GROSS! What should I do?!

EWW Eww eww!!

OK I just opened a grocery store plastic container with Earthbound Farm organic Romaine Heart Leaves. It's labeled as washed and ready to use. I bought it because I hate washing lettuce. I can never get it dry enough by the time I want to eat it.

Anyway, I didn't like that it had really thick stems so I decided to trim those off with a knife. That is when I started finding leaves with BUGS in them, especially hidden in the folds of the lettuce. There are a LOT of them and some of them are ALIVE and their little legs are moving.

The grosest thing is that I ate a whole box of this stuff earlier this week but I did not trim it 'cause I was really hungry so just cut it up and put dressing on it and ate it *sigh*.

Any recommendations? I put the leaves with the bugs in a little baggy.

UGH!

hmm..throw it away and buy more?

Sometimes veggies and fruit just have bugs in them..it happens.

an extra serving of protein!

um, blech.  gross ick ew.

anyway, i think you should keep this in mind and if it ever happens again bring it back to the supermarket and/or call the company who sold the lettuce.

but c'mon, you just got extra protein for free! what a dea.!

. . . try to enjoy the extra protein : )
Remember . . . they're more e-scared of you than you are of them!
. . . or was that Bears?
R.

OK am I really overreacting here? I'm starting to feel silly now but...

It's supposed to be clean and ready to eat! Not bug infested! It's not expired and if I hadn't found 'em I would have eaten them :(.

I am grossed out but maybe it's not that big of a deal. I won't be buying it anymore tho!

No, just kidding. It shouldn't be that bad if they claim it's washed. That's reasonably gross ; )
R.

you're not overreacting. if it were just a head of lettuce i might expect a bug or two, but that stuff in the containers should not  have bugs, living or dead. i'd be freaked out too.

probably not much you can do except on changing your practice to thoroughly clean all greens before you eat them. this is recommended, even for pre-washed lettuce, after all those e-coli scares, so it's probably the right thing to do.

At least you know they weren't lying when they called it organic.

That's why I don't bother paying extra to buy the "ready to eat" stuff.  It's a pain, but it might pay to buy lettuce, clean it all at once, & keep it in a crisper in the fridge for easy use for a week or so at a time.

And yeah, it *is* gross!

I always wash all produce, even if it's marked washed.  I read somewhere that sometimes the washing machines can get "gunk" in them and spread e-coli.  I don't know how true it is, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  This bug story has made me even happier that I wash everything though!  Usually I just buy the regular stuff rather than the pre-washed, because I know I'm going to wash it myself anyway.  

You can try bringing it back to the store for a refund or an exchange.  The grocery store, if it's a good one, will complain to the company for you.

...if I even thought I'd do that, I'd throw up (unwillingly) and feel too naseous to eat for the rest of the day.

I'm way too tickly stomached for those thoughts lol.

Also, even though I love cauliflower, I always see those bugs in it.  I can't take it.  It's so gross!!!

it's organic. they didn't use pesticides to keep the bugs away.

that is why i dont buy any organic produce.. waste of money, and no protection from bugs.  You get what you ask for I guess.  I would try to return it if I was you.

Very gross, I agree.  I buy the same type of lettuce, but from a different company.  I always wash it anyway, because I have found some dirt and the occasional bug inside the lettuce. 

But don't start knocking organic, everyone.  First off organic farmers do you use pesticides to control insects, but they only use organic, natural ones.  The standard synthetic pesticides can build up in your body over time, these are toxic chemicals, they are carcinogenic and dangerous to the nervous system, especially true for children. 

Yes bugs in my lettuce is gross, but do you know what a very commonly used fertilizer is with conventional farming?  Sewer Sludge.  This is the leftover "mud" from the sewage treatment plant. 

I'll stick to organic, thanks

Somewhat off-topic, but I have to point out that just because a pesticide is natural doesn't mean it is "safe" or "nontoxic."  Many natural pesticides are also carcinogenic.  Moreover, because organic pesticides are often less effective than the synthetics, they require more applications.  More applications means more toxins to be exposed to.  Here's an article addressing these points.  I definitely encourage everybody to research organic pesticides before concluding that they are automatically safer than synthetics.

IMO romaine is notorious for lil buggers.  Dunk it in a bowl of ice water, swish it around for a sec, and spin it in a salad spinner (I dropped 10 bucks at Target for one, dry as a bone)... I feel ya though, I hate having to use wet lettuce but the spinner works.

bottom line, don't let it deter you from keeping up the healthy eating habits, I always get squeamish and go for boxed crap a day or two after this happens, don't be like me!

This is slightly off course, but how do you dry lettuce and keep it crisp? I always end up with soggy stuff on my plate which even my dog wont eat!! lol any tips appreciated... cheers x x

Maddileu, don't store it too dry.  Put it in a sealable bag, and sprinkle it lightly with cold water.  that will keep it nice and crisp!