Thursday, February 07, 2008

maybe pesticides aren't a bad thing

Ever since I started Henry on solid foods in early January, I've been making almost all of his organic baby food from scratch. I have been purchasing fresh sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, squash and whipping up various concoctions a couple times a week with our Cuisinart. I was also using frozen vegetables - and when I noticed that Swistle was making her own baby food too, but was also throwing in a can of garbanzo beans with her green peas, I thought I'd do the same.

So, this past weekend, I picked up a can of organic garbanzo beans at Trader Joe's to mix with my frozen organic green peas.

This afternoon, when I was preparing a batch of baby food, I dug out the can of garbanzo beans, opened it up, rinsed them off, and poured them in to my food processor. I noticed a little bit of black on the inside of several of the beans, but somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I must have been thinking "That's part of the bean. Or something. Because it couldn't be... you know ... a bug." And because I was so certain that it wasn't something like a ... you know ... bug ... I tossed one of the beans in to my mouth.

Tasted fine to me.

But then, I figured that since this was food that I was giving to my precious infant child, I should probably just confirm.

You know.

Just to be sure.

So I peeled back the bean and this is what I found.


If I better understood how to use my fancy SLR camera and lenses, you would see that this isn't just any black speck. It is a black speck with an abdomen, thorax, head and wings.

It also has two eyes, antennae and six little legs.

On closer evaluation, there were bugs in almost 30% of the beans.


My organic garbanzo beans were riddled with bugs.

Now if I had not deleted my etiquette post, you would know that there are very few things that gross me out anymore.

Bugs throughout my food?

That would be one of the few things that makes me want to heave.

Although, some might argue that there are a lot of bugs in food that we eat that we don't even know about. And to them, I would say: Yep. That may be. But when I can see the bugs and intentionally grind them up and spoon feed them to my baby?

That right there ... that is cause for ferocious gagging. I can't even do Dim Sum Chinese food brunches because they give you platters of fish with the heads still on.

The reason I'm eating beans in the first place is for protein. I don't need any extra protein in the form of a garbanzo beetle. So, the beans are going back to Trader's. Not because I'm overly concerned with recouping my $0.79, but because what if the whole batch is tainted?

Wouldn't you want to know?

"Oh good heavens, can't we please just stick with breastmilk?"

19 comments:

  1. Are you kidding me? I've got 2 cans in the pantry right now. No wait...

    I've got two cans in a bag ready to go back to T.J's in the morning right now.

    I have got to stop reading your blog right before bed. I'm all heebie jeebied out now.

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  2. A huge snot rocket, OK. Poop with various bits of identifiable food in it, OK. Identifying the food in said poop, still OK. A garbanzo beetle, so so very not OK!! So nasty! So so nasty!!

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  3. Oh lordy, what a discovery!! Beans means bugs? Ick.
    Came to your blog via another, as you do ... but I am in complete awe of your ability to string sentences together so well AND raise three tots.

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  4. PLEASE tell me you talked to the sore! GROOSSSS!!!

    That shot of Henry is priceless! I can't wait to start feeding Jon Kai solids. So far he acts like I'm feeding HIM bugs. He gags, turns away, cries, and all around makes a scene.

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  5. Ewww - that is gross I would be calling the shop too !

    I love the caption of Henry - my twin son S - hates food except chocolate ( heehee my favourite and I bet he can taste it through BM). He prefers BM to food still at 19 months but slowly he is eating more.*sigh* It's a struggle and battle every day.

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  6. ew, ew, ew. Take them back for sure! If it makes you feel better, I caught my baby sharing doggie treats with a puppy we were tending last week. And it didn't really gross me out. And he (the baby) was grimacing less over the dogfood than he does over the baby stuff I've been trying to feed him lately.

    I think I missed the etiquette post. Darn. Can you UNdelete it? ;) I have a feeling it was a classic.

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  7. Oh, dang it: I should have specified that I add BUG-FREE beans.

    That IS one of the benefits of pesticides: the way they cide the pests.

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  8. Oh ick! ick! ick!

    It's a good thing that you noticed before you made up the baby food...could you imagine finding one while you were feeding him instead?!

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  9. You know that is just frightening! Oh and very gross. I hope that you raise enough stink that they take every last can off of the shelves.

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  10. Now that was enough to make me heave! Gross! One bug in one bean... maybe. But 30% of them? That is not a good sign!!

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  11. thanks for sharing...i have not yet jumped on the "pesticide-free" wagon so haven't seen much of this. Let us know what TJ does for you. We always shop there. Rosalie

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  12. Aren't those beans cooked before they're put into the cans? Nasty! I hate bugs!

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  13. EWWWWWWWWWWWW.

    I'm sticking to pesticides.

    Because, yes, I'd rather eat poison than bugs. LOL.

    My priorities are straight, mmmhm.

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  14. oh my GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I just threw up in my own mouth! That is so berrying DISGUSTING!!!! I have a can of those exact beans RIGHT NOW!!! I am horrified. I'm drawing a stick figure of me throwing up with my can of beans right now! :0

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  15. Michele S-
    I love your puke face! LOL!!!!

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  16. UGH, THat is really gross.

    A friend or mine recently purchased a Pizza from Trader Joe's in MA and chomped on a nice piece of glass. Apparently the Quality Control at TJ's needs some evaluation.

    She never received a response from them.

    The Children are beautiful...

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  17. Ewwwwww... that is no good! You have to let us know what the store says when you bring them back! Maybe you should call the manuacturer!!

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  18. I just had the same type of thing happen to me this morning - except mine was mold, and it was on organic waffles - YUCK. Where's the quality control for these foods? Healthy should not equal no standards!

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  19. I'm sorry but all your people's comments are appalling to me. Seriously our culture is so disconnected from food production. Go grow something in your garden and spend some time outside and bugs won't gross you out you'll understand they are just apart of the nature that we are all apart of.

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