There is a lie that gets told every year in the Menke home right about now. It goes something like this:
“Hey guys, this is our first broccoli from the garden this year.” (Jennie)
“Really? I thought you weren’t going to grow broccoli anymore.” (any one except Jennie)
“Yeah, I know. But I was at Shady Acres and it looked good, so I bought some. I got it in early, so the Cabbage Moths weren’t a problem.” (Jennie)
“Really? Are you sure? (Family member A)
“You are positive there aren’t any worms?” (Family member B)
“Have you seen any moths? Do the leaves have any holes? Are you sure?” (Family member C)
“I am positive there are no worms. I promise.” (Jennie – THE GREAT LIE.)
BT is a very good (and organic) control for cabbage worms. The problem is, you have to go into the barn, find it, mix it, spray the plants and repeat at least once a week during the growing season. I simply can’t be counted on to do that.
Oh, what’s that you say? I should just pick the worms off? Sure. No problem. Here is what my family sees when they sit down to some perfectly steamed broccoli:
And this is what I see, right after telling the Great Lie:
Of course, this second photo has been enhanced, for your viewing pleasure. It is what I see. My family, most notably, does not see the worm, even though it is there. Scroll back up and look for yourself.
I have two choices at this point.
1) I can fess up and tell them that I lied. That I really did see moths, and holes on the leaves and even saw a worm before steaming, but was positive they were gone until right this very minute when I saw it on my plate.
Or, 2) I can keep my mouth shut, eat the worm and pretend nothing untoward is happening.
What would you do? (comment please).
Well, as I’m sure you all know by now, I ate the worm. Admitting I was wrong would have been way harder.
Michelle says
Make no promises. There is no guarantee garden produce is worm-free. Make a game out of it and give them a quarter if they find a worm in their broccoli, and then eat that piece of theirs, minus the worm! In your current situation, I probably would have faked a potty break and confiscated the wormy piece into the bathroom, picked off the worm, and ate the veggie!
Valerie says
Hey- my mom (Joy your neighbor) told me about your blog so I thought I’d check it out. My fiance and I had our first garden this year. Its a bit small because we are doomed to live in suburbia (don’t have over half a million to buy an acreage out here) anywho- enjoy reading about your garden, and I think its ok to share the veggies with a couple of bugs. Everyone eats.
admin says
I know, I know. But tell that to a 14 year old girl. Different story, eh?
Rachel says
Great post!! You are a better woman than I ~ I could not eat the worm. You can always borrow my line: “Who wants to eat food that even the bugs wont eat.” ~ Shows it is fresh. 🙂
jennifer menke says
Rachel, you should go back and read my post, and then a few more to understand something a little better: YOU are most likely a better woman that I! I ate the worm, not because it was a natural part of the food chain, harmless and healthy, but because I didn’t want to admit that I am a big fat liar! That said, after a few cabbage worms, it gets easier. 🙂
Jami says
I would just hide it in my napkin.
Your method is probably better.
By the time my daughter is 14 I may not get away with slight of hand activities with our food…
Hey, didn’t I see that you have chickens? Why don’t you let them in there to get the big worms?
(I’m not stalking! I’m just working on some work agreements with other departments that is completely mind-numbing and when I’m stuck I glance over at your blog and read a little).
admin says
Ha! I am looking for a good dependable stalker, so if you want…
I DO have chickens and they DO eat bugs, but they also decimate just about everything else on their way. They scratch nice big dust baths in the middle of any bed, dislodging carrots, lettuce and everything else on their way to dirt nirvana. That, coupled with the fact that Lola kills them every chance she gets, makes for a bad free range situation.
So I figure, what’s a cabbage worm or two?
Jami says
Well you lost me at reliable. I’m a flitting stalker type. I’ll do a 24/7 thing for a few days and then complete silence for weeks. 🙂
Yes, I definitely keep my girls out of my garden most of the time. You’ll probably be fine if you put 1 or 2 in there for supervised munching for a few minutes first thing in the morning. They usually like to wait until the afternoon to bathe (after the sun warms the ground). After awhile when you lift the fence they will know the routine. There is one of my girls that gets in there and carefully picks off the bugs and only munches a few of the choice green leaves. I think my hub trained her.
Jane says
Great blog. I just found my first handfull of cabbage worms. I tossed some Kale seed on the ground next to some lettuce, radish and something else I forget what it was… and have been amazed at how prolific it all was. I was just congratulating myself on how wonderful it all was working out, sans any type of chemical other than a handfull of fertilizer – when, what should to my wondering eyes appear…. but the dreaded cabbage worm. Having never seen a cabbage worm before I wasn’t quite positive that’s what I was looking at… but I have been seeing “cursed cabbage worm”, “disgusting cabbage worm” and “the armageddon of cabbage worms” for a bit, so I pretty much knew that’s what I was seeing… And after reading some wiki… yes, that’s what the things are. My question is… how did the worm taste? Do you reccomend just tossing them into the curry sauce for a little extra protein?