I went to town yesterday, and have nothing to tell you about it. I go grocery shopping about once a month, stretching out into frozen vegetables as my fresh produce runs out.

There was an article in the newspaper about how if you heat shock your produce by soaking it in warm water when you get it home, it will last a lot longer. There's no way to know if it has already been treated this way. I plan to try it on grapes because it seems like they don't last very long sometimes.

"The optimal time and temperature for heat-shocking fruits and vegetables varies in response to many factors -- in particular, whether they were already treated before purchase. Use these as general guidelines.

Asparagus: 2 to 3 minutes at 131 degrees
Broccoli: 7 to 8 minutes at 117 degrees
Cantaloupe (whole): 60 minutes at 122 degrees
Celery: 90 seconds at 122 degrees
Grapes: 8 minutes at 113 degrees
Kiwi fruit: 15 to 20 minutes at 104 degrees
Lettuce: 1 to 2 minutes at 122 degrees
Oranges (whole): 40 to 45 minutes at 113 degrees
Peaches (whole): 40 minutes at 104 degrees

I don't know how you are supposed to maintain water at 122 degrees for an hour in order to treat a cantaloupe.

Speaking of cantaloupes (and I was), ever since that horrible listeria event in 2011 involving a southeastern Colorado grower, I haven't been able to eat it. Listeriosis can be a fatal disease for the very young, the elderly, those with weak immune systems, and it cause pregnant women to miscarry. Healthy people who get it might have flu-like symptoms that pass without them thinking much about it.

Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer. Animals can carry the bacteria and can contaminate meats and dairy products. Processed foods, such as soft cheeses and cold cuts, can be contaminated after processing. Unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk can be contaminated.

In that case a couple years ago, several people around the country died before the disease was tracked to its source, and the farmer went bankrupt as well he should have.

The cause of the problem was that the grower had recently installed equipment for washing the cantaloupes that had been previously used for washing potatoes. Ironically, his customers, large supermarket chains in Texas, had hired inspectors to certify the plant was clean and the processing followed good hygiene practices. Their report noted some deficiencies (primarily standing water and dirt buildup), but did not suggest this could be a problem or that remedial action should be taken. The ultimate source was the farm trucks that had hauled the melons to the processing plant and were also used to haul manure, contaminating the melons.

Ever since, I haven't eaten melons in restaurants because often they will slice them with the rind on, and you don't know if they wash the outside first or not. If I was going to serve it at home, I would be washing the outside in weak bleach solution, and once I cut it, I would take the rind off right away, not leave the inside lying around touching the outside.

But deep down, I haven't gotten over my fear of cantaloupe. I know it's irrational because any produce could have the same problem, so I shouldn't single it out. Yesterday at the store I saw a woman pick one up, then put it back onto the display, and I wondered if she was thinking what I think about it - why take a chance.

Something completely different: