Fruit and Veg

competitionscafe

I found a big, fat, juicy slug munching away at the insides of my lettuce once and have had one or two little bugs - at least it prooves that the veg isn't coated in pesticides, but maggots - yuck! I thought you only found them in rotten food, rotting meat and the like?

By the way Squeaky, just out of pure curiousity, who do you get your box from?

bluep

Well I think I am going to give them "one more box" and if there are nasties in that too, then cancel.

squeaky

competitionscafe wrote:

I found a big, fat, juicy slug munching away at the insides of my lettuce once and have had one or two little bugs - at least it prooves that the veg isn't coated in pesticides, but maggots - yuck! I thought you only found them in rotten food, rotting meat and the like?

By the way Squeaky, just out of pure curiousity, who do you get your box from?

A very local outfit, not one of the nationals or regionals - if you're more than about five miles away from my little patch of Sunny Suffolk you're fresh out of luck

arkonite_babe

bluep wrote:

Well I think I am going to give them "one more box" and if there are nasties in that too, then cancel.

I know my supplier says that this year has been very bad slug wise, but to have lots of creepies in your food, Yuck!! I wouldn't be willing to accept that as "quality" and a healthier way of eating. Have a quiet word first to see what they say and then if still no joy, I'd cancel.

HTH

Quasar

Having been raised on a farm which never used anything chemical, and being now an organic produce eater, I can assure you that having maggots etc on your vegs is a sign that no c**p has been sprayed on your wholesome food.

Wash off the maggots and enjoy your vegs. That's how we have eaten them for thousands of years and that's how we really are supposed to have them.

The excessive number of eggs on bluep cauliflower is different however, in that I don't think it could be washed easily.

By the way, I heard that a very good natural pesticide is soap and water, to be sprayed on the produce.

bluep

Thanks for the replies guys. The maggots they couldn't have possibly seen as they were under lots of earth on the turnips - they look like they'd just been pulled from the ground. I couldn't tell they were maggoty until I started washing and chopping them. It's strange but if it had been slugs, I would have just pinged them off and eaten the veg, but maggots - I think I am particularly squeamish about. Will try to get over it

Happyroly

bluep wrote:

Just a quick question, we've started to get an organic box and I am generally really pleased with it -

However, today I just went and took out some small turnips for our dinner and I was cleaning them and each turnip had 5 or 6 white maggots happily at home in it (like fully buried in it). I really don't feel like mentioning it (I might just ask her not to put turnips in our box again -

Anyone else's experiences?

Just wondering are you sure they were maggots - vine weevil grubs are sort of white and squidgy with a brown head. Then again they are usually around in springtime and seems to like roots of flowers rather than vegetables.
I would certainly mention it to the supplier, she/he may be able to tell you exactly what they are as it likely that, if they are in one turnip, they are likely to be in others.
Happyroly

bluep

Definately not vine weevils - we've been infected with them before - those are c shaped and far more "grub-like". These were the thin white maggots that you see when you have a dead bird on the ground and that sort of thing. Plus they wriggled like maggots, not grubs, if you know what I mean. They were in all 3 of the turnips in my box, so I hadn't thought, you must be right - it would be strange if others hadn't found them in their box.

I suppose I just don't want to come across to the supplier as someone looking for fault and complaining all the time (typical eh!). But then again, as my boyfriend pointed out, if the alternative is just cancelling, I'm sure the supplier would rather know what was the problem and have a chance to put it right.

beadysam

I get my fruit and veg from the local market. Unfortunately there is very little choice but it is cheap. Amongst other things this week I got a box (not a punnet) of mushys, 6 very large grapefruit, 2xpunnets of plumbs, 3x punnets of grapes, a carrier of nana's, and 5 kg of spuds for £1 each. For choice of veg it has to be the supermarkets and Tesco value veg - especially pepper, onions and cucumbers - is a Godsend. the local market is only on a Monday, which is a bit duff really. I am originally fom Leeds but now live in Wales and sorely miss the cheap fruit and veg.
SAM xx

LyndsM

Hi all

To save some money, and get more variety, my friend and I have started to 'go halves' on a larger veg box (medium sized, when we would normally just get a small each, as we are two couples).
We've done this for the last few weeks and it's really working well - I now pay just £5.25 for a huge amount of veg (and top it up by ordering extras if there's anything I need particularly that week). It also means that I can get the box from the company I prefer, as they deliver to her area but not to mine - she just brings my half in to work the next day.

(Have so far not had any creepy crawlies)

And the quality is much higher than any UK supermarket (no more bendy carrots after one day!)

Cheers

Lynds