Gross. I'm freaking out. Organic epic fail.

[Fairy]

I waited a long time to get on the organics train, and now that I'm here, I'm really glad. I am hyper careful, though, and I've never had a problem. Until today. It's gross. You've been warned.

I put a bunch of cherries I pitted myself, raspberries, and blueberries from the farmer's market into a bowl and served them at dinner. We ate them all up. On my very last bite what do I see? A tiny green furry and wiggling worm. Wait, hold on, I have to puke ...


... Ok, so as I was saying ... no, not done, hold on ...


... Right, so again, I found a worm. WE ATE ALL THE BERRIES UP. Then the worm. "Throw them out" or "Don't eat them" is too late. Now my tummy is bothering me. I feel like it's got something in it it doesn't want. I believe in my head that it is, indeed, in my head. But I'm freaking out. I drank a ton of iced tea just now to ... I dunno, I just did. What can i do? I'm going to be imagining and feeling worms for months now. The raspberries did look awfully local, that's for sure. But ... i don't want the spray. Maybe I should just eat the spray.

Anyone have a word to lend that will make me feel better, tell me what to do to kill he worms that may be in my body, encourage me not to give up on the organics, help me ensure this doesn't happen again, advise me what to stop buying locally?

:nodno:

[crl]

The worm is not a parasite. It cannot live inside your body. Really.

Catherine

[codex57]

If it's organic, then the worm doesn't have any pesticides on it.

It's food. Chemical free food apparently. Think Lion King. Prolly pretty nutritious. If you've ever eaten shellfish, how is that not a grosser looking thing than the worm?

Think of yourself as a world traveler who just ate some local cuisine at a tropical place.

[BillK]

Hey people pay good money for Mezcal with the worm. Consider yourself lucky they didn't charge you MORE for cherries with a worm! :hysterical:

Seriously though I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine.

[edurnemk]

As my uncle would say, the worm is just protein :ROTFLMAO: Better that than e. coli!

Anyway, I wash and disinfect all the produce that comes into my house, organic or not.

[wellyes]

Huh? I don't get it. All fresh produce has bugs unless they're washed off. No biggie.

[Fairy]

So far loving these responses. Laughter is good, cuz it's that or I'm gonna cry!

[codex57]

Hakuna matata

[Fairy]

Just to clarify, I DID wash them, but I did not inspect. I don't do anything without washing it off. Apparently, the worm was very clean, therefore ...

[cuca_]

Well, you did not eat the worm. You found it at the end, right? And even if you did eat one, just think of it as your protein serving! Don't give up organic fruit. Did you take them out of their container to wash them. Next time get one of those mesh baskets that you can put on your sink and spray them. Maybe that will help. And honestly the non-organic stuff could also come with worms or bugs. I remember years ago coming across non-organic romaine that had small bugs between the leaves.

I do feel bad for you. I would be feeling sick and grossed out too, but honestly I don't think eating a worm is going to hurt you.

[BillK]

It could be worse...

http://www.scorpionmezcal.com/shop/images/APOSTER.jpg

[KpbS]

I am sorry that happened to you, Fairy! While it is icky, there is no guarantee that you consumed a worm. I would keep buying the local, organic produce and try to comb over it a bit more but definitely not worry about any consumption. I would say a drink is in order if you are the drinking type and know that the alcohol will serve a possible dual purpose ;). :54:

[Fairy]

I am sorry they happened to you, Fairy! While it is icky, there is no guarantee that you consumed a worm. I would keep buying the local, organic produce and try to comb over it a bit more but definitely not worry about any consumption. I would say a drink is in order if you are the drinking type and know that the alcohol will serve a possible dual purpose ;). :54:

I do not drink, but dude? I'm heading for a beer. We do have some in the basement. I'm serious, having one.

[trales]

We eat local berries with little green worms all the time. They are kind of cute in the bowl. Think of them as an assurance you are chemical free.

[Kymberley]

Little green worms are all over FIL's broccoli every time we eat it. Just pick it off and enjoy. No worries!

[BillK]

This thread reminds me of the book "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" ;)

[TwinFoxes]

I can't believe you've lived your 29 years (;) ) without finding a bug in produce before. I remember very distinctly finding a little green worm on the strawberries I got on my fro-yo in Jr. High. I flicked it off. And I am NOT a bug person. But it is produce. I'm sure those strawberries weren't organic, so I don't even think skipping organic would solve the problem. :hug: You're fine.

[mctlaw]

Dude. Calm down. I ate (well chewed and spit out) a japanese beetle baked by my mom into some delicious blackberries we had picked wild. I'm still here 30 years later. Just be glad you don't have 2 childish brothers that still tease you about it.

[Katigre]

I wouldn't even worry about it - a worm is 'organic' and not comparable to eating pesticides IMO.

If it makes you feel better, I get local raw honey that is just strained and the owner of the bees told me there are likely bee parts in it - doesn't gross me out at all.

IIRC, there are actually gov't regulations for how many animal (rodent) parts are allowed in certain processed foods...and I know there are regulations for how many animal/insect (can't remember what specifically) parts are allowed in grains especially. You're eating bugs all the time :).

[jjordan]

You didn't find half a worm, so I'd say you're A-OK. :)

[infomama]

Loving this thread

[Fairy]

I can't believe you've lived your 29 years (;) ) without finding a bug in produce before. I remember very distinctly finding a little green worm on the strawberries I got on my fro-yo in Jr. High. I flicked it off. And I am NOT a bug person. But it is produce. I'm sure those strawberries weren't organic, so I don't even think skipping organic would solve the problem. :hug: You're fine.

Oh, it's not my first time ever having found one. It's my first time ever having found one after having eaten everything it was found IN, begging the question of what else was in there ...

[BillK]

I know a young Fairy who swallowed a worm, I don't know why she swallowed that worm, perhaps she'll squirm.

[Aishe]

I once made caldo verde with a Portuguese linguica (sausage) that is really hard to find. The kale I used was organic. About halfway through the meal dd asked "what are all these little black things in the soup?" It's pepper, I replied. "Why does the pepper have eyes?" Ummm. So DH and I looked more closely, and sure enough, the soup had hundreds of tiny black bugs (about the size of ground pepper) floating around in it. So Dh and I added more pepper to camouflage the bugs and kept on eating. No way were we wasting that linguica. (DD, on the other hand, suddenly decided she was full.)

According to the New Yorker, eating bugs is going to save the planet. So if you'd eaten it you could have felt very virtuous!

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/15/110815fa_fact_goodyear

[Carrots]

Just drink a True Blood and you will be fine.

[Carrots]

"Why does the pepper have eyes?" [/url]

:hysterical::hysterical:

[BabyMine]

Did you know the USDA allows so many bug parts per chocolate bar.

That should help you get over the worm.

When I was little we would pick huge crates of strawberries and then I would help clean and cut them. My mom had just dumped them into the sink and I was cleaning and cutting and sometimes tasting. Well when I bet into one I also bit into a worm. To this day I always cut up my strawberries before I eat them.

[Fairy]

The bad news --> I am never eating again.
The good news --> My weight loss is about to really spike.

[JElaineB]

I'd say finding a whole worm is better than finding half a worm!

ETA: LOL, just saw someone else posted the same thing already!

[BabyMine]

The bad news --> I am never eating again.
The good news --> My weight loss is about to really spike.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10004411.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

[Fairy]

http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10004411.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

I'm afraid to click this.

[BabyMine]

I'm afraid to click this.

I need the music from Jaws.

[Jacksmommy2b]

:ROTFLMAO:
Hakuna matata:ROTFLMAO:


Listen, I would be pretty icked out too, and I think I have an iron stomach. But it really is just meat when you think about it.

Is it gross? Yup, but I think you'll all be okay - have an aversion to cherries perhaps, but okay!

[mom2binsd]

One word...TEQUILA!

[gatorsmom]

You could have just as easily eaten a worm with nonorganic produce. I've seen them before.

I take it then, you don't eat sushi?

[JTsMom]

Fairy, is it you that has the brown egg phobia too? I'm ROFL here. There are always going to be bugs and worms that have touched your food. You might not usually see them, but they were there, and you've survived this long.

[KpbS]

Fairy, is it you that has the brown egg phobia too? I'm ROFL here. ...

:ROTFLMAO: that's right! How does the brown egg compare?

[twowhat?]

Plenty of non-organic has bugs too. Like the maggots in the Nutra-grain bar I ate in college, and the caterpillar half (yeah, the big fat spikey kind - just half of it) in my roommate's can of Progresso veggie soup. A live worm in my salad has been the least gross thing I've seen:)

[ChristinaLucia]

Ick. I know how you feel because I was washing some delicious CSA produce and found a slug in it. Ish. I threw the rest away, but it still gives me the icks and I inspect everything a little more carefully now ;)

I'm sure it's fine. Better than chemicals I swear!

[StantonHyde]

I quit buying organic lettuce (bagged) in the grocery store due to a worm I found. I grew up in a rural area and I didn't mind picking bugs off produce, but if its in a bag, I assume somebody did SOMETHING with it!!!! So its regular grown or CSA--which I wash!!!

[Fairy]

You could have just as easily eaten a worm with nonorganic produce. I've seen them before.

I take it then, you don't eat sushi?

I have eaten sushi, but it makes me sick, so now i don't. If I'm feeling very brave and without will power, I will get an order of Ikura, which is my favorite, but if I eat a California roll, or any roll, I'm going to be sick as a dog. I have narrowed it down to the rice, nearly certain. That said? NO, I don't eat sashimi.

[Fairy]

Fairy, is it you that has the brown egg phobia too? I'm ROFL here. There are always going to be bugs and worms that have touched your food. You might not usually see them, but they were there, and you've survived this long.

Brown egg phobia. :wavey:


:ROTFLMAO: that's right! How does the brown egg compare?

Hmm. Good question! I have just had a million things go wrong and squick me out with brown eggs. I'll continue with the organics, but man oh man am I gonna start washing ALOT better, apparently.

What's with the fruit and vegetable "wash" they sell? Should I bother? Not for worms, but for pesticides? Or what-have-you. Is it really any better than just plain old water?

[gatorsmom]

Once I found hairy green mold on the inside of the seal on my Stonyfield Baby Vanilla smoothie bottle. This was before they only sealed the bottles with their caps, when they still used their little foil seals inside the caps, so about 5 years ago. The yogurt wasn't expired so I called the company and they asked me which batch number and location it was processed at then sent me a coupon for a free pack. The company rep says it does happen but it's very rare.

But yeah, it was really gross and I definitely check for mold on the inside of caps more often now than I did!

[ang79]

We have wild raspberries in our backyard. We don't use any spray around them and the girls pick them off the bushes and eat them w/o washing them. I just tell them to check for bugs first, but even ones that have come inside and that I've rinsed off still sometimes have a tiny bug on them. Not a biggie in my book. But maybe that's because I grew up on a farm and often ate berries right off the bush or veggies right off the plants in our garden :)

Normally I do rinse all produce off, organic or not (and I admit I don't buy much organic because of price factor, but I do try to buy local fresh stuff in the summer here), but I'm not too worried eating off our own plants because I know we don't spray them. If a bug gets in them, I figure it will all come out in the end :)