VIROQUA – Cindy Guist was helping her mother, Lillian Geary, prepare meals for the week Monday when she poured frozen green beans from a bag into a bowl – and one “bean” didn’t look right.
In fact, had these been fresh from the garden, it likely would have slithered in the bowl.
It was a section of garter snake, the same diameter as the beans and mechanically cut to about an inch in length like the rest of the bag’s contents.
The beans had been bought at a major chain store and packaged by the Bells, Tenn.-based Pictsweet Company.
A “grossed out” Guist searched the entire bag but found no other parts among the beans.
“Where did the rest of the snake go?” she wondered.
Well, a family in Houston, Texas, might have found the head last month.
According to a Fox News report, Ernestine Jamison was preparing Pictsweet frozen cut green beans in February when she noticed something unusual.
“When I saw it was a snake’s head, I just threw it down and called my kids and said, ‘I got a snake’s head in the green beans,'” Jamison said. “Everybody said, ‘Oh Lord, you’ve got a snake head in the green beans!'”
Sarah Jamison, 15, grabbed her camera and took video and pictures of their uninvited dinner guest.
“I saw big eyes with a mouth open and a tongue coming out,” Sarah said. “It looked like it was ready to attack.”
Media worldwide picked up the story of the snake’s head in the green beans.
Geary and Guist weren’t as dramatic about their find. Still, the snake already has taken its toll.
“I don’t think I’ll be eating green beans anytime soon,” Guist said as she showed the snake section. “It just sort of makes your skin crawl.”
Guist said they took the beans and snake piece Thursday back to the store, which contacted Pictsweet. Pictsweet then called Geary and they are discussing the matter, she said.
A Pictsweet vice president did not return a telephone message left Thursday.