topic Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ??? in Recipes

Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sarahpanda — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:28:10 GMT

I love broccoli - always eaten a lot of it. Then a friend recently told me of all the worms and the like that can be in broccoli and I am at a 'full stop' from enjoying the vegetable anymore. I've always washed my broccoli but after that visual of the worms, I don't think I could ever wash broccoli '''ENOUGH''' again. Any thoughts friends??

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

wishmoon — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:31:51 GMT

I love broccoli and hate that I opened this thread.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

Desertdi — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:34:57 GMT

I think your friend is pulling your leg

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

Wendy Lou Hoo — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:38:41 GMT

We raised broccoli in our garden one year. A friend told me about the little worms, said to soak broccoli in water before cooking or adding raw to salads, etc. I soaked it in water, and little white worms were floating in the water in a few minutes. Icky.

I've never wanted to raise broccoli again, but I still eat it from other sources.

How would you ever know if all the little worms came out before eating it????

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sarahpanda — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:40:43 GMT

@wishmoon I'm so sorry , pretty upsetting isn't it? Surely there has to be 'a way' to eat broccoli that assures us that it's ''clean enough''....Wishmoon, I googled it and if you think this post is bad, you REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT CAN BE IN BROCCOLI... I'll probably never forget that sight !

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

ValuSkr — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:42:48 GMT

Yes, if you're a vegetarian, you may want to avoid broccoli.

I suppose this is more of a problem with organic produce, as non-organic farmers have ways to deal with cabbage worms (actually, larvae of cabbage butterflies).

They say you should soak broccoli heads in cold water for 20 minutes, with 1/4 C salt and 2 T of vinegar. Hold the head under water with a weight, like a plate. This will force the worms out. (And then they'll be in your sink, not your food...)

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sarahpanda — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:45:03 GMT

@Wendy Lou Hoo ...Very good question--and I surely don't have the answer....pretty bummed about all of this. I've always heard that broccoli was a great cancer preventer....hummm...off my grocery list now.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

CinNC — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:51:21 GMT

I read an article on Huffington Post the other day indicating that all vegetables should be washed in a mixture of baking soda and water - then rinsed.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

fthunt — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:16:20 GMT

Now I'm glad I forgot to pick up "B" - I just came home from food shopping - almost finished and realized I forgot fresh broccoli - closer to frozen foods so picked up pkg for a casserole I want to make. WHEW

Yes.....worms - once while washing a head = a little worm poked it's head out. I didn't buy fresh for a long time. With frozen at least they are dead!

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

gabstoomuch — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:18:17 GMT

I just saw a video on washing veggies and fruit. Strawberries is another one that needs to be washed differently than most people do because of all the little pits in the berries.

They showed soaking broccoli and strawberries in 2 large bowls of water, letting them sit for 15 minutes. When they took them out of the water to run them under more faucet water, they focused back on the bowl and in the bottom of the soaking water there was tons of dirt, little bugs (no see um type).

It was pretty unbelievable how dirty it was. I was grossed out, and clearly I have to change my way of washing things. But I am not going to stop eating anything, because we probably should have been washing things this way for many, many years.

There are many people suffering with parasite issues of the gut and I always wondered how they got the parasites ti begin with. Now I know.

I can only imagine how many bugs and yucks I have eaten my whole life growing up on a food farm. I think the world is just becoming so aware of it.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sidsmom — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:32:16 GMT

I have been eating broccoli for quite some time...and

never,

in the history of ever

have I ever seen a worm in my broccoli.

Me thinks someone is trying r.e.a.l.l.y hard to justify

not wanting to eat produce.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

DiAnne — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:34:03 GMT

I think that is more of a problem with organic vegetables because they have not been sprayed.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sarahpanda — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:35:18 GMT

@sidsmom I actually love vegetables myself - hardly ever eat meat..haven't for 25 years. You are much braver than I am - you can have my share of broccoli.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

sidsmom — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:45:00 GMT

@sarahpanda wrote:
@sidsmom I actually love vegetables myself - hardly ever eat meat..haven't for 25 years. You are much braver than I am - you can have my share of broccoli.

@sarahpanda

It’s a nutritional powerhouse!

Love steamed broccoli with ‘cheeze’ sauce (carrots/potatoes/nooch)

drizzled over the top!

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

wishmoon — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:49:45 GMT

@sarahpanda wrote:
@wishmoon I'm so sorry , pretty upsetting isn't it? Surely there has to be 'a way' to eat broccoli that assures us that it's ''clean enough''....Wishmoon, I googled it and if you think this post is bad, you REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT CAN BE IN BROCCOLI... I'll probably never forget that sight !

@sarahpanda No, I don't want to read it!!!

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

wishmoon — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:54:38 GMT

OMG, strawberries too??? I just had a dish of strawberries! I eat my strawberries and broccoli frozen. I mean, I heat it up, but for me, they start frozen. So, those suckers (worms) are frozen then miked to death.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

colliemom4 — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:55:33 GMT

I always wash vegetables. A little off topic and gross I know, but I've seen worms in fish and it really surprised me.This fish came right out of the ocean and wasn't purchased in a grocery store. My husband said it does that but I wouldn't eat fish for a long time. Still not a big fan of it just because I don't like it that much really.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

KentuckyWoman — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 21:19:40 GMT

@wishmoon wrote:
I love broccoli and hate that I opened this thread.

LOL! I hate broccoli and love that I opened this thread. One more reason not to eat the nasty stuff. I am sorry that you are grossed out though.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

proudlyfromNJ — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 21:40:44 GMT

Well I just soaked my broccoli and there was nothing in the water. No worms.

Re: Broccoli ''cleaning'' ???

ValuSkr — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 21:45:07 GMT

@proudlyfromNJ wrote:
Well I just soaked my broccoli and there was nothing in the water. No worms.

But did you add anything to the water to flush them out, like salt and vinegar? And was it organic broccoli?