If the summer had you second-guessing your salad, you’re not alone. Cyclosporiasis, a nasty stomach bug caused by a microscopic parasite, spread across several states, sickening more than 1,100 people and killing two.
The outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce grown at a Mexican farm.
It appears the outbreak’s settling down.
So, what should you know about leafy greens? How safe are they to eat? And how did the Cyclospora parasite get into the food supply in the first place?
Also, we're hitting the peak of hurricane season. But it's been very tranquil in Florida.
And, customers at a family St. Petersburg bodega come in search of Cuban sandwiches, conversation and community. They’re described in a local author's "love letter" to her parents.
Then we check back in with a popular Lakeland bakery featured on The Zest podcast in 2019. A lot has changed since before COVID-19.
How safe is your salad?
(0:00) This Cyclospora outbreak sickened hundreds of Floridians and had many of us wondering whether that salad was worth the risk. We’ll look at how the parasite gets into the food supply, what the infection feels like, how it’s diagnosed and habits that can help protect you.
GUEST:
- Dr. Norman Beatty, UF Health infectious disease specialist and associate professor of medicine with the University of Florida College of Medicine
Here's why we love wind shear
(12:04) We’re approaching the peak of the hurricane season, but the Atlantic has been unusually quiet —knock on wood! We can thank El Niño’s dry air and record-setting wind shear. We talk with a meteorologist about why Floridians can’t let their guard down with 80-something days to go.
GUEST:
- Megan Borowski, senior meteorologist at Florida Public Radio Emergency Network
Stories behind the bodega
(21:09) A St. Petersburg bodega becomes the setting for a family story — and a portrait of a community. Author Amaris Castillo writes about her parents, the customers who come looking for food and connection, and the everyday rituals that make it much more than a convenience store.
GUEST:
- Amaris Castillo, author of "Bodega Stories," writing/research assistant for the NPR public editor and a staff writer with Poynter Institute
Where are they now?
(36:10) All summer, we’ve been checking in with past guests on WUSF’s foodie podcast The Zest. This week, Dalia Colón revisits Born & Bread Bakehouse owner Jenn Smurr, whom she first interviewed in 2019. Since then, the Lakeland bakery — and Smurr’s life — have changed in some surprising ways.
GUESTS:
- Dalia Colon, host of the WUSF podcast The Zest
- Jenn Smurr, Born & Bread Bakehouse owner
