LEHI, Utah — In just a few weeks, it will be the start of peak harvest season globally — something Lehi home gardener Misty Sudweeks is excited for.
But after Lehi City announced that E. coli was found in the city's irrigation water, she and other home gardeners are concerned about the health of their home-grown fruits and vegetables, but most importantly, their families.
"I had just made a bunch of pico de gallo out of fresh tomatoes, so I'm like, 'Ooh, yikes — I hope we don't get sick,'" Sudweeks said. "I'm a nurse, so I know E. coli can be a big deal and make people really really sick, so just trying to take it seriously."
Utah State University Assistant Professor Shital Poudyal says human pathogens in irrigation water don't impact produce like plant pathogens, but they do pose a risk to humans.
"Some pathogens are human illness-causing pathogens such as E. coli and they will stay in the produce, and when you consume it, it will go in our human system and attack parts of the body and cause human illness," Poudyal said.
Poudyal says there are steps you should take before using produce that might be contaminated by E. coli.
"One of the major things is cooking. If you cook the food to 165 degrees or higher, then the E. coli is dead, so you need to be careful with the food that is eaten fresh," Poudyal said.
For Sudweeks, she says she'll be cooking everything from her garden from now on.
"No more fresh berries from the garden, darn it," she said.
