Steamed Caterpillar Anyone?

I've found the last few months really tough, first with the exhaustion and morning sickness that comes with early pregnancy (I'm due again in October with a girl!) and lately with baby Peter's recurring ear infections and consequent sleepless nights. Although I would love to spend a lot more time in my garden, it always seems to be on the end of a long list of other chores. I think part of the problem is that I really enjoy spending time in the garden and my mother always taught me that you are only allowed to play outside when all of your homework is done. Somehow this means I spend all of my time doing the jobs I don't like to do and deny myself the ones I really love.


Lucky for me, a wonderful thing happened on Saturday. Husband Chris looked at the knee high clover in our front yard and announced his disgust at the messy looking garden. In my mind, this classified gardening as a "chore" and I allowed myself to put it at the top of the list for a day! An enormous amount of energy sprung into me from nowhere and I spent the whole day weeding, planting cuttings and cleaning up in the garden. It was wonderful to find plants under the clover that were doing well despite the lack of attention. I even had a self seeded broccoli that appeared amongst some bulbs by the back veranda post and was ready to harvest. My hat is also off to my chillies, capsicum and parsley that have all thrived on my neglect. It was the best day I've had in ages! (It was perhaps a bit much for my pregnant body because I could hardly walk on Sunday but it was worth it!)


While cooking the self seeded broccoli for dinner last night, I was all skippety-do about the day and imagined what I could put on this post about it. I had washed and cut the broccoli but some how failed to notice a family of caterpillars living in there. It wasn't until they were steamed (along with several other veggies) and on the table that I noticed them. Chris was very brave and still ate his veggies and even tasted the broccoli! I can't imagine where they were hiding in it and how I could have missed them when I washed and cut it. I've got more broccoli growing (that I planted). Is there anything I should be doing to stop the caterpillars now? Does anyone know where they were hiding while I washed it?