Would you eat something you found in the dirt in some strange field?

I didn't think so, but too many people do it everyday, especially in the summer.  Salmonella and E-coli are both found on the ground along with your favorite melons.  Not only does your melon live there during the growing season, but they share this environment with bunny rabbits, deer, and humans who may not have the best hygiene practices.  The waste from the aforementioned culprits get in the soil and on to the surface of the melon. Houston, we have a problem!!!

But these bugs are on the outside of the melon, I don't eat the rind. Think about how you get to the good stuff.  You hopefully, you use a clean knife and cut into it. When you plunge the blade into the melon you drag any contaminant on the skin into the moist inner goodness.  You now have a potentially hazardous food that's been infected.

Remedies:  Clean the melon well with a veggie wash if available, but at least with running water and a bristled brush to remove the dirt and residue from the surface.  After cutting store the melon in the refrigerator to inhibit bacterial growth.  Never eat a melon that has been cracked.

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