What you see: Peaches with black spots. What it is: Peach scab, a disease that tends to stay on the surface. Eat or toss: Peel. If the flesh below
Tomato with black seed
What you see: Black seeds lurking among the normal seeds in your tomato. What it is: A seed that isn’t normal, but isn’t harmful either. Eat or toss? Eat! If
Black dots on salmon?
What you see: Black spots on your salmon. What it is: Likely dark pigments (“melanin spots”) the salmon produced in response to a virus or other
Cloudy pickle brine
What you see: Cloudy pickle brine. What it is: If it’s a fermented pickle, the cloudiness is bacteria–the good kind!Eat or toss: If it’s a fermented pickle and
Can you eat wrinkly tomatoes?
What you see: Very wrinkly tomatoes. What they are: Tomatoes that have lost a lot of water. Eat or toss: As long as they smell fine, the skin isn’t broken and
Moldy peach pit
What you see: A moldy pit in a peach.What it is: A moldy pit in a peach. Eat or toss: Toss. In a soft fruit like a peach, even areas without obvious mold could
Narrow bumps or warts on honeynut squash
What you see: Narrow, angular bumps on your honeynut squash. What it is: Healed wounds. Eat or toss: Eat! The squash's flesh, that is. The scabs will likely be
Shallow blackened holes on potato’s exterior
What you see: Blackish spots or holes on your potatoes like those pictured above; they may go below the peel. What it is: Likely pores that were damaged and
Little holes in potatoes
What you see: Little holes in your potato, like the above photo. What it is: Wireworm damage!Eat or toss: As long as the holes are dry, you should be able to
Red potato with dark patches and green under the peel
What you see: A red potato with dark patches on its skin; below the skin the potato has turned green.What it is: In response to light exposure, the potato is
Egg with a huge, weird-looking yolk
What you see: A raw egg in which the yolk has spread out. There are odd wispy things in the yolk. What it is: An egg hosting a microbial blowout. Eat or toss:
Black stuff on raw, peeled or chopped potatoes
What you see: Black stuff on your chopped or peeled potatoes. What is is: Oxidation after cells were damaged by chopping or peeling. Eat or toss: Eat! You can
What to know about dirt on your produce
Ever wondered about dirt on your produce? Maybe you’re not sure you scrubbed every last bit of grit off your potatoes. Or you’re just generally feeling a little
Gray areas on your boiled potatoes
What you see: Grayish areas on your boiled potatoes.What it is: The technical term for this is after-cooking darkening, ACD for short.Eat or toss: Eat! Gray
White film on your avocado?
What you see: A white film on your avocado's peel.What it is: Likely copper sulfate residue.Eat or toss: Rinse, scrub, peel and eat. White film on avocado
Brown areas and little holes inside your apple
What you see: Areas of brown, dry-looking apple flesh; likely also some seed-shaped holes. What it is: Carbon dioxide injury. Eat or toss? This is not an
