we eat a lot of bugs. there is no denying it, no escaping it, there are fruit flies in our raisens and other dried fruits, there are like ground beetles, weevils and such in our flour, and did you know that some food dyes have crushed female cochineal beetles and their eggs? seriously there is a good chance you have eaten bugs.
the insect world out populates us. they get into everything. and yet that could be a good thing. they naturaly add protein to our diets. so it shouldn't surprise you that people
knowingly eat them.
people have done it for ages in many different countries. entomalogists have researched and created recipies for the creepy crawlies and yet, quite a few people wouldn't eat it on a dare and admit to it.
but really bug ranching is probably more enviromentaly friendly then cattle ranching. they require less room and populate very quickly. feed them the right foods, keep the cage clean and you can produce very tasty meats.
practicly anything you can use beef or venison for you can use crickets and mealworms. Al Dente, sauteed with greenbeans, the possibilites are endless. don't knock it till you try it.
whats in my food?eating bugshttp://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/EatingBugs.html
witchty grubspass the bugs pleasenational geographicnow that i have your attention and possibly your interest in creepy crawlies lets talk cooking them.
a pound of crickets is about the same as a pound of ground beef. les fat but more legs. you can pretty much use them in any dish you could use beef. even hamburger helper.
but trust me on this, you want to raise your own crickets and you want a secure cage. they will escape. bait shops and pet stores tend to feed them cheaply. newspapers and saw dust is often on the menu. it won't kill you but its not a great meal either. personaly i would feed them stuff i would eat. omletts, potato pancakes, it would improve the flaver and it makes for a nicer last meal then the union leader.
do not eat any cricket or grasshopper raw. they could carry internal parasites. if it can survive in a bugs stomach, it could build a whole country in yours.
how you kill the crickets is up to you. some say put them in the freezer. that would do it, but i would get them drunk first. hey its their last meal. fill their water bowl with jack daniels or sake and they won't feel a thing. might improve the flaver even. clean them up with fresh water and a collander and your good to go. pick off the legs if you will. they may get in your teeth.
add some basil, olive oil, butter, garlic in a skillet and sautee. the heat should kill the alchohal if you've chosen to use it. i would add noodles and veggies to the mix.
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