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In the eastern, mideastern area of the US, the 17 year cicada explosion is just ready to start. Every 17 years, a massive number of cicadas, often incorrectly referred to as locusts, emerge from the ground to eat, mate, eat, mate and die. The type of cicada emerging this year is called the Brood X, the largest of the periodical cicadas, also called Magicicada.

Most people regard them as pests or even fear the harmless little insects. Other regard them with gastronimical anticipation!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16047-2004Apr15.html

I don't know about y'all, but 1.5 million per acre are expected to emerge and between my own acreage and the few hundred acres surrounding me, I expect to be able to harvest quite a few! I'll be plucking those soft shelled adults and freezing huge bagfuls! Imagine the fun I'll have coming up with new and exciting recipes!

This sounds good!

Cicada Stir-Fry:
Ingredients


minced onion, coriander (cilantro), fresh gingerroot
sliced carrots, chopped cauliflower and/or broccoli
water chestnuts and/or other vegetables of your choice
bean sprouts and snow peas
blanched, teneral cicadas
In a wok or other suitable pan, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add ingredients in the order listed above when those in the most recent addition are partially cooked. Serve over whole-grain (“brownâ€

So, you uhm, eat bugs, Bayn?

That is so very, uhm, interesting *barfs all over his keyboard*

Sorry about that, how distasteful, it's just that you eat bugs *barfs all over his keyboard*

Dang, there I go again. My most humble apologies, Bayn, I'm sure they are quite, uhm, tasty *barfs all over his keyboard*

Get the point?

Atei
Undead Poster

Interesting title, Atei.

-M

Many cultures eat bugs and a wide variety of animal life that our Western culture turns its nose up at as a general rule. Such blind prejudices are difficult to overcome but it can be done if you discard the senseless lifelong conditioning.

Insects provide as much protein, pound for pound, as lean beef and are a rich source of minerals and some vitamins.

What is nice is that you don't have to worry about growth hormones being injected into the beasties and the unknown results of that, you don't have to consider the ethical issues regarding the cruelty and agony that mass farmed livestock undergo, and you don't have to worry about the tab at the grocery store!

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

I don't usually engage in an insect cuisine but it only makes sense to me! I definitely am going to make use of this bounty that is emerging. In fact, I haven't eaten an insect for 20 or 30 years. I did go through a phase back then when I decided it was necessary to determine how difficult it would be to live off the land. Stir-fried grasshoppers aren't bad a'tall!

It's Cicada Harvest Time in southern Indiana, USA!

I've had many cicadas around the house the last week or so, especially on my rose bush for some reason, but only two days ago did I hear the the buzzing trill of swarms of them deep in the woods. This morning they were quite loud and by afternoon, 2 or 3 swarms of them were around the house.

Nothing like the overwhelming swarms of them that I saw 17 years ago or even 34 years ago but that may be still come.

Tonight I stayed up later than I normally do and went out bug hunting, wheee! I put on my rugged studded leather armor of inde-bug-stribility and my waraxe of vanquishing (in case some of them got pushy) and headed out.

With my 1,000,000 candle power searchlight I ventured forth, swiveling the halogen beam back and forth cautiously, listening intently for the sound of any nocturnal MOBs slipping up behind me. I examined my rose bush and saw several of the cicadas already out of there hard carapaces, white and moist in the revealing light.

It was pretty spooky out there at times with one of my cats attacking my hand or ankle at times instead of helping me harvest cicadas but I remembered the times I crept through the dim passageways of Shame, and just kicked the cat.

The night was filled with a soft rustling sound and far off I could hear the sonorous grunt of an ogre lord as it turned over in its sleep. At least I think that is what it was. Cicadas laboriously arced their glistening white bodies out of their split, hard shells and clung to branches and leaves. But not for long!

Rapidly I filled up the two gallon pitcher I had brought with me and only once did my faithful, albeit irritating, companion knock the container over. He kept sticking his head down in it to try to figure out what all those bugs were doing in there! He got another kick for that but merely snarled at my ineffectual rebuff and slunk back towards me, teeth bared. I sighed and threw bugs at him until he forgot me and batted them around with glee.

Finally, the pitcher was nearly full, my back was aching from bending over so much and my nerves were somewhat shot. Aye, I also have this bug prejudice that was ingrained in me as a small child. Icky things, right? I can still feel things crawling on me! Imagination is a wonderful thing, unless it is misused. hehehe.

Cicadas are totally harmless and rather innoculous but it still made me tingle a bit as I gazed into the deep, wide container and observed the mass of slowly squirming creatures.

I took them inside, locked the doors securely so sleep-walking Titans or OLs could't come in, checked myself to verify that bugs weren't REALLY crawling on me, and started rinsing them off. Whew...more backbreaking labor. I finally finished, filled two large freezer bags with the sodden cicadas and popped them into the freezer to grant them a quiet, sleep death.

I did leave one small, plumb one out on the countertop and as I shut the freezer door, I stared at him fixedly. Yes, I could do this. It wasn't a big deal. People ALL OVER the world ate bugs. I could munch this tiny, juicy looking thing. yeah...I could. it was raw. It'd be juicy. sure.... I could. It waved its tiny, crooked legs at me feebly and I imagined a tiny, shrill voice saying, "Hellllp meeee, help meeeee!" *wonders if anyone will catch the movie reference*

So, I picked it up, hesitated about 2 seconds and popped it in my mouth. A soft little squish and not any real taste and that was that. Not too crunchy, no real texture, big deal. I repressed a slight shudder and drank a glass of water and then to here to report my experience.

Tomorrow, bug recipes! Hmmm, I WAS going to chop their little heads off because those big, staring red eyes bug me....ROTFL...so to speak, but I may as well just do 'em whole. Fry them? Boil them? Stir fry? I just don't know.

Appetizingly yours,
Bayn.

I'll trade you something for a bag of those critters, if you could pack em in dry ice and ship me some I'll give you 200k. (in game of course)

Azzo Ranar wrote:I'll trade you something for a bag of those critters, if you could pack em in dry ice and ship me some I'll give you 200k. (in game of course)

That's a deal! This morning, it was much louder than it has been before so perhaps an even greater quantity of cicadas have arrived. I've never shipped anything in dry ice, I suppose the post office will allow that? Hard to tell these days. Regardless, send me your address via email (ssalter@insightbb.com) and I'll do it!

ewwwww I'm sorry Bayn but that is just plain gross.

Kasia/Ki'Anna wrote::shock: ewwwww I'm sorry Bayn but that is just plain gross.

LOL, I realized those exact same feelings were resident within me as well and logically there was no justifiable reason why insects should be regarded thusly. I was determined to override that childhood conditioning and was reasonably successful.

Bayn wrote:
What is nice is that you don't have to worry about growth hormones being injected into the beasties and the unknown results of that

dear lord man do you have any idea what people put on their lawns etc???

Ehran wrote:

Bayn wrote:
What is nice is that you don't have to worry about growth hormones being injected into the beasties and the unknown results of that

dear lord man do you have any idea what people put on their lawns etc???

Cicadas don't graze generally. I see them on trees and bushes and such. I also live out in the country and it is rare to see anyone with a "lawn". We'all have yards. The distinction is that we don't care if weeds grow along with the grass and we don't waste time or money trying to create unnatural lawns.

So, I maintain that my tasty l'il cicadas are probably quite free of manmade pollutants.

hmm the grubs suck sap out of tree roots so i will give you that one provisionally.

country eh. how close is your nearest neighbour? if it's a mile or less then you live in the burbs.

Ehran wrote:hmm the grubs suck sap out of tree roots so i will give you that one provisionally.

country eh. how close is your nearest neighbour? if it's a mile or less then you live in the burbs.

Well, we don't call 'em the burbs here but there ARE too blasted many neighbors who are way too close. I've been a-meanin' to move for years now but never have got around to it.

Here are a few pics of the ones around my place. I should get a picture of them right after they molt too. But these will do for now.

closeup of one staring at me balefully with bloody red eyes.
http://home.insightbb.com/~ssalter/cicada/cic1.jpg

closeup of an empty carapace, abandoned by its owner.
http://home.insightbb.com/~ssalter/cicada/cic2.jpg

another closeup of one
http://home.insightbb.com/~ssalter/cicada/cic3.jpg