Hello everyone! Well, am I living on borrowed time, or is it one of those Western thingies? I've scoured the web for info, of which I've come up with bushels full--on how to keep those little green worms off broccoli. But no one says anything about what happens if you eat em, which I probably just did! I feel fine right now...ok, a bit queasy or uneasy maybe. (It's sorta funny, actually!) The closest I came was an article that asks what they taste like. I can't say, but it goes down easy! Anyway, thanks all...i'll let you know...if I survive!!

-- Arnold Vance (egg@panix.com), August 11, 2001

Answers

Probaly just added protein. I made bread using redworms during my vermicompost research. I'm still posting and it was quite tasty. And lets not forget the "wormburger" charges in the 70s against one of the large chain restaurants. And if its any consolation, the courageous French showed us snails are edible.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 11, 2001.

Arnold, do you know what's worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding HALF a worm!

I'm sorry--I couldn't resist that one. Personally, I'd rather eat the worm with the broccoli than eat the broccoli with whatever it took to keep the worm off the broccoli (except for Bt). I don't think you are in any danger or I'd have been dead a long time ago.

When you prepare the broccoli, soak it in a mild salt solution. The worms will be repelled by it, release the broccoli and float to the top of the water where you can remove them.

-- (rainbow@ktis.net), August 12, 2001.

IF you survive,, (JK),, you might be able to market a new protein substeute, or a brocolli flavored fish bait

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 12, 2001.

OK, not to gross anybody out or anything, but ... am I the only one who makes crabapple jelly without bothering to hunt for and cut out any potential ummm, extra protein?

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), August 12, 2001.

Ditto on the salt water, Mom used to float the broccoli in a bit of salt water before blanching them. Got most of the caterpillars. They're probably the caterpillars of the cabbage white butterflies, and invasive species from Europe, invaded this continent so long ago they're very wide spread. As someone said, just a bit o' protein with your veggies, more aesthetically a problem than the actual harm of eating one.

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), August 12, 2001.