Interesting stories.
I have always found that the best recourse is to declare it, even if you run the risk of having it confiscated.
I brought nuts (yes, toasted and salted, but it's agriculture products nonetheless) back from Israel. Since they were roasted and handled at the corner vendor and not pre-packaged like a snack food, I always declared them. Most of the time no one cared. Once or twice the agents had me run the nuts through the X-ray machines, claiming that if there were any small insects inside, they would not survive the x-ray.