The first I heard about salmonella-tainted tomatoes was from David Letterman.

I heard — well, half-heard — him make some crack about the healthiest part of a BLT sandwich being the bacon. But I was winding down for the night, and barely registered the comment.

So, the next day, while everyone from corporate giants who hate to waste money (McDonalds) to home cooks who hate to waste food (my mom) threw out their potentially salmonella-tainted tomatoes, I was oblivious to the danger lurking inside one of my favorite summer treats.

Instead, I happily diced up part of a tomato into an omelet. I felt good about my healthful, locally-grown breakfast; My tomato came from a New Mexico farm about 100 miles from my house. Later, I picked up a pint of tabouli-tomato salad at a favorite Greek deli, thrilled that they hadn't run out during the lunch rush. Usually, it's so popular it's gone well before noon.

Later that evening, I finally figured out what the rest of the world already knew: Stay away from tomatoes, because they could be teeming with salmonella. Fortunately, I didn't get sick, but hundreds of people — many of whom live here in New Mexico — weren't as lucky.

And now we add tomatoes to the list of contaminated produce. The threat of severe food poisoning — and possibly death — does not help me get in five to nine daily servings of fruits and veggies. (I'm adding bacon to my next omelet.)

Now, my question is: What happens next? I doubt that the FDA will issue an official "all-clear" alerting us that tomato consumption is safe once again. So, how long will it be until I dice one up again?

Looking for answers, I checked out the Center for Disease Control, which lists a few consumer tips. Unfortunately, most of the tips are common sense, such as wash produce thoroughly or don't buy or use any that show obvious signs of spoilage.

Most of us will find it easy, for instance, to substitute cherry tomatoes till the scare subsides. What will be harder to do is shake off the seeds — little tomato-sized seeds — of doubt that are likely to linger...