Have a large, firm beautiful eggplant in the garden that has 4 or 5 nibble bites from a nocturnal visitor. Eggplant is still healthy and growing. Would you cut away the bite marks and cook it or chuck it?
Its just a little creepy thinking about rodent saliva on the fruit…
I would. Oddly I am more comfortable with that from my garden but I’d be worried about it at the grocery. I should get over that …
If its ready to pick now I would cut away the bad part without thinking twice. If it still has to grow and ripen I would toss it into the compost because the broken skin will allow bacteria to thrive and rot to occur as well as attracting more pests.
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Cut and use. And take a bite of that nocturnal visitor too.
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Chuck it!
You’re assuming I would eat eggplant … 
But seriously, I would cut off any undesirable parts and use the rest.
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Hell yeah!! Cut away the nibble marks and enjoy!!
Thanks for the opinions. Think I’ll give it a try. If you never hear from me again…
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A good friend of mine is a veterinarian, but not a germaphobe. I mentioned that something had torn into a package of vitamins and supplements that was on the front steps overnight. The critter - most likely a raccoon - opened one of the jars and pulled out the cotton before deciding the tablets weren’t snackworthy. My friend cautioned me to toss that one and wash the other jars thoroughly, so as to avoid possible exposure to rabies. Though I had no cuts on my hands, I followed that advice.
Why wouldn’t you eat it? Wash it of course but why not? I eat my garden veggies that have spots or nibbles all the time. When I go to my local farm stand I ask Charlie, the farmer, for the seconds and just cut out the bruises and spots. Most times he gives them to me.
I have a neighbor who buys omega 6 free range eggs at the supermarket but won’t buy eggs from the farm just down the road. I asked her why not and said the farm fresh eggs were probably the best she would ever get.
She said: “I like to know where my eggs come from and sometimes there are tiny feathers on the farm eggs.” I told her that they all come from the chicken’s butt and to stop paying $9 a dozen. She still buys the super market eggs.
She also won’t eat fish that looks like, well fish. I ordered a whole broiled fish at a restaurant and she said it ruined her meal to look at it. FWIW: I have to wonder what her sex life is like?
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Le Sigh.
If you never ate anything in your home or a restaurant that might have contact with Mother Nature’s creatures you would be very, very thin.
Wash and properly cook everything to kill off the “bad” stuff.
Then again: “Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger.”
