Worms on Broccoli? Still ok to eat?

[katnattoo]

Someone gave me some fresh broccoli out of their garden today. When I started to cut it up, I saw that it had worms on it ! I looked them up on the internet and found that they are cabbage loopers. Some of them were big and bright green and others were brown and small. My question, would it have been ok to pick all the worms off and still eat it? I was too grossed out and ended up pitching it, but wonder if I should have. Would boiling it have made them rise to the top? I just hope the lady who gave it to me doesn't ask about it, lol!

 

[Half Baked]

My friend had this problem (before the internet) and she found something that killed them before cooking. I just couldn't remember what she did so I looked it up. She cooked the broccoli before noticing them but once she cut into it , she couldn't eat broccoli for about 10 yrs.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg1013560521345.html?18

 

[sparrowgrass]

If you grow broccoli, you need to dust/spray it with bacillius Thuringiensis. It is not harmful to humans, organic gardeners use it. It is bacteria that infects the worms and kills them.

I throw away wormy broccoli, too, because you can never find all the worms, and one will float up in the hollandaise sauce for sure.

 

[Half Baked]

btw, welcome to Discuss Cooking. Go introduce yourself on the thread for newbies.

 

[Loprraine]

"and one will float up in the hollandaise sauce for sure."

eeeuuuwww I was going to say it it anyway, until I read that!!!! But, I thought when you cooked the broccoli, it killed the worms and they all floated to the top? Non?

 

[Essie]

Soak the fresh broccoli in cold salted water. The creatures will float to the top.

 

[Swann]

Our garden lettuce may have worms or snails on it so we soak it for 30 min in salt water and rinse well. I would not throw out veggies because of worms that is wasteful. You find worms in artichokes all the time so I spread out the leaves and soak in salt water. You can sometimes find and remove the leaf with the worm.

 

[suzyQ3]

If you grow broccoli, you need to dust/spray it with bacillius Thuringiensis. It is not harmful to humans, organic gardeners use it. It is bacteria that infects the worms and kills them.

I throw away wormy broccoli, too, because you can never find all the worms, and one will float up in the hollandaise sauce for sure.

I agree. The particular way broccoli is "constructed" makes it very difficult even to clean, let alone get rid of worms. It's just not worth it.

 

[Half Baked]

Now I may not eat broccoli for 10 years.

 

[BlueCat]

Now I may not eat broccoli for 10 years.

LOL! I was just thinking that very same thing. I know that it grows where worms reside, but I could not eat broccoli that had worms in it/on it in the hope that they would boil out. The very thought makes me !

BC

 

[Chef_Jen]

anyone have a recipe for broccoli soup lol

 

[karadekoolaid]

anyone have a recipe for broccoli soup lol

With, or without the extra squiggly protein units?

 

[Chef_Jen]

if you can make them crispy ill take them with

 

[sattie]

Yuck, I lost my appetite just reading the post header!!!

 

[Half Baked]

Clive, which chutney goes well with broccoli and uh 'protein'?

 

[expatgirl]

I've worked in a soup kitchen serving 300-400 people and we always soaked our veggies in a vinegar water solution--the acid content should take of any worms that you might be afraid of. I f nothing else consider it a type of pickled sushi--just kidding!!

 

[Chopstix]

I grew up in Manila where the brocolli from the market always had worms. I remember my mom telling me that one should always clean brocolli very well and to always expect worms. She would clean up the brocolli (she could never bring me to do that) but still sometimes you'd see those extra 'green protein units' in the food which would totally gross me out. That's why I learned to be wary of brocolli growing up.

I was travelling in the U.S. about ten years ago when I asked my American host about whether brocolli in the States had worms in them. My host gave me a look, paused, and said that if that were so, the entire supermarket would have been closed down!

That was the only time I learned that brocolli didn't necessarily come with worms!!!

 

[buckytom]

are you all concrete dwellers? have none of you planted an organic garden?
if you're a true foodie, you owe it to yourself to grow at least one garden, and dispatch/clean at least one animal, just to get a perspective, and maybe some appreciation for the gestalt of it.

you'd be amazed at the buggies that infest a garden that avoids pesticides.

if you do the soaking in a sink full of cold water trick, you'll be able to remove 99.99% of the dirt and bugs. just give everything a good soak. even squiggly things need to breathe.

oh, and i've seen 4 immature and 2 adult preying mantises so far this year, having to carefully move one from my son's wagon back to the garden. also, have lots of ladybugs. put a few on my son's arm, which he thought was cool.

 

[unmuzzleme]

*shudders* Even if I know it's somewhat irrational, the thought of worms in my food grosses me out!

 

[bethzaring]

are you all concrete dwellers? have none of you planted an organic garden?
if you're a true foodie, you owe it to yourself to grow at least one garden, and dispatch/clean at least one animal, just to get a perspective, and maybe some appreciation for the gestalt of it.

Wise words bucky


After all these years, cabbage worms still gross me out. But with timely and frequent applications of BT/Dipel/bacillus thuringiensis, I usually am able to bring my cabbage family veggies to the house without the extra protein lurking in the buds.