You can find all kinds of fresh, locally grown food at a farmer’s market, like fruits, vegetables, eggs, and grass-fed meat. This woman documented her “farmers market fail” to over 177,000 viewers after receiving not-so-fresh pickles.
In her video, American Idol contestant Mia Matthews (@miamakanamatthews) sits in her car, holding a fork and staring into a jar of pickles. “Is this mold?” she asks.
Farmer’s market pickles gone wrong
Before this incident, everything seemed fine. “OK, guys, we went to the farmer’s market by my mom’s house,” she says, placing three plastic shopping bags and the pickle jar next to her. Then, one by one, she unveils each item.
“We got peaches, cucumbers, fresh honey,” she says. “Mama got pecan brittle. She also got jalapeño cheddar bread.”
Taking out the pickles with red-tinted juice, the content creator adds, “She also got pickles.”
“They’re pickled with some special sauce the guy used,” her mom chimes in.
When Matthews spins open the lid, it pops open without making a sound. She pokes a mini spear with a plastic fork and then sniffs the inside of the jar. “Smells good,” she states, biting into the entire spear. Upon closer examination, she finds something suspicious.
“Is this mold?” she asks, zooming in on the spear’s backside. Visible blue speckles dot the skin.
“Aw, man. I’m gonna be sick,” she concludes, laughing.
Matthews expresses her disgust in the caption, “fml ew help.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Matthews via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.
What did viewers say?
Some offered explanations for the discoloration, and others shared what they would’ve done if they were in Matthews’ place.
“I could tell by the way opened those pickles.. they weren’t sealed,” one viewer wrote.
“The blue on pickles is not mold! It is a natural chemical reaction! I have had ones purchased in store that were blue too!!!!!” another disagreed.
“I would’ve made myself throw up so quick,” a third remarked.
“Oh my gosh i would cry,” a fourth commented.
In the comments section, Matthews revealed what she did with them. “I am not risking it — I just threw them away HAHA,” she shared.
Are these pickles normal or a recipe for botulism?
When cucumbers are fermented in garlic and vinegar, the acid in the vinegar will cause the garlic cloves to turn blue.
Revolution Fermentation explains that this is due to a chemical reaction with the sulfur compounds in the garlic cloves. However, this process is completely normal. On the other hand, an improperly sealed pickle jar is susceptible to botulism, a rare and fatal food-borne illness that damages the nervous system.
@miamakanamatthews fml ew help
♬ original sound – Mia Matthews
And Matthews did the right thing by tossing the pickle jar. Discard any improperly sealed canned or jarred food.
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