Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Once, we were regular salad-eating folk. We had it with dinner most nights of the week when we ate at home. Mostly, we try to eat healthy meals, and the salad always made me feel that I was putting something healthful on the table.

Salad was an easy side for a big dinner with friends. That plus bread rounded out many meals at our table. Not anymore.

Husband Eric and I have been unaffected by the Cyclosporiasis outbreak, caused by food contaminated by the Cyclospora parasite. In fact, we don’t know anyone who has had it.

I’ll spare you the symptoms, which you know involve gastrointestinal illness. But they’re dramatic enough to have kept me from buying lettuce or eating it while out.

The good news first: An Aug. 27 update posted on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website says “the best-by dates for the recalled lettuce have passed and the product should no longer be available in stores or restaurants.”

By now, we’ve all heard of Taylor Farms de Mexico. They’ve voluntarily removed all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico to the U.S. market. That’s in both the supermarkets and in food service to restaurants. We don’t eat at Taco Bell (where contaminated lettuce was identified), hardly ever have fast food and I don’t purchase shredded lettuce of any kind. Luckily.

Since news of the outbreak, which started in mid-July, I bought head lettuce, discarded the outer leaves as recommended, and did my usual rinse and three soaks. Eric wouldn’t touch it, but I ate it over several days and didn’t have any symptoms.

Then I didn’t buy any lettuce for a few weeks, until I saw a circular in a recent Sunday edition of the newspaper. It featured a farm with lettuce that was greenhouse-grown and looked safe. And it was — but I couldn’t bring myself to finish the box.