Can you eat greens with holes from snails?

I just grew my first ever vegetable a turnip and I know the snails have been all around eating on them. Can you eat the turnip greens if you boil them or do you have to cut around the snail eaten areas?

It’s fine as long as they are cooked in some way.

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In France, they eat the snails.

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It’s like you’re kissing every snail that snail has kissed, you know? And snails get around, man . . .

But to be totally serious: don’t worry about it. I’ve kissed a lot of snails in my day----and I’m still here, more or less. And I would hardly eat any of my homegrown greens if I rejected all the bug-bitten leaves! Hey, they’re organic! :smile:

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I seen a episode of Homestead Rescue where they were in Hawaii and there was a snail which if I remember correctly caused a brain parasite from the slim? Or maybe it was a slug?

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Oh! Well, that might explain some of my, you know, thinking problems and stuff . . . .

But really, I’d think the risk would be low from indirect snail/slug contact, especially if you wash the greens, and nil if you’re going to cook them.

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You really don’t want to look up what the industrial farmers can get away with in your food supply…

Most pathogens that could get us sick don’t colonize the actual veggies, which is why washing them is so effective at removing whatever may be deposited on the surface.

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There are many snail species which carry parasites, some of which can be transferred to mammals (like us). Cooking is an effective way to prevent infection.

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Rat lungworm is also in slugs around seattle area. I had a cat that ate slugs and had multiple times to the vet to fix it. They get very sick. Just wash your greens and berries at soil level.

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That’s what I have to be careful when I wash my greens, I need to wash at least 3 times to get all the slugs out. I also cut my greens so I bring no dirt in, but I still miss some small slugs.

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