Chook Me!

Could there be worms in my fresh vanilla beans?

Hey, fellow foodies: I just got some fresh vanilla beans and decided to make some homemade vanilla yogurt. I make plain yogurt all the time, so I followed the same process, but I added the vanilla at the very beginning so it would have long contact with the milk for more flavor. I sliced the bean down the middle, scraped out the seeds, and then put the pod and all the seeds in the milk. But once the milk warmed up, I found dozens of long, slimy strands in it that looked like little brown worms. I'm hoping it is just a gelatinous lining or something from the beans, but thought I'd ask and see if anyone else has had this experience. I've strained the yogurt now and put it in the incubator, but I'd like to know if it's really good to eat once it's done. If you've used really fresh beans before maybe you can shed some light. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. I have encountered this before and asked my merchant (World Spice in Pike Place Market), said it was normal, and it's not like the "worms" (which weren't there) would have managed to survive thru the drying process. It happens sometimes when you add the whole pod rather than just the seeds. Hope I helped!