What you see: Black spots or stripes on your kale.What it is: Likely a fungal or bacterial disease. Eat or toss: Trim them off and eat the rest. You can
How to evaluate greens past their “best by” date
Quick summary: If your clamshell or bag of fresh greens is a little past its “best by” date, but still looks fresh and dry, the greens are probably fine. If,
White liquid dripping out of lettuce?
What you see: A milky white substance leaks out of your freshly chopped lettuce. What it is: Lettuce latex!Eat or toss: Eat! This is a natural part of the
A random plant in your salad greens?
What you see: A random plant in your spinach clamshell. What it is: It could be lots of things, but the image above is something called cheeseweed. Eat or toss:
Little round things in your spinach
What you see: Little, round brown things in your plastic clamshell of spinach. They have a dried out, rough, papery texture and may be loose or stuck to the
Is that grass in your spinach?
What you see: What looks like a blade of grass in your spinach clamshell. What it is: A “seed leaf” of spinach. Eat or toss: Eat! This is just more
When lettuce turns pink or brownish, is it still good to eat?
What you see: Lettuce that’s brownish, pinkish along the ribs. What it is: Pink rib! Eat or toss: If the lettuce looks slimy, trim that portion away. If the rib
A hole with a “window” in your spinach?
What you see: A spinach leaf with a hole that’s not quite a hole; there's a layer of clear tissue remaining. What it is: Window-paning! Evidence of a picky
White thing stuck to your kale leaf
What you see: A white capsule on the underside of your kale leaf. What it is: The cocoon of a pupating insect. Eat or toss: Flick off the cocoon, give the
Yep, that greenish “dirt” on your kale is caterpillar droppings
What you see: A greenish brownish, maybe wet "dirt" on your kale leaves. What it is: Caterpillar poop. Eat or toss: If the kale is otherwise healthy looking,
You can eat lettuce with little brown spots like these
What you see: Brown dots on your lettuce, especially along the lower parts of the ribs. What it is: Russet spotting! Eat or toss: Eat! This is harmless (for
The saga of the soggy spinach can have a happy ending
What you see: Spinach that looks “wet.” What it is: Cell membranes breaking down, releasing water; generally, the leaves’ cells are collapsing. Bacteria may be
Can you eat yellow arugula?
What you see: Yellowing arugula leaves. What it is: The leaves are breaking down chlorophyll as they age. Eat or toss? Eat! Nothing unsafe happening here, but
