What you see: Brown speckles on your dried apricot What it is: Natural variation on the apricot’s skin Eat or toss: Eat! Is it safe to eat dried apricots
What’s that dirty spot on your egg?
What you see: Specks of grime stuck to an egg. What it is: Chicken feces (eww), possibly also dirt or bits of the carton. Eat or toss: Eat! But use some caution
White stuff on your dates?
What you see: White areas on dates you’ve had for a while What it is: Sugar! Eat or toss: It’s just sugar. The dates will probably be harder and drier than when
Brown dots or streaks in your avocado?
What you see: Brown and black streaks or dots in avocado flesh. What it is: Vascular browning! Mmmm! Eat or toss? The avocado could be fine, but may not taste
Odd spots inside sweet potato?
What you see: Discolored, dry-looking patches and/or brown spots in sweet potato flesh, more toward the outside than the inside. The exterior of the sweet
Gasp! Weird spots on your potato
What you see: Spots on your potato’s skin; they likely each have a larger outer circle and a dot at the center. What it is: An infection of the little
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
Soft spots on strawberries
What you see: Sunken, darker areas on your strawberries What it is: Aging in action Eat or toss: If they aren't showing signs of mold or rot, they should still
Don’t be bitter about these dark, sunken spots on your apple. The rest is still sweet
What you see: Little, dark sunken spots on the outside of your apple; and/or brown spots just underneath the skin. What it is: Bitter pit, a defect caused by
Shady areas inside your eggplant?
What you see: Brownish coloring inside your eggplant. What it is: Oxidation. Eat or toss: Eat! This eggplant likely had a traumatic experience (most likely
Are the brown spots on cauliflower OK to eat?
What you see: Brown spots on cauliflower. What it is: Bruising, most likely from bumping into other cauliflower heads, or cold temperatures. Eat or toss: Eat!
Dark area on raw salmon
What you see: A dark brownish spot on your salmon, most likely toward the tail. What is is: Bruising. Eat or toss: Eat! If you’re very concerned about
What’s this scabby stuff on my apple?
What you see: Scab-like browning on apple skin. What it is: Apple scab! Eat or toss? Eat! Just cut away the area affected by the scab. This is a fungus that
My apple is covered in sooty spots
What you see: Black smudgy spots on apple skin. What it is: A fungus called sooty blotch. Eat or toss? Eat! You’re seeing a cosmetic issue, not anything that
Sweet potatoes looking spotty?
What you see: Dark patches on the skin of your sweet potato. What it is: Scurf, a sweet potato fungus. Eat or toss? Peel and eat! This fungus only grows on the
What’s up with brownish specks in eggs?
What you see: A dark brown or reddish speck, most likely in the egg white. What it is: A meat spot, likely a tiny piece of the chicken's reproductive tract that
