Cabbage can be eaten despite the lice

Cabbage that has been attacked by lice can still be consumed after thorough washing

17.09.2012

Cabbage can be eaten even if it was previously infected with aphids. After a thorough cleaning with water, cabbage vegetables can be prepared as usual, as the plant protection service of the Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia in Bonn reported. However, that does not apply to kale of savoy cabbage. Here the leaves should be removed, if they are affected.

Thorough washing removes aphids
It does not look appetizing when cabbage is infested with lice. Above all, untreated organic vegetables are often littered with perforated leaves. However, that is no reason not to process and eat cabbage. The plant pests are extremely active in late summer and autumn days. For moth sign lice (Aleyrodes proletella) especially cabbage leaves are a special treat. „Despite the infestation, the plants are edible“ explains the crop protection service of the Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia in Bonn. The vegetables such as brussels sprouts, cauliflower or kohlrabi are simply washed off thoroughly with water. „With kale and savoy cabbage, however, the affected leaves should be removed“.

The lice are especially active on dry and warm days in late summer and autumn. Consumers can detect the lice infestation when the plants are touched. Then the white animals fly away. As a rule, the lice almost always sit on the undersides of the plant leaves. If the vegetables are severely affected, the leaves grow deformed. In addition, the infestation forms black russet fungus due to the excretions of the lice. (Sb)

Image: Dieter Schütz