Whenever I brought home cakes, cookies or any type of dish to my mom, her first question was always, “Is it from scratch?” For anyone unfamiliar with that term, it’s the southeastern U.S. synonym for “homemade.”

She wasn’t having any manufactured food—a.k.a. lazy food—because lazy food never tastes as good. So rather than offer it up and have my store-bought, tasteless food rejected, I made sure I cooked her food from scratch.

Most of the food that we eat at home these days is homemade. We cook our food to have control over ingredients and amounts of those ingredients. It’s also less expensive per plate to buy and cook at home. However, we do eat some foods that are packaged, such as cereal, juice boxes and granola bars. It saves time when we go hiking or exercise and need a quick snack.

As of this past month, that packaged foods list has grown shorter by one item—granola bars. The reason? Potential salmonella contamination and a voluntary recall of my favorite brand of granola bars.

According to the Cleveland Clinic:

Salmonella, or salmonellosis, is an infection with Salmonella bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and stomach pains. 😲Salmonella usually goes away on its own in a few days. You should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. 🥛You can reduce your risk of salmonella with safe food handling habits and by washing your hands after touching animals.

Although the likelihood of contamination is low, playing Russian roulette with our health is never an option. So the only option was to make granola bars, from scratch.

It’s not difficult to make granola bars. There are hundreds of recipes online so find one that fits your dietary needs. The recipe we used is below.

Enjoy your homemade granola bars as you dodge packaged goods foodborne illness. But just in case something goes wrong before you start making them at home…

Tomato juice may be a good way to stop Salmonella. Tomato juice can kill Salmonella Typhi and other bacteria that can harm people’s digestive and urinary tract health, according to research published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. But before you reach for that bottle or can of tomato juice on the store shelf, consider buying fresh tomatoes, cleaning them, and making the juice at home.

An even better idea? Grow tomatoes 🍅🍅🍅 at home and blend your own juices, using ingredients that you prefer. Order tomato plants early to have them ready for planting in May 2025. Let’s grow something—and stay well together!

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