Mystery Fungi on Store-Bought Vegetables: Slime Molds and Post-Harvest Molds

A gardener encounters three unusual fungi on organic produce:

1. Hydroponic tomatoes covered in lustrous black "fur" (hairs 3/8" long).
2. Red bell pepper with perfect skin but seed cavity packed with blue-black fuzzy mold.
3. Broccoli heads where a single brown floret releases a tablespoon of coffee-colored liquid; one vascular strand stained brown to the floret.

Identification & Risk

Tomatoes: The "fur" matches Stemonitis (chocolate slime mold)—a harmless, saprophytic organism that fruits on moist surfaces. Not a health hazard.

Pepper: Blue-black mold inside the seed cluster is a common post-harvest fungus (Alternaria, Cladosporium). The fruit was likely infected at the stem scar. Eating a small amount poses negligible risk for healthy adults.

Broccoli: The brown liquid in a single vascular strand suggests localized bacterial soft rot (Pectobacterium), not systemic. The rest of the head is unaffected.

Context

These are curiosities of moist, packaged produce—not mutations or novel pathogens. Most plant fungi don’t infect humans. True respiratory risks come from indoor molds (e.g., Stachybotrys on wet drywall), not vegetable surfaces.