The outbreak of the cyclospora parasite continues to impact many states across the nation. Nevada does not have a confirmed case yet.
However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Local gardeners say eating and growing local is a much safer option.
"Almost every year we come up with some type of outbreak, and I always just go to, well, thankfully, I grow my own food,” said Josh Hammonds, Owner of Yard to Table Gardening, a home-gardening service.
While home gardening is not perfect, the margin of error is significantly smaller than getting produce from the bigger grocery stores.
This is because the produce’s upbringing is uncertain.
"They're handled eight different times by eight different warehouses,” Hammonds said.
When growing your own food, for the most part, you have complete control of how it's handled.
“You still have to wash your produce when it's done because dirt and stuff still gets on it,” Hammonds said. “So, doing those things safely at home are so important, but you only have to rely on one person doing it correctly instead of hundreds of people doing it correctly."
If you want to start your own garden, Hammonds says to start with this foundation.
"My first thing I tell everybody is, one, keep it simple, and two, only grow what you're going to eat."
For an easier introduction, Hammonds says to avoid buying seeds and instead start with plants.
"They're already grown,” he said. “They're going to already be rooted. They're already going to be healthy. So you're going to have a head start, and that takes away some of the stress from you of trying to make this thing successful your first try."
If you don’t have the luxury of extra time to start a home garden, Hammonds recommends shopping at smaller grocery stores and getting organic produce.
Just make sure to wash them thoroughly, or if possible, cook them.
If you do want a garden without the work, you can just ask him.
"Say somebody doesn't want to be hands-on with their garden, but they want to have that fresh, homegrown produce, hire me,” Hammonds said. “I'll come in. Ideally, you pay me monthly, and I come in, and I maintain, I harvest."
If you are interested in his services and want to see how much it costs, click here.
