Cross-contamination of vegetables from local farm?!

[WineandCupcakes]

Hi everyone,

All summer we have been participating in a CSA from a local, organic farm. We receive a share of their crop each week. Today, via a weekly email, they said that they were starting to plant rye as their cover crop for the winter to enhance the soil and prevent erosion. I hadn't even thought of this!

I am not a very sensitive Celiac. My ttg was 18 upon diagnosis in March, and I've been strictly gluten free since then as my diagnosis was discovered during fertility testing and I am currently undergoing IVF (read: I take my gluten-free diet super seriously - new baking dishes, new utensils, a different sponge than for gluten-containing items, etc) I also don't have any reactions to gluten.

My rational mind says that while Rye is in the soil after they cut it down at the beginning of the planting season, the vegetables themselves, particularly non-root vegetables are probably fine, particularly if washed, and that any contamination would fall below 20ppm. My irrrational, infertile mind is irate and just threw out all of our produce from the share.

Does anyone know about this? Thanks in advance!

[manasota]

Welcome!  Let me begin by saying you are extremely lucky to be diagnosed so young (child-bearing age) and to not have any reaction to gluten!?

Last Spring, I considered joining a CSA from a local farm.  I was sold until they mentioned that the bins they distributed the produce in were rotated ( no guarantee of getting same bin returned) AND they also distributed local artisan BREADS in the same bins.  Customers had the option of getting fruits, veggies, and breads.  Yikes.  It was a no-go for me.

As for your rye cover crop, I am not a farmer; but there is no way I would be a customer of theirs.  That said,  we have no idea what cover crops are used for all the stuff we buy in the supermarket.  Probably all the same risks exist there.  And then there is the gluten cross-contamination issue of the supermarkets themselves, the shelves, the conveyor belt in the checkout, the clerk snacking on gluten...

It's a dangerous gluten-filled world we live in.  We just have to do our best to avoid it AS MUCH AS IS REASONABLY POSSIBLE!  Bottom line:  there is probably no more risk in your CSA than in your local grocery store?

My comments are not very comforting, are they?  I feel little comfort in having Celiac Disease in our current society of ubiquitous gluten.  Just do your best and clean your produce the best you can.  All any of us can do is their best.

I wish you a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy baby!

[manasota]

Hopefully, someone else will chime in who really knows about cover crops.  I'd also be interested to hear what they know.  Maybe someone can also give you tips on the IVF for a Celiac.  Don't give up.  Just keep trying to do your best.  That's all any of us can do.  ;-)

[cyclinglady]

Just clean your raw produce to wash off bacteria, fungi and the extremely rare risk of gluten and you should be safe.  Nothing in life is 100% and that is why I stated "should be", but we have never been glutened by raw produce purchased from any supplier.  We have been at this for 14 years!  ?. . I would worry more about bacteria from raw produce over gluten!  

 

[kareng]

They will harvest and plow the rye under before planting anything else.  Even if some seed are left on the soil or under the soil, they shouldn't be an issue.  Just wash your potatoes or corn or whatever.