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Dinner fresh from the garden

15 years ago

I just wanted to share my dinner with those who would fully appreciate the experience.

I harvested my first cucumber and ate it chilled before dinner. Then while BBQing munched some fresh broccoli. Mmmm. I was in heaven. DH likes his broccoli cooked, so in the pot it all went. It was when the pot came off the burner I realized dozens of little cooked caterpillars were clinging to the stems.

I can't get rid of the heebie-jeebies. How many did I eat? Heebie-Jeebies. I even rescued a big one off the branch of a florette I had eaten. Heebie-Jeebies. Heebie-Jeebies. o,o,o,o,o,o,o,o,o,O"

Squirrel Girl

AKA Caterpiller Queen

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Comments (11)

dorisl
15 years ago
I remember my kid brother getting an inchworm in his salad of homegrown lettuce. The guy (now 42) still doesnt like veggies!

BTW. hey, they're protein, right?
:)
agirlsgirl
15 years ago
LOL....Doris took the words right out of my mouth about the protein! And I would add,there could be worse things,like a fly, for starters! Just block it out....lol....:D
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That's funny I had a grapevine growing in my garden,mine is called kitchen garden,fenced in,gate and all,Grapes were ripe,my 4 grandkids at the time were 6,5,4,3 2 boys 2 girls.reminded me of the little rascals.Theyd say grandma can we pick some grips,Id say yes they would go over one by one to go eat grips.theyd stand over there and just eat till they had enough.So cute Strawberry season my little red head grand daughter would pick them and cherry tomatoes right out of the garden.
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rosepedal
15 years ago
oooh yuck... I just had dinner too...
lemecdutex
15 years ago
I had a similar experience with broccoli here. I think they're called cabbage moth larvae, and eventually turn into a white butterfly (I think). We grew all this beautiful broccoli growing here the first year we moved to Northern California. A friend warned me that you have to put Bt out for the caterpillars, but I hate spraying anything, and didn't do it. Anyway, I picked some, anticipating some delicious fresh broccoli, put it in the steamer, and when I though it was about ready, I looked in and it was COMPLETELY covered in cooked little green caterpillars.

Aside from being a bit grossed out, I was mortified because I had offered to take some to a friend's place to cook for dinner, imagine if I had! LOL

I think we can grow it here in the winter when the little moths/butterflies are not out laying eggs on every cole crop in sight or ever invented.

--Ron
agirlsgirl
15 years ago
LOL Ron! That would have been a disaster and I bet you wouldn't be asked to bring anything to dinner anymore...lol...
lemecdutex
15 years ago
You're right, I probably would have been limited to bringing only wine in the future!

--Ron
spartangardener
15 years ago
Can't you drive them out if you soak the broccoli in saltwater before cooking it?
lemecdutex
15 years ago
I suppose you could do that, spartangardener, but I don't think I could bring myself to eat broccoli that had had literally hundreds of caterpillars come out of it.

--Ron
agirlsgirl
15 years ago
I am with Ron! I dont think seeing that would leave me tempted to eat it...lol..now if someone else was to drive them out first, and I had no clue,it would be fine!:)
galcho
15 years ago
Well, "worms are not those that we eat but those that eat us" LOL. Just put broccoli in salted water, rinse it and tell yourself that it it's organic.

To prevent "disaster" next year cover you broccoli with cover cloth in the garden. After one time long ago letting aphid to appear in our salad I always make sure to put all veggies in salted water for a while.
squirrel_girl
Original Author
15 years ago
Salted water? You folks are the best! I assume it does not affect the taste of veggies much. If I can get a stalk with only a caterpiller or three on it (off it), I will keep eating. If the entire army of caterpillars is still creeping around in there, I'm calling it quits. By the way, the heebie jeebies are only striking once every day or two now. Mostly, I'm just laughing. Thanks for laughing with me.

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