Locally grown and oh so safeLowcountry growers fill produce bins with tomatoes free of contamination The Post and Courier
Monday, June 23, 2008
Wade Spees Shoppers can pick through locally-grown tomatoes at the Charleston Farmers Market. 
Wade Spees Robert Fields weighs produce at the Charleston Farmers Market on Saturday. Photo GalleryFinding local farmers markets A look at the locations of seven Lowcountry farmers markets:
You say tomato. I say 'tomahto.' We say salmonella. Since mid-April, a salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes has sickened at least 552 people in 32 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But no cases have been reported in South Carolina, improving business for local growers and providers. 'I've sold more, a good bit,' said Robert Fields, who sells produce and vegetables at several farmers markets in the area. Fields, like other growers, has taken his share of questions from consumers worried for their safety. He figures that at the Marion Square and Mount Pleasant markets, about 100 customers each day have asked about his tomatoes. 'Where are they from?' they ask. Fields' answer: His 25-acre farm on River Road, about 1½ miles from the Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains a list of states and territories not associated with the outbreak, meaning contaminated tomatoes have not been grown or harvested in those areas. South Carolina is in the clear. Though the agency has not been able to identify the origin of the tainted tomatoes, it presumes they likely were grown in Mexico or southern Florida. Health officials aren't sure if the outbreak started at a farm or packing station. At least 53 people have been hospitalized. Herb Driggers, who owns a produce stand near Summerville, gets his tomatoes from Limehouse Produce, which has served the Charleston area since the 1940s. To ease customers' minds, he shows them the FDA-approved list. 'These are the ones that are supposed to be good,' he said. Charleston-area Piggly Wiggly grocery stores have taken similar precautions, posting notices near their tomato bins. 'We know our growers,' the signs state. 'These local tomatoes are approved for sale by the FDA. From Schaffer Farms, Johns Island, S.C.' 'We've had a lot of people come in and ask us if these were our local ones instead of ones from Mexico and Florida,' said Steven Wizzard, assistant produce manager at the Piggly Wiggly on Meeting Street. Others growers offer an old-fashioned approach when it comes to consumer confidence. 'I'll tell you what I told these Yankees one time,' said Danny Mims, a vendor at the Moncks Corner Farmers Market. 'I don't sell nothing I don't eat. That's a good policy.' Mims grows tomatoes and other produce on his Beaver Dam farm between Jamestown and Moncks Corner. He knows they're safe, he says, because he's been eating them for at least 10 days. Salmonella cannot be tasted. But if you get it, you'll likely know. The food-borne illness causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 12 to 72 hours after the contaminated food was eaten, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Some people also experience chills, headache, nausea and vomiting, the symptoms disappearing within four to seven days. According to the FDA, this is the country's 13th salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes since 1990. The agency recommends consumers eat only fresh roma, plum or standard round tomatoes that have been cleared. Cherry and grape tomatoes and tomatoes still attached to the vine are also safe to eat. Another recommendation from area growers: Eat local. 'These other tomatoes, you don't know where they're coming from,' Fields said. 'You know where ours are coming from.' Reach Rob Young at 937-5518 and ryoung@postandcourier.com. |
Article toolsSponsored Links |
|
Notice about comments: Charleston.net is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Charleston.net does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not charleston.net. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Full terms and conditions can be read here. |
Comments
This article has 12 comment(s)
Posted by theronce on June 23, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Home grown are the best. You usually will not see pests in the first year that you plant. It is a good practice to never plant tomatoes in the same spot 2 years in a row. This discourages pests and disease.
Posted by common_sense on June 23, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nuttin beats locally grown or home grown 'maters, on cheap white bread with a lil bit of salt sprinkled on them. Manna from heaven!
I'm just sayin...
Posted by UrGatorbait on June 23, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Locally grown can't be beat.
Leave it to one of the local xenophobes to hijack it into I hate illegals thread. Get a life
Posted by common_sense on June 23, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Have to agree with Gadsden. I think illegal migrant workers play a role in this. As for the tomatos, why we even buy them from Mexico is beyond me.
I'm just sayin... Buy local, and you won't have these issues.
Posted by singleroni on June 23, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
can't find the charleston grey watermelon any more. those were the sweetest. have boiled peanuts and a pepsi saturday and played 500 rummey with the kids on the porch like i did with my parents. takes me back a few years to where life was simplier.
Posted by glevans on June 23, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, I miss good old home grown tomatoes....you can't seem to grow much of anything in Texas except dust. We tried growing vegatables after we moved to Texas in 1995 but it was a no go...nothing would grow in our yard except rocks. Lots of those here...limestone. I sure do miss Charleston tomatoes. They are so good!!! I used to grade tomatoes when I was a teenager...worked out on the islands!
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on June 23, 2008 at 5:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know theres a farmers market in downtown Summerville.I heard it's nice,but I still havent gone.Timbo is definitely the man for boiled peanuts!And I agee with previous posters that the unclean habits of the pickers probably contributed to this.Oh and can I tell you how pissed I am?I went to the summerville walmart and they had a sign on a water fountain that in small letters said hot and larger print CALIENTE.(this was a handmade sign)WE are NOT in MEXICO!!!!
Posted by UrGatorbait on June 23, 2008 at 6:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Illegal migrant workers have been picking your food for ages Gadsen/Tripsa and any other bogeyman hunters out there.. This is an article about local grown foods and leave it to someone on here to turn it into another illegals suck thread.
Funny how one back tracks to call it a joke post. Labels and name calling? Yeah you can take the high ground on that Tripsa. :rollseyes:
Yeah nothing wrong with the truth but it's the P&C so I consider the source and some of it's fans. Again the article was about quality local produce not illegals. There is potentially good info on where to get good local fresh produce from the regulars who post on here.
No it just has to turn into another I hate illegals (We get it, really we do) whining session. It gets old.
Posted by jeff61 on June 23, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by UrGatorbait on June 23, 2008 at 6:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Illegal migrant workers have been picking your food for ages Gadsen/Tripsa
That may be but I think the migrant workers of the past knew enough not to sh_t on the produce back then. I think this new generation of Illegal migrant workers don't give a crap...By the way I hate Illegals and tomatoes. They have'nt been crapping on the peanuts also ,, have they?
Posted by blues101 on June 24, 2008 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
sorry for long post: I live in a rural area in a predominantly agricultural state, and migrant workers have been a part of our community every spring, summer and fall since time out of mind. Large commercial farms have legally hired migrant workers from many states in the u.s. as well as from other countries to work the fields for half the year...
regarding tainted food that does come from farms in the US, which feds are not enforcing the strict laws? I'm told that inspectors show up on the sly to be sure everyone complies.These laws are to protect the farmers, the seasonal worker, our residents from strangers who may not be law-abiding, and the consumer from tainted foods. I'm told that reps from the FDA, USDA,and Labor Dept. show up at the fields and report on the sanitation methods used in the fields and the condition, treatment and habits of the workers.
Inspectors pop up to check legal status of the workers. Names must match people and numbers gotta jive, too. They look for signs of illness,and make sure that they are law-abiding.I presumed that all states had a mandatory compliance and inspectors. It's not easy to hide a working farm or the workers.
Farms are responsible for sanitary practices and keeping employees who are ill out of their fields, for preventing animal wastes, fertilizer and pesticide runoff from entering neighboring fields or the water supply. The FDA and USDA hasn't had a great track record lately in stopping poison food or dangerous products from entering the market. The supermarkets have food handlers who should be wearing plastic gloves.
why hire illegals, when so many legal workers are available.They're not saving much- they pay minimum wage,workers are housed in quarters on or near the farms. the cost of fines is astonomical.having your farm shut down and livelihood stripped from you isn't worth it.
-Grow your own or buy verified local produce whatever state you live in.
Posted by retirednavy on June 24, 2008 at 5:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
coolfreaknbeans...
You went to the wal-mart in Summerville? My prayers are with you. My wife and I always have a moment of silence before going there. If we get a cashier that is actually friendly we will go out of our way to let the customer service manager know about it.
Posted by granny2 on June 24, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If I go down HWY 17 and turn on HWY 174, how far do I need to go to get to Mrs. Kings stand?