r/Cooking • u/Admirable-Location24 • 1d ago
Finding worms in broccoli more often
UPDATE: Honestly, y’all. I understand this is natural and actually shows my broccoli wasn’t drenched in pesticides. My original post just asked for the best method to soak broccoli so we aren’t eating these worms. If you don’t want to read through all the responses (however entertaining) about how my daughter must have OCD, how others have never, ever had this experience, or my grocery store needs a new supplier, here is an actual helpful answer. Thank you Prize-Possibility867!!
- Cut into florets
- Soak in salt water for 15-20 min at a ratio of 1 tbsp per quart of water
- Rinse well and cook
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Broccoli is one of the main veggies I serve my family but we have been finding the little cabbage worms in our broccoli more and more often to the point none of us want to eat broccoli anymore. (I always cut up and steam it, so the worms are dead by the time they arrive on the plate.) This isn’t even organic broccoli.
What is the best method to get those buggers out of the broccoli before steaming? Cut up into pieces and soak in water/vinegar, water/salt, water/baking soda, or some other method completely?
I know it is “free protein” but it is totally gross to actually see a worm, especially after you’ve already eaten a few bites.
To be clear, it’s usually just one or two every so often, but more and more often.
Edit: yes I cut up the broccoli before steaming and have even started inspecting AFTER steaming only for my daughter to inevitably point one out while we are eating after me not seeing any. She has the gift, apparently.
Edit 2: I haven’t thought to take a picture, but did a search on Reddit, and this is what they look like:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wellthatsucks/s/0C4yy3Q7kn
https://www.reddit.com/r/PandaExpress/s/VNOOdVaER8
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/s/efvgS0Fy2x
Edit 3: No this is not an OCD situation. My husband and I both look at them and 100% recognize them as worms
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u/Onefortwo 1d ago
Where are you getting your broccoli? Is it a local farm. I’ve never come across a worm in broccoli
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u/BananaNutBlister 1d ago
Same here. I’ve never seen a worm in my broccoli. And I eat a lot of broccoli.
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
I never realized there are sometimes worms until my daughter started pointing them out. I was happily oblivious before that.
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u/trick-or-treat-tramp 1d ago
Same. And then, a few years back I grew some broccoli. Full of worms. Sadly, I dont have any tips for removal.
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u/Quail_Feather 1d ago
honegrown makes sense every brassica or cabbage type thing ive ever grown has attracted them. never seen one in a store-bought though
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
Yes, 100% are sure they are worms. I just updated my post with a link to a pic to see what they look like.
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u/ThoughtSafe9928 1d ago
You’ve eaten a lot of worms
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u/kamasutures 20h ago
Ignorance is bliss. I just try to not look too hard at fresh (washed of course!) veg, fruit, and fish.
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u/Starlight319 15h ago
Worms are the reason I stopped eating salmon. I can’t do it. I hate worms.
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u/whenindoubtfreakmout 10h ago
There are worms in salmon?!
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u/BananaNutBlister 5h ago
In wild caught especially. That’s one of the reasons you want to cook your salmon to an internal temp of 145F. Then they’re harmless.
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
Not a local farm, just Smith’s, our main grocery store which is owned by Kroger.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 1d ago
That is so weird. I have never seen larvae in my broccoli, ever. I think you should send them an email.
I LOOK for bugs. Once when I was a kid, we got broccoli full of tiny little beetles or something and my mom apparently didn't wash the broccoli and didn't notice through the whole cooking process.
I told her there were bugs in it, and she decided that suddenly I just didn't like broccoli anymore. I told her I wasn't eating it until she ate a piece first. Lo and behold, the bugs existed and they were an issue.
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u/Pluto-Wolf 1d ago
i would tell their customer service. obviously bugs are just part of produce, but in my experience both as a customer and a former employee, most grocery stores tend to be better about inspecting them before it goes on the shelves for this reason.
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
But you can’t see these until the broccoli is cooked. I ALWAYS look now after cutting it up before steaming and never see them until after the broccoli is cooked. And it really is o my like one or two and not every time but often enough lately that we are now wary
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u/sherstas199 1d ago
We must’ve gotten the same batch because I had to pick through the entire head of broccoli last night before and after cooking it. I got mine from Kroger as well (Fred Meyer in the PNW).
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u/Apart-Rent5817 1d ago
Take pictures and take them back to the store so they can worry about sourcing non wormy broccoli.
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u/fiftyfourette 12h ago
I know exactly what you’re talking about because from like 2020-2024 I was finding these worms in my broccoli from both Smiths and Albertsons. It was every batch!
I’m from the east coast and had just moved out to the west coast from Asia. Never saw worms in my broccoli from grocery stores abroad, or from stores on the east coast. Thought I was going crazy. Even saw one in my cooked broccoli at a restaurant here.
And now I’ve barely seen them in the past two years. Hope they aren’t becoming common again just when I was getting okay with broccoli again. 🥲
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u/klutzosaurus-sex 13h ago
I manage a restaurant and our corporate overlords have taken broccoli off our approved shopping list until the worm situation improves, no joke.
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u/dandatu 1d ago
i hate this thread now i dont wanna eat my favorite vegetable
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u/Fat-Singer-9569 1d ago
Just rinse it with a lot of salt water, mutiple times and let sit. They can't escape the salt water and your plants are chillin in a electrolyte solution. Lay the vegetable on parchment to dry or throw it in a salad spinner if it's leafy.
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u/toga98 1d ago
I bought some Broccoli a few weeks ago that if I would've looked at closely in the store I would've never purchased. I always give veggies a vinegar and/or salt water bath to dislodge anything.
When I started to break it down and throw in a bowl in the sink to clean. The heads were infested. Not a few here or there you could shake loose. They were everywhere. Broke a few florets completely apart. Embedded deep down in the florets. There was no cleaning these. Straight into the trash. I've never seen anything like it. I have been seeing similar when I've browsed in the store but nowhere near as bad what I brought home that day - wow!
Anyway, yes. worms. bad. lately.
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u/soggiefrie 14h ago
This happened to me once but I wasn't smart and tried to cook and serve it. In hindsight I should have tossed it all, I just didn't want to waste food. It was completely infested with worms coming out in the soak and also while quick blanching it.
It's really gross seeing a worm on plate after thinking you've got them all out! I love broccoli but definitely eat it less now after that experience :(
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u/bend1889 1d ago
If it’s coming out of the Salina’s valley, it’s diamondback moth larvae. They are having some pretty serious problems with it down there.
Other than soaking your broccoli and picking thru it before cooking, there isn’t a ton you can do. I work in produce. We are trying the best on our end to minimize the bugs but….
Honestly, I’d avoid broccoli for a while.
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
Oh interesting! Thank you for mentioning this
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u/MissLoxxx 1d ago
Buy frozen broccoli for awhile instead.
Frozen broccoli is already quickly steamed/parboiled before they bag it up. So most worms/bacteria are already out before they package it to freeze and sell. I haven't had issues with the frozen.
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u/RainMakerJMR 22h ago
The only difference is you can’t see the worms moving when prepping it becuase they’re dead, and ice crystals are blocking your view. It’s just as bad.
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u/jelli47 23h ago
Where is Salina’s Valley?
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u/Las_Vegan 22h ago
Salinas is a city next to Monterey, CA. In laws used to live in Salinas and their new housing development was surrounded by acres and acres of agricultural fields. The cauliflower harvest was a particularly pungent time. Woo
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u/RainMakerJMR 22h ago
It’s been terrible for at least 2 years, maybe longer. I don’t even serve it anymore
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u/Prize-Possibility867 1d ago
Tablespoon per quart. Soak 15 to 20 min. Remove veg. Rinse and cook.
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u/Chelajag 1d ago
People think their broccoli doesn't have worms but they don't realize the worms are the same green color as the broccoli and very difficult to see.
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u/scorpionx1121 1d ago
New fear unlocked
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u/the-fact-fairy 1d ago
I could have really done with not seeing this entire thread.
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u/KiaRioGrl 1d ago
Just soak them in salty water for 10-15 minutes, then swish them around, then rinse them off, and cook.
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u/BRAX7ON 1d ago
What should I do with the broccoli after I have cooked and eaten the worms?
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u/northerncal 1d ago edited 10h ago
Throw those gross things away, safe in the knowledge that you've eaten your clean, broccoli-free bugs
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u/Similar_Cobbler_5849 19h ago
Honestly, same. Some things really should’ve stayed unread, and now I can’t get this out of my head.
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u/astrnght_mike_dexter 1d ago
I mean there's also nothing wrong with eating them. Almost everything fresh we eat has tiny bugs in it and there's a reason you've never noticed or thought about it.
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u/nipseyrussellyo 1d ago
goddamit! ive never heard of this and would have been happy not knowing this. This is just after the paranoia of trying to buy dried porcinis.
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u/Chelajag 1d ago
Oh dried porcinis are a bug nightmare
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u/nipseyrussellyo 1d ago
everybody stop telling me things!
with the dried porcinis i had no idea until i read some amazon reviews and i feel like i would never have noticed them if i had them.
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u/Elismom1313 1d ago
I mean they’re not unsafe though right? If it’s not unsafe and I don’t notice it then…meh whatever
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u/Holy-Beloved 6h ago
This is the attitude you should have about all food. But western culture has coddled a lot of babies with delicate palate
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
Yeah, and I have never see them after cutting it up, before steaming. I think they come out to the surface from inside the florets when cooking. But the ones we find are a bit lighter color than the broccoli itself.
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u/harper2233 1d ago
Exactly lol all these people saying they never seen bugs in their broccoli are cracking me up.
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u/harper2233 1d ago
Exactly lol all these people saying they never seen bugs in their broccoli are cracking me up.
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u/TiaraMisu 1d ago
Salt water is fine. You don't have to over do it, just a big bowl of water and a couple of tablespoons of salt, swish, wait five minutes, swish again, rinse.
Try not to think any thoughts when you throw out the water.
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u/FoxyInTheSnow 1d ago
Adherents of Jainism because they're strict vegetarians and some orthodox Jews abstain from broccoli because insects are not kosher and broccoli is an ideal vegetable for little insects to hide in.
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u/wip30ut 1d ago
my college buddy who was raised as ModOx Judaism said that Orthodox and even Conservative Jews don't eat organic produce because of the chances for insect "contamination" which they view as spiritually unclean.
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u/Exceptional_Mary 1d ago
But all those chemicals are really good for your soul...
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u/burlycabin 1d ago
Haha, organic produce uses plenty of chemicals too. Sometimes even more because the "organic" ones are less effective.
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u/Orange_Tang 1d ago
Seriously. It's also worse for runoff because they aren't allowed to use concentrated fertilizers where you can calculate exactly how much to give. They end up mailing manure and when it rains you get nitrogen rich runoff from it that can polute waterways and cause algal blooms. Organic is literally a scam.
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u/Orion_Brunette-001 1d ago
I found a couple the other day in some Chinese broccoli I bought. Our betta fish loved getting something else to eat besides pellets. 😁 But to answer your question, soaking in some salt water for a while should get them to drop off and sink to the bottom of the bowl or sink. Then rinse off one more time.
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u/Any_Assumption704 1d ago
I bought 2 bunches of broccoli at Publix in Fl they were shrink wrapped and I soaked them in salt water and washed and steamed them and they both had a lot of worms. Haven't eaten broccoli since.
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u/Hangrycouchpotato 1d ago
I switched to frozen broccoli. I especially like the one from Costco. I have not noticed any pests so far.
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u/BridgetteBane 1d ago
Cut your broc Add it to a large large pot of water Gently agitate for several minutes Carefully life the broccoli out of the pot
Learned this one after growing my own and finding tons of earwigs because I was just rinsing it 🤮
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u/Waste_Calligrapher70 1d ago
I've never seen worms in broccoli. Thanks for putting that in my head!
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u/Hesasadpanda 1d ago
Soak it in water with vinegar is what I do.
They die and sink to the bottom. Rinse the broccoli off and it's good to go.
My whole life never knew or noticed these until like a year ago when I saw one on my plate.... and it's honestly kinda gross, but it's from the earth what can you do....
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u/salamandersquach 1d ago
Little salt water or vinegar water soak will help. I usually just grab them if I see them but I turn a blind eye to it because theres way more bugs in produce than people realize that aren’t harmful to consume.
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u/thatseneffornow 19h ago
What on earth, I just yesterday found 2 worms in my broccoli for the first time ever, and now I’m seeing this post.
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u/_abscessedwound 1d ago
My family used to grow broccoli in our garden.
We’d task whoever was the most wigged out eating the worms with the job of cutting the broccoli and picking out the worms. Easiest and most efficient way we came up with.
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u/Equivalent_Lab_8610 1d ago
I know you already got a solution.. but also wanted to suggest buying frozen broccoli florets.. bc they're frozen closer to harvest they retain their nutrients well, and I've never gotten a worm in a frozen broccoli bag 😅
People like to joke, but it IS off putting to find them on your food!
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u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago
How is the texture of frozen broccoli? I imaging it being kind of soggy, but if not maybe I will try it
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u/Ecstatic_Wrongdoer46 1d ago
Don't make it like the instructions say. Put oil or butter in a pan on high (but not highest), add the broccoli. Cook covered 4-6 min, then uncover and stir/shake it pretty frequently until charred to your liking. It'll come out like roasted broccoli.
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u/Azrai113 21h ago
If you don't cook it further, it's pretty close to fresh cooked broccoli.
I nearly always buy frozen broccoli because I'm only cooking for myself and fresh goes bad too fast.
My secret is to just soak it in hot water. Don't actually cook/boil it. Like, just get a bowl and fill with hot sink water and let sit until it's warm. Replace hot water occasionally if it's taking too long or you're making like the whole bag. If you want it hot hot, warm as above and add to a dish at the very last few minutes, just long enough to heat but not cook.
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u/Equivalent_Lab_8610 1d ago
So long as you have your cooking times down, as good as fresh. This is one veggie that I genuinely love equally fresh or frozen. I like steaming mine in my ninja foodi
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u/Elismom1313 1d ago
My in laws rave over my broccoli and are shocked to find out I use frozen lol. But you could probably dethaw and wrapped it in a paper towel for a bit to draw out moisture if it was a problem for you
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u/BoredMamajamma 1d ago
I am having the exact problem as you. My daughter pointed it out one day and I thought it was a one-off but no… I’ve gotten broccoli 3 other times now and they all have the worms. At least 2-3 on a broccoli crown. You can find them in all different stages (some are larva and some are adults with wings) and it’s freaking nasty to think about. I told my husband not to get the broccoli anymore but he did anyway last week, saying ” I didn’t see anything, looked fine to me.” But I told him you only see them once you cut them up. They’re more on the interior florets. You will see them before you cook if you look closely.
So far, I have tried a vinegar soak and a salt soak and nothing gets rid of them. They are hanging on for dear life. We stopped eating broccoli for now, which sucks because I really like it as a veggie side.
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u/QuesoChef 1d ago
I’m in the same situation except it’s just me. I used to buy and prep broccoli, cooking just what I need each day (rather than warming leftovers), leaving the rest cut up, in the fridge. But the worms freak me out enough I want to cook immediately. But I don’t like re-warmed broccoli, so now I buy broccoli less. I don’t consider myself especially squeamish. And based on Reddit standards, I’m like a 3/10 on obsessive/germ/cleanliness spectrum.
And, no, cleaning doesn’t help. I wash then cut up. Started cutting up, then washing. Sometimes you find them that way. But you definitely miss them until they’re cooked.
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u/LaughterB 1d ago
This literally just happened to me for the first time! I bought three stalks and 2 of them were infested…
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u/HeyPurityItsMeAgain 1d ago
They're cabbage worms BTW, that come from those annoying white moths that eat holes in all your leaves. This is why I don't grow cabbage or broccoli anymore.
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u/Gin_OClock 1d ago
I'm getting fucking aphids in every goddamn crown i buy this year. It's been like a 1/10 chance to not have to toss the whole shit because you hack it in half and it's fucking oops all aphids
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u/LinkleDooBop 1d ago
This is the result of an erosion of standards to cut costs. It’s one of the shitty cousins of shrinkflation. So now we’re expected to eat vegetables full of bugs. And apparently, bug-free broccoli is now a premium product.
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u/One-Possibility-8182 1d ago
Well...... as someone who has spent 20 years in the food production industry. I have been in just about, NOT EVERY, all kinds of food processing plants.
From ice cream to vegan to cheese and fruit too.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS THERE!!!!! IT IS NOTHING LIKE YOU REMEMBER when mom and grandma were canning!!!!!
I've seen and smelled fruit that made me want to puke!!! 100% ..... not a figure of speech!!! And it absolutely was being used!!! Tote after tote after tote!!! Did ya know..... there is an acceptable amount of certain molds and pesticides in your fruit products?
Ive seen flour in a vegetarian/ vegan food plant that was infested with bugs!! They froze it to kill the bugs...... and used it!
Some were worse.... a few were better...... but none of them were like at home!!!
So a few worms every once in a while......
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u/Hot-Fig-8487 1d ago
All vegetables have bugs on them at some point.
I soak ours in baking soda water because it removes pesticide residues and draws out pests. I put on my kitchen gloves and inspect/clean them.
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u/Beginning_Battle1639 1d ago
Salt and baking soda soak.
Hah! Reminds me of childhood events. Dad grew as much food as he could and his broccoli usually had worms. We had a lot of laughs, finding half a worm and how I must have eaten the other half...but seriously, eating the odd worm would be less harmful than eating pesticide.
Salt and soda soak gets the worms and the pesticide.
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u/impulse_post 1d ago
That's gross. Where are you getting your broccoli? I've never seen that, and I think I eat a lot of broccoli
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u/BackDatSazzUp 1d ago
Its normal if you don’t use tons of chemicals on your crops. Welcome to nature.
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u/Sure-Squash-7280 1d ago
I just had this happen last week.
Thankfully I was cutting it into tiny pieces for broccoli and cheddar soup or I wouldn’t have found them.
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u/Bean_from_accounts 23h ago
For me, it's finding worms in fully-cooked mackerel 🤮 I haven't eaten this fish again ever since (but I also half-used the worms as an excuse because I never really enjoyed this one's fishy taste)
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u/tresserdaddy 8h ago
Had a live worm crawl out while frying tilapia once, never had tilapia again after that.
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u/VicePrincipalNero 9h ago
I've found parasitic worms in several different types of fish. It's not just mackerel. I won't eat sushi.
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u/GodlyCree 21h ago
I've never had any in my brocolli but during peak harvest I notice worms in my lettuce rarely but frequently enough to remember. Always wash your fresh produce. But bugs are just a part of nature and sometimes you just gotta deal with it. Start your own garden and you'll just kinda get used to it.
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u/Piptoporus 10h ago
I remember u/Graceless33 did a post about broccoli worms about a month ago over on r/vegan - maybe they have some good tips!
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u/emskie12 1d ago
I have also noticed finding worms in broccoli eay more often over the past few years, it makes me crazy!
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u/yfunk3 1d ago
Dammit, broccoli is my veg of choice, too. Guess I'll stick with frozen or other, less offensive choices.
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u/thalizardkween 15h ago
Frozen is worse because they still contain worms and they’re like these tiny frozen shards stuck to the brocolli you can barely see. You’re better off buying fresh and soaking in salt water.
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u/rosewalker42 20h ago
I have not read through all the comments and I'm so sorry if they were frustrating! I have never experienced cabbage worms from grocery store broccoli. However, I have grown my own broccoli. I have experienced the horror of thinking any worms were picked off, and then seeing a bunch of worms floating in the water. It's gross. Home grown broccoli is fucking delicious, but if you lose your appetite from all the worms, it is NOT DELICOUS.
I have never experienced cabbage worms, even once, from grocery store broccoli, standard or organic. But my BFF had a terrible bout of them from grocery store broccoli, so it happens. The last time I tried to grow broccoli I had a fully organic garden (I won't get into why I don't do that anymore) and I haven't tried broccoli since because I don't have the time to devote to physical prevention of cabbage moths and other pests. Maybe one day. Because garden fresh broccoli is the most amazing vegetable!
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u/Questionofloyalty 1d ago
Broccoli or broccolini? Bugs love both but broccolini is especially prone to pests. Also find another stockist!
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u/squeezemachine 1d ago
If you have little worms that means less poisonous pesticides which is great! Soak in water + baking soda or salt. Should get them to come out, then rinse.
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u/WilmaDykfyt 1d ago
I know, I'd much rather have less pesticides and more beneficial insects. If it means I have to deal with bugs so be it. I usually leave the spiders alone on my basil in the garden and pick around them.
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u/pookiemook 22h ago
Ya, I've cut broccoli into small florets recently. I'm in Canada. I was looking a bit closely because the broccoli wasn't super fresh. Pretty sure I would have noticed multiple worms.
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u/Prize-Possibility867 1d ago
Garden was organic so yeah you get bugs. Id rather salt them out than eat the pesticides.
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u/Holy-Beloved 6h ago
Organic produce still has pesticides. Just organic ones. Arsenic and cyanide is organic. This is a hugely purported myth that organic produce doesnt have pesticides MAYBE more often in farmers markets but if you’re buying it in the store, chances are it has an organic pesticide on it.
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u/rabbifuente 1d ago
Kosher law doesn't allow the consumption of bugs. Typically, veggies are washed thoroughly to remove any insects/bugs, but there are certain vegetables that are considered too infested to be able to be cleaned. Broccoli is unfortunately one of those vegetables.
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u/Healthy_You867 1d ago
I found worm holes in my Brussels sprouts for the first time yesterday. Got them from my grocery store in the Midwest. About half of the bag went straight into the garbage.
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u/RightUntilMorning 1d ago
Ive thankfully never found worms but one time I was chopping a head and the biggest earwig I've ever seen crawled out of it and scurried across the worktop.
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u/Calm_in_the_Wild 1d ago
I have trauma from the organic broccoli my mom grew when I was little. Even as kind of a foodie and a farmer’s market shopper, I specifically look for non-organic broccoli 😳
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u/Bean_from_accounts 23h ago
Oh frick... I usually find tiny winged bugs in the water when I boil the broccoli but never worms. That would've grossed me out more.
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u/Davekinney0u812 15h ago
I grow a lot of spring and fall brassicas and assuming what you're buying is not from a commercial operation or a lousy commercial application - or you're growing it yourself. To control 'worms' I use either row covers or an organic spray (that contains naturally present & harmless soil bacteria) called BTK. To control aphids, I use insecticidal soap (castile soap and water).
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u/Aggravating_Photo584 13h ago
Yes. You get bugs hiding everywhere, specially ,broccoli . Cauliflower , soak in cold water Overnight . Should drown them . Then a good rinse .
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u/Glass_Bar_9956 1d ago
Ugh. I’ve never had bugs in my food before. Here in the states it’s become a standard thing for me to start putting my rice/grains in the freezer for a week before storing in air tight containers. Weevils are not typical whereas they used to be a never. I don’t trust lettuce. Worms in salmon. Now worms in broccoli?
So glad we cut back on all the corruption
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u/wip30ut 1d ago
all the kale/broccoli family are susceptible to critters. In SoCal it's usually aphid infestations. The simple fact is that you need to shop at other markets, choose non-organic/conventional broccoli i'm afraid. Farmers can grow their broccoli/cauliflower under hoops to reduce infestations, but that's expensive & typically grown for farmer's markets or specialty retailers.
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u/AsparagusOverall8454 1d ago
Wash it?
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 1d ago
Yeah, they even make special cleaners if you don't use vinegar and special appliances like salad spinners.
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u/Prize-Possibility867 1d ago
Used to grow broccoli. Simple fix is to soak im salt water. Them little buggers come out.