Cyclospora got you a little freaked? Same.

I was just getting into luscious summer lettuces layered into super salads. Now I’m wary of buying them. Home hydroponics may be in my future, but for now, I’m employing an alternative that is safer than store-bought lettuce, actually more nutritious, cheaper, and tasty as hell. I’m growing sprouts!

Mason jars with screen lids produce magic on my kitchen counter. Home sprouts give you a variety of textures and flavors and nutrient profiles. There’s classic delicate seeds, like alfalfa, clover, broccoli and radish. And the crunchy, protein-packed legumes, like lentils and mung beans. Both kinds are excellent transport for a delicious dressing, btw.

Sprouts are significantly more nutrient-dense and bioavailable than mature plants. Because they are in an active growth stage, they don’t contain anti-nutrients that bind to minerals and prevent your body from absorbing them. That makes it easier for your gut to get the iron, magnesium and calcium in these tiny powerhouses.

Sprouts have way more digestive enzymes than fully grown vegetables. These pre-digest starches and proteins. In brief, if you get gas from eating lentils, you won’t get it from eating lentil sprouts.

Instead of risking explosive diarrhea from a parasite, choose explosive vitamin increases instead, especially vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and beta-carotene. Sprouts also have very high levels of phytochemicals. For example, broccoli sprouts can contain 20 to 50 times more sulforaphane (a powerful antioxidant) than a full head of broccoli. You would have to eat pounds of broccoli to match the compounds found in just one cup of broccoli sprouts.

As of this writing, the cyclospora outbreak has sickened more than 4,000 people in 31 states. The CDC scaled back its foodborne illness surveillance last year. FoodNet tracks only two pathogens, and cyclospora is not one of them. So far, though investigators have a possible lead, this outbreak has unknown origins and carriers. To build a raw salad safely, use common sense.

Historically, cyclospora is linked to lettuce and salad greens, particularly when bagged. I don’t think I need to spell this out. So use cabbage instead. Remove the outer layers and wash it well. Use cucumbers you can peel. Choose stuff from the agriculture food chain that is unprocessed, and can be peeled or soaked and more easily washed free of microscopic parasites.

Contamination happens, but I go out of my way to avoid it. I rarely eat in restaurants or get take out. Better safe than sorry. It’s healthier and cheaper, albeit more time consuming. There is a certain energetics required for creative meal planning, multiple gathering efforts at multiple stores, and standing in the kitchen for varying degrees of time. And the clean up. But it's worth it!

If you’re worried about not getting enough greens, consider a version of whole kale juice. I’m telling you, this is so good.

Strip the leaves off the ribs and soak the shit out of them, literally. Then rinse well. Make some magic in a high-speed blender. My favorite right now is fresh pineapple, a green apple, a couple of red grapes, a ton of ginger root, and a little bit of chia or flax meal.

A word about salad dressing before I go start dinner: make your own! Food blogging is not my jam, and you should go online and peruse the 5 million vegan salad dressings out there. I’ll share my go-to this week, in case it sounds good to you. Start with an acid, either citrus (fresh squeezed lime or lemon) or vinegar (apple cider or rice). Add some soy sauce or tamari. Add a ton of pulverized fresh garlic and ginger. Add some maple syrup or agave. Add some chili crisp (careful). Add crunchy peanut butter. And, go!

Pour that right over finely chopped cabbage (purple or green or both), gems of juicy cucumber, maybe some shelled edamame and any other veg you feel comfortable about, and all manner of home-grown sprouts. Then top it with pumpkin seeds.

PS. Dogs can get cyclosporiasis just like us. If you give carrot “bones” like I do, peel, cut off tops and bottoms and wash.

Share your recipes and stay safe from scary produce this summer. Write to me at allie.irwin@gmail.com.