A nationwide outbreak of Salmonella has thrown salads across America into disarray, leaving health officials and home cooks alike scrambling for safer veggie options. The culprits? Recalled cucumbers, often touted as the trusty, refreshing staple of summer salads and spa days.

The outbreak, which has spread to 25 states and the District of Columbia, has unleashed two troublesome strains of Salmonella on an unsuspecting populace: Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup. If the names sound exotic, the symptoms they bring are unfortunately all too familiar—diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

In the case of the Africana strain, a staggering 162 people have reported falling ill, with 54 requiring hospitalization for their pickle-related predicaments. Meanwhile, the Braenderup strain has led to 158 illnesses across 23 states. In total, the cucumber crisis has cast a shadow over more healthful diets, proving that being green isn't always synonymous with being clean.

Authorities first sounded the alarm when a product sample from Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. tested positive for Salmonella. The subsequent recall affected 14 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Notably, the recall doesn't include mini or English cucumbers, which were presumably deemed too cosmopolitan to fraternize with their contaminated cousins.

The populace most affected by this outbreak appears to be non-Hispanic white females, a demographic now likely rethinking their choice to zigzag cucumber slices onto their plates. Despite the widespread sickness, there have been no deaths reported from either of the outbreaks, allowing these reluctant veggie enthusiasts to breathe a cautious sigh of relief. But as anyone with a bad case of food poisoning can tell you, this is a small solace in the grand scheme of intestinal turmoil.

Health officials are advising everyone to check with their grocer to see if the recalled cucumbers were sold at their local store. Anyone who finds these cukes lurking in their crisper drawers should immediately dispose of them (no, not by foisting them onto a neighbor), and thoroughly wash any items or surfaces that might have come into contact with them.

The CDC also strongly advises contacting a healthcare provider if severe Salmonella symptoms occur, emphasizing that this is not a time to play gastronomic roulette. With approximately 1.3 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths attributed to Salmonella each year in the U.S., you don’t want to add another statistic to this already grim tally.

While salads are on high alert and veggie trays everywhere are at DEFCON 3, consumers can at least derive some comfort from the knowledge that vigilance and proper hygiene can prevent these veggie villains from wreaking further havoc. Wash that celery, and maybe skip the cucumber for a while—your stomach will thank you.

For more details on this latest outbreak, and for the sanctity of your gut, watch the news like a hawk, and maybe dust off that old standby: the tomato. Much less risk of patrolling germs, though far more risk of turning your salad into a color war.

In these tumultuous times, let’s all stay healthy, stay informed, and most critically, stay skeptical of the green things in your fridge.