Insects Guide for RPD Westerners

[a_real_man]

I've decided to write this guide to those folk interested in incorporating some yummy bugs into their diet. No doubt this will rustle some feathers, but I believe bugs are *the* dietary staple of paleo humans (yes, not meat). It's just a hypothesis for now, but I plan on trying to get by on bugs alone at some point and seeing how I fare. In the meantime, I found bugs to be a great supplement to my diet. For those interested in some tips, check out below. For the smart aleks, I'm including all arthropods in the discussion, not just bugs.

Selection of Bugs and Experiences

- Superworms: superworms are actually larvae. They are like mealworms but bigger and more active. It is easy to keep these alive for a long time and create a meal out of these. My personal favorites by far.

- Mealworms: like diet superworms. So cheap.

- Phoenix worms (i.e., black soldier fly maggots): marketed as being calcium rich. I found the taste pretty bland and the maggots themselves pretty dry.

- Maggots: these little buggers will find their way to rotten meat like a homing missile. They taste like what they eat (rotten meat) and are super nasty-looking when high in number. Otherwise, they're just squishy little snacks.

- Wax worms: these adorable little buggers have a really nice and soft texture. They are light on taste, kind of like coconut water. I don't find them very filling.

- Hornworms: pricey. Taste like what they eat (so probably parts of the plant you feed them). They can bite you, which hurts, but probably isn't dangerous.

- Common Crickets: pretty cheap. Taste like a moist nut in their youth. Annoying to keep because they die fast. They also chirp but that can be relaxing.

- Earthworms: moderately priced. I find their gut to taste disgusting. For that reason I bite off the head or tail and toss the rest. That makes it not worth purchasing IMO. The worms themselves don't have a strong taste, but they have the texture of... gummy worms. They do have a suprising sweet aftertaste.

- Ants: small ones aren't really filling. They usually taste acidic. Bigger ants can taste salty and be delicious.

- Wasps: these like to try to steal fresh meat. Slightly crunchy. Bland taste.

- Bees: usually taste like pollen or nectar - nice.

- Butterflies: same as bees.

- Caterpillars: variable. Also requires caution.

- Moths: bland.

- Spiders: bland.

- Roly polys: taste like dirt.

- Silverfish: yummy.

- Beetles: oh my god, so crunchy, so good. My theory is that the human love of crunchy foods is a misdirected need to eat these yummy little buggers.

- Silk worm pupa (nhong): pretty tasty and cheap as shi*. How cheap? For $4 I am able to be stuffed for one and a half meals. Only found these pre-frozen.

I'm not including sea insects because there is no dearth of expertise on lobsters, oysters, crab, etc.

Where to Buy

I get my bugs mainly at https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/

[TylerDurden]

It's a possibility, especially if one believes in the very likely scavenger theory of palaeo--HGs where they were supposed to scavenge and eat mainly  maggot-infested aged raw meat. The problem I have is that the current websites I have searched online re Europe have all offered only cooked insects at very high prices. I suppose I could try pet-food stores but I fear they too will offer only precooked versions thereof.

[a_real_man]

It's a possibility, especially if one believes in the very likely scavenger theory of palaeo--HGs where they were supposed to scavenge and eat mainly  maggot-infested aged raw meat. The problem I have is that the current websites I have searched online re Europe have all offered only cooked insects at very high prices. I suppose I could try pet-food stores but I fear they too will offer only precooked versions thereof.

Welcome to visit me (Minnesota)

[TylerDurden]

The, ah, distances involved are prohibitive, I'm afraid! Of course, an easy way to start would be to hang some raw meat out in my garden and then feast on the maggots that would result from all the flies laying eggs on it. Pet food stores might be an option. It's just that I still have a horror of eating raw insects.I'll have to start with just eating insect eggs first.

[FRANCIS HOWARD BOND]

QUOTE:Re: a_real_man's journal
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2017, 04:44:07 am »
•   Quote
For the last 5 months or so, pretty much all I drank was raw milk. Recently, I felt that my thirst for milk has been quenched. I've stopped drinking milk and now I just hydrate on eggs with a bit of help from fruit. Out of curiosity, I tried drinking a bit of water and was repulsed by it.

I also recently read Instinctotherapy by Burger. So I am giving this a shot.

I've been gradually increasing my arsenal of insects. I eat maggots that find their way into my high meat. I also capture bees, cut out their stingers, and eat them. They taste like nut with nectar. Similar for butterflies. I captured a black beetle and ate it. It was crunchy and delicious. I've been craving more beetles since. So I'm farming mealworms. I caught a big green grasshopper... The taste was so rich..  like the smell of lime, but as a flavor. Also caught rolly pollies but they taste like dust. Crickets also had a plain taste.

Another thing I've noticed is that I'm not at all excited about "fresh" raw meat right now. So I am fermenting whatever I can. I have a cod sitting around on my balcony for a week now. I tried it and was really into it; tastes like smoked fish with a bit of cheese.

REPLY:
You liked the cod left sitting on your balcony for a week.   Have you tried this since October 12, 2017, and do you still like this fish preparation?

[Projectile Vomit]

Insects are a great food source. I would only warn you that the company you are buying from does not produce insects for human consumption. A consequence of this is the feed they use is generally nutritionally deficient, producing feeder insects that grow fast but that must be supplemented with vitamin or mineral powder when the bugs are fed to lizards, snakes, etc.

[Projectile Vomit]

I eat a fair amount of grasshoppers. There are several places near my home where there are fields by organic farms. I just walk through the fields, catch grasshoppers with my hands, pluck their big back legs off, and eat them. They have a bit of a bitter taste due to their gut contents, but they are not bad. When I eat earthworms, I catch them wild rather than buy them and I do not chew them. I just put them in my mouth and swallow them down like a long noodle. They can be quite filling, especially if I find a few of the 'nightcrawlers', which can be 8 inches long. Mayflies are also wonderful to eat. They emerge from water bodies like deep lakes and stream en masse at certain points in summer and fall. You can often gather handfuls of them while walking along the edge of the stream or lake, and shovel them right into your mouth. Most of the ones I have eaten taste subtly like raw spinach. I do not know why.

[Projectile Vomit]

I also eat hornworms, now that I think about it. They are generally large enough to gather come late July or August. I reach out to friends who own farms or gardens that grow tomatoes. Hornworms love tomato plants, so folks who grow them usually find tons of the huge caterpillars. They have somewhat of a bitter taste, and since they are eating nightshades I avoid eating huge quantities of them.

[a_real_man]

REPLY:
You liked the cod left sitting on your balcony for a week.   Have you tried this since October 12, 2017, and do you still like this fish preparation?

Unfortunately I'm renting apartment now

[a_real_man]

Glad to see your posts Eric

[a_real_man]

Insects are a great food source. I would only warn you that the company you are buying from does not produce insects for human consumption.

Maybe they've leveld up since::

Though we sell our worms as food for animals, many people choose to eat them as well! We sell to Fear Factor, bodybuilders, Hotlix lollipops, and more restaurants than you'd probably like to know! We have only just recently received our FDA compliant label showing the nutritional content of our mealworms.

We only use human grade vegetables and grain to feed our worms because we know so many people choose to eat them. We avoid the use of chemicals at all cost, using only dilute bleach to clean our tubs between use before letting them air dry in the sun.

We do recommend that if people choose to eat them that they be treated as any raw meat and be fully cooked first. I've been told that sautéing them in butter and garlic until they're crisp and then salting makes a very good treat. Here are some recipes as well: New York Entomological Banquet Recipes

It is typically our standard mealworm in the large size that people purchase (found in different quantities on this page): Mealworms

Studies have found mealworms are a fantastic alternative to meat, with the same amount of protein, lower fat, and have far less of an environmental impact. You can view newspaper article in the LA Times our company was recently interviewed about people eating our insects on our "In The News Page" (item #1 "In The Los Angeles Times") , as well as a television show in item #2. We are strong supporters of entomophagy and work with many companies that manufacture flours, etc.

Though you can purchase a high end piece of equipment like the "Hive" you can also grow your own at home with a series of plastic bins set up in the same manner. There is an excellent site called Sialis (the latin name for a bluebird) that has fantastic information on growing your own mealworms at home: Sialis.org

We would love to help you with your endeavors, please let me know if I can provide you with anything at all.

[Projectile Vomit]

Very interesting indeed! They definitely did not have anything like that on their web page last time I thoroughly looked it over. Can you provide a link directly to that page?

$8 for a dozen hornworms is crazy expensive, but probably not any more so than driving out to folks' farms to gather then in season. They literally explode in the mouth with juiciness and a bitter flavor that I have come to appreciate. Waxworms and mealworms are great too.

[a_real_man]

Very interesting indeed! They definitely did not have anything like that on their web page last time I thoroughly looked it over. Can you provide a link directly to that page?

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