evolution of wild edibles

[wareagle69]

so when i say wild edibles what do you think...... blueberries,maybe some dandelion, or daylilly or some whitepine tea, yeah yeah me too, but what i have noticed in my journey is allot of what i find is only good for tea or i can make allot of salads( i don't know about you when i eat allot of salad my crap tends to float know what i'm saying) now in a survival situation it will help keep me alive and as a homesteader it helps me supplement my grocery bill
but this is why people started to farm to grow edible food to eat and cultivate much more readily and easily than wild edibles but in a survival situation ya certainly ain't gonna farm so what the next best option........thats right folks insects... so that where the evolution of my journey is taking me.. to the bugs.

so raise your hands if ya'll want to see ol wareagle eat some bugs(i'm goona regret this) oh and by the way rick sarge beowulf crash, trax, bragg, hopeak, your votes do not count, remy and nell wel remy yours would be scientific in this and nell well nell is the queen of the forum so nobody can say anything bad there...

[crashdive123]

I'd like to see you feed em to Rick:eek:.....but since my vote doesn't count:mad:.....I guess your safe Rick.:D

[nell67]

Hmmm,WE eating bugs,if ya do it,the wife MUST take pictures of you doing so,and you MUST post the pictures on the forum!



Hey you're the one who said I was queen of the forum,and you don't want to make the queen unhappy do you?? Cuz if the queen ain't happy then Trax ain't happy!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

[nell67]

Hey crash,I like your idea as well!

[RangerXanatos]

*raises hand*

I've often thought about trying insects but I just can't pull myself to it. Everytime I see an insect I just think about it kicking inside of my mouth and then all the nasty goo coming out when I crunch down on it. All of the crap (figurative and literal) that these bugs have been on and all the no see-ums crawling on their exoskeletons. But hey, I have no problem watching you do it. :D

Daniel

[wareagle69]

great idea nell that i will do

[wareagle69]

so what... some worms for sure maybe some ant larve um how about some grasshoppers any other suggestions and be realistic what would we find in a survival situation and has to be beneficial also i will find out how much protein or carbs can be gotten out of this

[crashdive123]

Since pound for pound (or gram for gram) insects have more protien than other creatures, you may as well go for some larger ones (less foraging effort on your part). How about one of these?

http://www.howdowhy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/megasoma_acteon_4.jpg

[Riverrat]

Good luck.......

[wareagle69]

uh it looks like you two are kind of close there buddy i would hate to break up the romance

[RangerXanatos]

Worms and ant larvae wouldn't be so bad but I would have a hard time swallowing grasshoppers.

What about:
termites
dirt dobblers
cicadas
butterflies
moths
centipeds
millipeds
flys of all sorts

There's a lot of insects out there that one could eat of the same species but also some that one should not eat. So be careful.

Daniel

[RangerXanatos]

One question...

How long do you all think it will be before WE's wife will kiss him again? :eek: :D

[nell67]

Since pound for pound (or gram for gram) insects have more protien than other creatures, you may as well go for some larger ones (less foraging effort on your part). How about one of these?

http://www.howdowhy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/megasoma_acteon_4.jpg
Is that a frickin' dung beatle???:eek: No I think I have to draw the line there guys,thats just gross!

[crashdive123]

That one was a Rhinoceros Beetle. If that isn't to your liking, you can always try the South American Longhorn Beetle.

http://www.sciencebob.com/graphics/titanus.jpg

[Sam Reeves]

Not even with hot sauce.

[wareagle69]

rx termites maybe
crash now where am i gonna find one of those running around the barn

[crashdive123]

Worms and ant larvae wouldn't be so bad but I would have a hard time swallowing grasshoppers.

What about:
termites
dirt dobblers
cicadas
butterflies
moths
centipeds
millipeds
flys of all sorts

There's a lot of insects out there that one could eat of the same species but also some that one should not eat. So be careful.

Daniel

Most insects are edible (key being most). Stay away from venomous and stinging insects (some, if prepared are ok)

Termites - yes, but in North America above ground nests as Pic has posted not available - there are some arborial species

Dirt Dobbers - I wouldn't (larvae are ok)

Cicadas - yes

Butterflies - yes

Moths - yes

Centipedes - yes, if you remove the mandables and head

Milipedes - No they are poisonous

Flys - Think about where the forage for food (fecal and decaying matter)

[wareagle69]

also look at the effort involved of catching them in the wild, worms are easy ants and larve are easy flying critters are harder to catch, moths i guess would be easy if i had a lantern but what are the odds of that, will have to do some research on it

[RangerXanatos]

Centipedes - yes, if you remove the mandables and head

Milipedes - No they are poisonous

Flys - Think about where the forage for food (fecal and decaying matter)

Centipedes and milipedes are so ugly I wouldn't want to eat either one.

House flies I wouldn't go near. But what about Horse flies and the like? Do they feed on fecal and decaying matter in the wild or do they usually just go for whatever animals blood? What about Gnats as well? But I figured that they would be worthless to pursue due to their size.

[wareagle69]

well horse flies feed on my horses for one but i see them on allot of crap also

[crashdive123]

Gnats? Piercing mout parts that have been getting a blood meal from????? At the injection site you get an itch right? What caused it? Besides, like you said you'd probably need about 10,000 to taste em.

The adult horse fly will feed mostly on nectar and occasionally on pollen. The female of the species requires a blood meal in order to reproduce. Males are incapable of feeding this way as the lack the necessary mouth parts, called mandibles. The female will get this supply of blood from mammals, although some species have been known to feed on birds, reptiles or even amphibians.

I would stay away from any insect that is a blood feeder.

[wareagle69]

so what do you suggest my friend

[crashdive123]

Everything else.

[crashdive123]

Seriously though, if you or anybody else is going to take on learning about edible insects - the same approach that you took (are taking) for edible plants is a good one. Books, classes or clinics (if available). Start out with a few that are common to the area that you live and expand from there.

[wareagle69]

not many books on eating bugs here i do have one on eating bugs but its more other countries than here, but that is what the web is all about, will be adding this to my aresenal though

[skunkkiller]

grasshoppers are not bad cooked in a little tin . go to women of the fur trade and they show you what they eat for 3 day living off the land. It's a cool site they seem to have alot of members.

[smokelessfire]

i must admit that when i saw some tv show about foreign folks cooking up crickets they looked tasty all fried in oil and crispy. raw bugs never, but certain kinds cooked the right way, sure! and speaking of bugs, can anyone help me identify one i saw awhile ago, it was 2 inches long, had long lace wings, and 2 pincers(?) on its head that were 1 inch long each. i nudged it with a broom handle, and these pincers slapped together with lightning speed and thunderous force. scary little thing. i've never seen one up here in the northeast before, maybe it was an accidental import.

[Dennis K.]

Be careful with grasshoppers. They may have an intestinal parasite that can infect you. Roasting 'em first.

[Rick]

If you are serious about this...

I'd start with ant and/or termite larvae. If you can find them when they swarm then you'll have oodles of adult termites.

Skip the grasshoppers. Adventure Doc posted about an intestinal parasite unless you cook them. Otherwise get rid of wings and legs and cook them up. I don't have any problems with them cooked. I've never had them raw.

Moths and Butterflys are a big NO. Don't ask how I know but they have a powder on the wings that will prevent you from wanting any more. Not good, not good at all. Their bodies have small hairs. Also a big yuck. You will be spitting for a while afterward. Caterpillars might work but be aware of what you are getting. Some are either not palatable or sting! There are actually many species that can sting. The saddleback, buck moth caterpillar, and puss caterpillar with the Puss Caterpillar (yep. That's what it's called. Megalopyge opercularis) is probably the worst in terms of reaction.

Monarch caterpillars just taste bad because they eat milk weed and it contains an alkaloid. Consequently, the caterpillars are bitter.

Any of the bee/wasp larvae and/or pupae would be okay. Adults do tend to protect the young. I haven't tasted them so can't help you there.

Cicadas, big yeah! Good stuff. Here's a bunch of recipes if you want to try them that way. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/steincarter/recipes.htm

Centipedes, millipedes - Bite you brother. They can be nasty.

Flies are just illness carriers. I don't think I can do that.

Crickets are good. Here's some info on crickets. 100 grams of cricket contains: 121 calories, 12.9 grams of protein, 5.5 g. of fat, 5.1 g. of carbohydrates, 75.8 mg. calcium, 185.3 mg. of phosphorous, 9.5 mg. of iron, 0.36 mg. of thiamin, 1.09 mg. of riboflavin, and 3.10 mg. of niacin.

I have never had the stomach for beetles or grubs. Can't do either.

If you have a Mexican store or Asian store in your area either might be good to check out just to see what they have available. No slam to either culture but we don't tend to see insects the same way other cultures do.

Yes, I would like to see the pics!!

This might be the start of another create post (future wiki?) on just edible bugs and how to prepare them. Good post WE!!!!

[trax]

Since you said my vote doesn't count, this all just for information purposes, but I was gonna vote don't do it.

But if you really want to....bon appetit.

[Rick]

When has any of us ever listened to him?

[Gray Wolf]

Papillon ate them in a French Guiana prison...