Terrified reading the news. Afraid of getting COVID-19

@merpreb Merry - Curious about this - "We've been warned against fresh produce so people aren't paying attention." How did I miss this warning, and who issued it? I have been avoiding the lettuces due to ecoli risks for some time, but carrots, avocados, cabbage, or bananas and oranges can be washed effectively, broccoli and other veggies you can cook. For cooked items, heat at about 160F (56C) kills the virus.
What I read on the CDC/FDA sites last week ranked the risk of transmission on produce, if you wash it, as very low.
And I agree with you on being reluctant to believe Dr Oz or any of the other television experts

PLEASE everyone - vinegar is not cited anywhere as effective killer for Covid-19. It requires bleach or another proven disinfectant, used according to directions, or soap+water+friction to kill the virus.
Sue

@zeiracorp Totally agree with you just do what you have to ,to survive and stay safe that's all we can do. Being my age it has its blessings but also some downfalls . I am grateful for where I am at .

I meant to say loose, leafy veggies like lettuce and spinach. Prepackaged is best. I agree about the vinegar and water.

@ sueinmn I was talking in general not about the covid-19 virus

My daughter used to can and make jams but her work got too busy. I think now people have to really take a good look at their lifestyle. I admit, I am guilty of throwing out vegetables when they look 'sad' instead of cooking them or make soup out of them. I'll definitely find creative ways to 'stretch' what I have into more meals, and smaller portions too, making sure I have some good protein. The other day I used half can of salmon and some leftover mashed potatoes and made salmon patties, ate it with some green beans. Not exactly gourmet but still good. 😋

Hello Everyone - How about a challenge, to exercise our brains and get our minds off the news and potential shortages? I bet everyone is just like me, with "forgotten" foods on the shelf in cupboard or pantry, and bits of "this and that" in the freezer. For the next 7 days, I plan to use only what I have on hand to prepare meals, but especially to locate at least one forgotten item and include it. For example, yesterday a friend made a run to our favorite pizzeria for takeout, and we bought enough for two meals, so tonight's supper is leftover pizza and I will supplement with the "leftover" frozen veggies (I found 3 partial bags) - it will be an interesting combo of broccoli, cauliflower, corn & green beans. Tomorrow will be pork tenderloin from the freezer, which will yield 3 meals over several days, including leftovers to be served with canned Charro beans from the cupboard (a local dish - kind of a cross between baked beans & bean soup.) Wednesday we will probably order takeout from one of the few open local restaurants, to support them and their families.
Yesterday we cooked up a big stack of blueberry pancakes from ingredients in the cupboard and refrigerator, which we are reheating for breakfast in place of boxed cereal & milk (both non-existent here right now.)
What can you find to eat without resorting to a grocery run?
Sue

@tammyfab2020 Sounds good Idea I have a can so will make for supper . My son was allergic to dye,s and preservative so we put in a garden and I learned to can all vegies . Went and got Chambersburg peaches and nectarines for our fruit. I have canned here till a few years ago but will start as soon as I get lids. Freeze leftovers for soup or another day to make something with

Great idea, Sue. Living alone and liking to cook there are often leftovers which I freeze. Inventoried my frig/freezer the other day and rearranged and grouped foods more by like-with-like Cold hands made for starts & stops but placed older in front of newer and stacked soups & casseroles in one section for if I began feeling ill. Started the same with frig this morning as was delighted to find small fresh cluster of seedless red grapes to go with unopened container of cottage cheese for lunch. 10 and 15 yr old grands get to select one on-hand food for a meal ea day and then find a recipe and do the honors in preparing it. Daughter reports some "interesting" results and meal combinations as a result. Smiles

@enska It’s very easy to get overly stressed about our current situation, particularly if you are older or have comorbidities. My husband has the news on much too much for me so I am avoiding our family room a lot. At times I too feel a tightness in my chest and I know it is due to stress. I think it is probably pretty common. We need to be aware and conscious of what’s happening but also to get a break from it.
I was feeling very comfortable about going to get groceries if I went at non-busy hours (“senior” hours) and followed the other recommendations but now I am getting leery of that too since I am older, am on immunosuppressants, and technically have diabetes – my A1c is ridiculously low for someone with diabetes and I have had no problems from it but I know if I had to be treated for COVID-19 that would be considered as an additional problem.

@merpreb @sueinmn Here are some articles I found when I wanted to reassure my son about produce, although they did not reassure him. He worries a bit too much about us.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/03/13/coronavirus-how-best-handle-food-protect-yourself/5046324002/
https://www.nbc-2.com/story/41872435/coronavirus-could-live-on-fruits-vegetables-at-the-grocery-store
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-concerns-is-it-time-to-change-the-way-shoppers-handle-produce-1.4850278
https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
@sueinmn I am already on it! I tend to purchase and put things in my pantry closet or in my big downstairs freezer and then not use them, so now I am using them. I just hope things do not have freezer burn. It will actually be good to use some of this stuff. When I mentioned having to stock up my son-in-law said I was already prepared for weeks but he tends to exaggerate.
The biggest problem though is things that don't last, like fresh dairy. I can only eat lactose-free yogurt and only Whole Foods has that in my area and they are out of it now. That's part of my breakfast rotation and I'm getting really sick of oatmeal every morning. Thankfully I do have an abundance of frozen blueberries to use in my oatmeal.
@lioness the water/vinegar solution is great for some things and I use it all of the time for my berries and sometimes for grapes too, but it will not kill this virus. It’s good for bacteria and mold spores though so that the produce will keep longer without rotting.

@zeiracorp In my opinion you make a lot of sense about fear.
JK

Wow, you must be a great cook! Can I come over? I just read something online which rings very true... Store what you eat and eat what you store. There are people out there just buy whatever are on the shelf out of panic instead of thinking clearly about if they're even going to use them.