its relatives, grows on the ground on a trailing vine.
One cup of cantaloupe is just 56 calories, but provides 103.2% of the daily value for vitamin A. And one cup of cantaloupe contains 112.5% of the daily value for Vitamin C. Cantaloupe is also a very good source of potassium and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, and niacin (vitamin B3). The combination of all these B complex vitamins along with the fiber found in cantaloupe make it an exceptionally good fruit for supporting energy production through good carbohydrate metabolism and blood sugar stability. Clean it and eat it and enjoy it's wonderful benefits!
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