Scary reaction to fruit bought at roadside stand
SAN ANTONIO - Buying fresh fruit like peaches straight from the orchard is a sweet part of summer time here in south Texas. This year's crop has been especially good, but some folks may be forgetting a simple but important step before enjoying them. In fact, one person's experience was a real wakeup call.
Experts say anytime you purchase fresh fruits or vegetables whether it be a road side stand or your local grocery store, before you dig in, you need to wash up...especially what you're about to eat.
Ron Atkinson told us, "I'm use to picking them off the tree, rubbing them off on my shirt and going to it you know."
He says that was the big mistake he made after picking up some peaches at a roadside stand. After eating a couple of peaches, he began to feel his throat closing up.
He says he began to panic a little, "I noticed I was having difficulty breathing, I couldn't swallow very well and at first I thought it was just a case of the dry mouth so I got and took in some water and it was very difficult to swallow."
Even though an allergic reaction like this is rare....Ron says he didn't realize he was the one contaminating the fruit by slicing it up with the same knife he peeled it with. After a trip to the emergency room and benydryl he was fine.
After thinking about it, he realized... "the knife you're using is cross contaminating the fruit...just didn't dawn on me."
After doing a little digging we found out that some fruit producers in the hill country did use a fungicide this season to prevent what's called brown rot. That's a pretty typical treatment during wet springs. But some people could be allergic to it. So the message is wash it before you eat it.
But washing with water alone likely is not enough. You can buy an all natural produce wash at your grocer for about five dollars or make your own. You do that with a mixing bowl full of water, squeezing a lemon or lime in there and mixing it with a tablespoon of salt. Washing for five minutes in this should wash off anything on your produce.
CLICK HERE to find out more about cleaning chemicals off of fruits and vegetables.
