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
Watermelon with cracks or swirly pattern
What you see: Open cracks and/or a loose swirl pattern inside your watermelon.What it is: “Hollow heart,” a physiological condition in which the watermelon
Little spots on your avocado peel?
What you see: Small black or brown spots on the outside of your avocado, almost like it got a rug burn on the tips of its bumps.What it is: Lenticel damage!
Why your berry storage hacks aren’t working
In jars! In special containers! In their original packaging! Washed! Dried! Not washed! In a slightly open container with a paper towel! The internet is filled
Carrot with a tough center
What you see: You bite into a carrot and the center is tough, woody or fibrous. In the carrot pictured above, the center was impossible to chew, but the carrot
Can you eat rice with little bugs in it?
What you see: Bugs crawling around in your dry, uncooked rice (or another stored grain).What it is: Most likely it's an infestation of beetles that enjoy stored
Avocado gray or light brown inside?
What you see: Patchy gray or other discoloration. It's likely more toward the center of the avocado and may be focused around the seed.What it is: Diffuse flesh
Little lines on jalapeño peppers
What you see: Little brown or white-ish lines or scars on your jalapeño peppers. What it is: Basically, stretch marks. The pepper grew so fast its outer skin
White areas on blackberries
What you see: White or tan beads on your otherwise fine-looking blackberry. What it is: White drupelet disorder. Most likely these berries just got too much
Black patch on top of your broccoli
What you see: Black on top of your broccoli head. What it is: Rot from microbial growth. Eat or toss: Cut off the affected area, with generous margins. Inspect
Defrosted milk looks weird, chunky
What you see: The milk you had frozen is now...weird. Maybe it’s chunky or separated or grainy. You might notice this after defrosting or while it's
Floppy celery?
What you see: Your celery is limp, bendy or floppy.What it is: The celery lost water, which caused it to lose turgidity and go floppy. Eat or toss: Eat! As long
Cloudiness or sediment at the bottom of a jar of maple syrup?
What you see: Some sediment or cloudiness at the bottom of your jar of maple syrup. What it is: Sugar sand! Also called “niter.” These are solids that fall out
Can you eat “expired” deli meats? What if your sliced turkey or chicken breast is past its “use by” or “sell by” date?
Quick summary: Whether you call them deli meats or lunch meats, as long as they're properly handled, these sandwich classics are safe for healthy people. Still,
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,
How to evaluate dairy products after their “best by,” “use by” or “sell by” dates
The world of dairy products is vast, and includes some foods that can last a while, others that quickly spoil in obvious ways, and still others, like soft
