How to tell that your vegetables are organic...

There is a unidentifable insect on my vegetable
Originally uploaded by stillthedudeabides.

Speaking of pesticide-filled produce, yesterday I was shucking some corn (that sounds silly, really I was just removing the husks) for boiling, when I suddenly screamed and threw the corn to the kitchen floor. Alex was in the other room, but he correctly guessed that I had encountered some sort of bug. On one corner of the ear of corn was a slowly wriggling caterpillar, which appeared to have eaten a good square inch and a half of kernels.

This wasn't the first time I'd let out a yelp while cleaning vegetables. Since we've started eating organic, various bug-like creatures have shown up inside lettuce, celery, and other things from time to time. I'm not afraid of them, but I do scream out of surprise. Despite the fact that they've appeared several times, I still don't expect to encounter worms or bugs.

But as much as I'd rather have vegetables without living things in them, it seems like a good sign that our organic produce is able to house the things that should naturally be found in it.