To think you can't be a vegan - bloody broccoli caterpillars

[Crockof]

OK so I'm only doing veganuary but I've just eaten a bloody caterpillar not envy. It must have been an infestation in a broccoli (htf I didn't notice idk)
Now I'm wondering how many critters I've eaten.

did u wash the broccoli b4 u cooked it?

Did you only notice after you'd eaten half?

I had some plastic wrapped broccoli in my fridge that contained both a caterpillar and a spider.

It had been in my fridge for a couple of days when I unwrapped it. I used half of it for a stir fry and found the caterpillar when I broke it into pieces.

A day or so later I used the rest in vegetable soup and that's when the spider crawled out and across the sink as I was washing it.

I'm always careful to wash vegetables well given that they come out of the ground and have probably been handled by several different people by the time they get to my house.

High quality protein that bug was, OP! Bit of iron, too. What's not to like?
-non vegan who eats lots of brocoli, but no caterpillars I'm aware of

Yes washed under tap, boiled and served, kids noticed first just as I swallowed ugh

Aww poor little critter (and poor you of course!). I found a caterpillar on my broccoli once and kept it in a tub. It went in to its chrysalis the next day and hatched in to a butterfly a few days later. Its little mate was not so lucky and was found bobbing around in the pot...

Wasps lay larvae in figs too.

Oh well, extra nutrients...

Just add an extra day or two in February and you’ll still have technically done your ‘Veganuary’.

Ugh. Best to break broccoli and cauliflower up and throw it in a sink full of cold salted water for half an hour to get them out.

Ugh I feel worse hearing that had I not boiled them (them! Not it ughh) to death they would have become butterflies 🦋

I'm thinking better option than putting them in salt water is to not put them in my trolley.

Well either we blast everything with shitload of pesticide or we get occasional bugs.
The latter is better imho

You’re still vegan if it was an accident vegan means “avoid animal exploitation as far as possible and practicable”.

It’s still not very nice but these things happen!

Sympathy...I found some broccoli that was swarming with caterpillars. We’d eaten half the day before 🤢

I have never thought to check the broccoli. I did find a tiny white worm in a leek once, gave it a wash and used it anyway, I just didn't eat the lentil soup it went into 😂

Yuk..

I started buying bags of baby kale and they were really tasty. I stopped when DH commented that they looked like the perfect hiding places for caterpillars.

I have to chop, wash and inspect every bit of veg that I cook. No bugs here please