You have a good question and there is not a definite yes or no answer.  For people that are in the at risk group it might be risky to eat the produce.  For heathy individuals it is a personal choice.  If you do, you need to cut off the chewed portion and then wash the produce well in several rinses of running water.  For tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits with peels, wash and then peel.  

Better yet cook it.  The bacteria such as E coli or Salmonella are destroyed by cooking.  If the nibbles are just a little, it is much safer than if the rodent consumed a lot of your produce, then it probably better to compost.  

Remember, bacteria are microscopic and stick to the produce exterior or folds, stem scars or injuries and are not fully removed with washing. While washing will remove visible soil, sand and big debris, it is not guaranteed to remove all microscopic bacteria.

Personally when I have produced that has been eaten by critters and it isn't too bad, I generously cut off the part that was nibbled on, wash thoroughly and then use it in something cooked.  I try not to consume it raw. 

Hope that helps.

If you have other food preservation questions you might like to call the OSU Food Preservation/Safety Hotline open M-F from
9 am-4pm. Certified Master Food Preservers are available to answer your question. the number is <personal data hidden>.

Thanks for using Ask Extension

Nellie Oehler 

Hi Nellie,

Your garden looks like my front yard. smile. I have a huge gopher and vole problem at the moment as well.  I am not sure what your critter is but showed it to one of my Master Gardener friends who was here visiting, and she thought you might have a couple different critters.  Since they were not eating peanut butter, it probably wasn't rats or mice.   They love peanut butter.  She said your soil look like it had a lot of compost so makes it easy digging for the critters.  If you had gophers or moles then the voles can use those holes for easy access and they don't leave mounds.   Gophers and moles will eat the roots and kill the plants.  Moles like insects, worms etc and do not eat plants.  Might try gopher traps and see what happens or the mole/gopher repellant.  

Do you have hardware cloth under your raised beds.  It really helps keep the critters out.  It comes in a roll and you nail it to the underside of your raised beds and then put the soil on top of it.  They can't dig through when they burrow under the beds.  Works great to keep them out, especially if it is underground critters.  I had to do it to all of my beds, and it works great.  

I have sent the photos and your explanation to one of my very knowledgeable Master Gardeners.  If she responds with a different answer, I will let you know.  Just don't feel alone there are lots of critters out there that are hungry this year.  We just discovered that something ate all our carrots at the school garden over the weekend.  We think it is voles but who knows.  Of course, we babied them all summer and just as the kids return to school they are gone.  

Sorry I can't give a definite answer but can sure relate.  It happens to all of us.  

Nellie

Thank you so much for this reply! I feel less alone. :) I will consider lining my beds - it will be a huge undertaking because they are very large. But something I can chip away at over the fall. An interesting point, one of the raised beds is actually a bamboo planter that we repurposed to grow peppers. So it has a super-dooper plastic bamboo lining all around. So whatever is in there is climbing in from the top. 

Still trying to get a solid ID on my garden invader! Any new thoughts appreciated! 

You make me chuckle because your tomatoes look like some of mine.  I think you are right that it is more than voles and mice.  I suspicion it might be ground squirrels that love tomatoes especially the ripe and sweet ones.  I have a lot of squirrels around my place.  I just hate to put up a fence around the raised but but might have to. 

We are also having the same problem in our school garden along with deer who decided to come the week before school started and helped themselves to all the beans, kale that was under protective cloth and ate the blossoms off the tomatoes and made a big mess.  

I checked with one of our volunteers at the school garden and he suggested a wildlife camera that you put out and it records what is eating your garden.  Also you might get one of the sensor sprinklers that turns on with movement and will scare them away. They work pretty good.  

I am also having trouble with something eating my corn and think it might be the crows or some bird since they are not tipping over the stalks just eating through the husk and enjoying the kernels.  

My wildlife friend is going to have some of his colleagues look at the pictures and the holes and if he gets back to me with ideas I will let you know.  

The way the critters are eating everything we might be in for a cold winter.   Hope not. 

Keep in tough and try one of those sprinklers and see if you can scare the above ground critters away.  Will let you know if I come up with some more ideas.  

Nellie

Oh my gosh, I feel so validated and supported! ;)

On the off chance that you know this: Can you recommend a backyard cam? 

I am sorry I don't know much about wildlife cameras but have sent a message to my wildlife specialist friend who wants to put one up a the school and see what he advises and what the wildlife department uses.  As soon as I hear back I will let you know.  I will see him in person on Thursday so if I don't hear from him will ask him.  

Nellie  

Great responses, Nellie.. All the rodents, incl. all squirrels and chipmunks can wreck havoc in a garden. Hot weather draws them to our luscious plants like a magnet.

Thanks Pat.  If you have suggestions feel free to share.  You are an expert in critters.  Hope you are doing well.  Will catch up soon.  smile.  

Hi Susan,
I just heard back from my wildlife expert friend, and he got some recommendations from the wildlife department.  They use the expensive cameras which you probably don't need.  They also recommend that you look around for skat (poop) that would help identify what animal it is as well if you find any.  

I would think one of the less expensive cameras would work for your situation.  Below is the response from Dan if that helps.  Good luck

Nellie

We have a Professional Research Series Reconyx camera: https://www.reconyx.com/product/hyperfire-2-Professional-covert-ir-camera
Reconyx Scouting Series cameras are not quite as rugged as the research-grade cameras: https://www.reconyx.com/product/hyperfire-2-covert-ir-camera
We
use our camera just to know what is out there so have it set to take
photos and not video. The "near video quality" takes photos frequently
enough that we can catch interesting behaviors. It will take continuous
photos every second until the target moves out of camera view. It is
"no-glow" infrared so wildlife won't react to it at night (although
coyotes are so wary they usually stare at it and sometimes reverse
direction!).
Research grade
cameras are more durable, reliable, and have better power management
(batteries last longer). Ours will take 1,000-2,000 photos over 3-4
months before the 12 rechargeable NIMH batteries need to be replaced.
Reconyx
camers are expensive ($460) but will last for years. Ours has been
running continuously for eight years. We used to buy cheap Stealth
brand cameras every year or two after they stopped working.
Panthera's Olympic peninsula cougar project has
100s of cameras deployed and it looks like they use some Browning
cameras ($100-$250) and a few Covert brand cameras so those brands must
be good too.
One thing to consider when
deciding between the photo vs. video setting is the amount of time it
takes to watch 100's or 1000's of videos vs. quickly flipping through a
1000 photos in 5 minutes. Which you use may depend somewhat on how much
wildlife traffic you will have passing your camera.

Such great information, thank you!

Congratulations on your catch.  It is a rat and they our very destructive.  My wildlife friends thought from the holes and runs you sent they were rats.  I would keep setting traps.  Could add a little peanut butter to attract them.  Good luck.  

Nellie