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Farm 432

livinstudio.com

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Re: Farm 432

#11

Post by GauntletWizard »

Linell wrote: post #5
warble wrote: post #3

I talked to my kids about eating insects the other day with the expected results in the form of 'ew' and such. We've spent so much time in modern society associating insects with disease it's hard to dissassociate. For some reason shrimp which are essentially bugs are no problem because (I think) they come from the ocean, so there's an obvious mental line that can dissassociate them from other bugs. This is a great i…

These are my thoughts exactly. While I love the idea and think it may be great for some things, I just don't see many people making the switch to eating bugs anytime soon.

Mealworm powder is catching on in health circles. I think the essential difference is that you never have to see the legs, shells, compound eyes, etc. that scream "Insect!". Grind these up, mix them into sauce or a stew, and I doubt I'd care, even if I knew the origin, just like I can see the inside of a slaughterhouse and can still eat ground meat.

Re: Farm 432

#14

Post by stevesearer »

sp332 wrote: post #4

The article mentions killing by freezing. Does freezing change the texture of the bugs?

It might just be an efficient way of killing them that everyone can use. According to 'Insects Are Food': http://www.insectsarefood.com/recipes.html

"Prior to preparing your crickets for a meal place them inside a plastic container or storage bag and keep them in the refrigerator at least for an hour or until you are ready to use them. This will not kill the crickets, but rather slow down their metabolism, inducing a state of hypothermia, in other words, prohibiting their movement when removed from container. If you prefer however, as many people do, feel free to place them inside the freezer for an hour or two as this will definitely kill them, guaranteeing their immobility.

After removing from refrigerator or freezer, place them in a pot of boiling water sized to hold the specific amount of crickets you’re using. Add a few pinches of salt. Boil for about two minutes. This ensures cleanliness. Once boiled, remove from water and let cool. Crickets at this time can be placed in storage bags and kept in the freezer or used right away for any number of recipes. All crickets should be prepared in this manner prior to eating."

There also appears to be discussion of what the most human way to kill farmed insects is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_of_farmed_insects

Re: Farm 432

#15

Post by bluedino »

Even if they just ground up so they are unrecognizable and added into other foods, that would be a huge accomplishment. Imagine getting 5% of your calories from insect sources, without knowing, an it replacing something like starch. It could be added to virtually anything.

Re: Farm 432

#17

Post by sp332 »

stevesearer wrote: post #14
sp332 wrote: post #4

The article mentions killing by freezing. Does freezing change the texture of the bugs?

It might just be an efficient way of killing them that everyone can use. According to 'Insects Are Food': http://www.insectsarefood.com/recipes.html "Prior to preparing your crickets for a meal place them inside a plastic container or storage bag and keep them in the refrigerator at least for an hour or until you are ready to use them. This will not kill the crickets, but rather slow down their metabolism, inducing a…

Right, but I am wondering if the taste or texture is noticeably different.

Re: Farm 432

#18

Post by ch »

At first I was totally grossed out by the though of the entire process. It's tough to see how the sausage is made, tougher still with the cultural aversion to eating bugs. Then I watched the video where they are frying up the bugs in the pan, and though "How can they be so thoughtless to use metal on a non-stick pan"! So perhaps I'm past my aversion to eating bugs! Maybe not.

Re: Farm 432

#19

Post by suvelx »

What about taste? While bugs are a great source of protein, we don't eat foods primarily based on nutrition, we eat food based on taste.

I know Huhu or Witchetty grubs taste similar to peanut butter. And while peanut butter is nice and all, I want me some rich (but sustainable) beefy taste.

Re: Farm 432

#20

Post by warble »

GauntletWizard wrote: post #11
Linell wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are my thoughts exactly. While I love the idea and think it may be great for some things, I just don't see many people making the switch to eating bugs anytime soon.

Mealworm powder is catching on in health circles. I think the essential difference is that you never have to see the legs, shells, compound eyes, etc. that scream "Insect!". Grind these up, mix them into sauce or a stew, and I doubt I'd care, even if I knew the origin, just like I can see the inside of a slaughterhouse and can still eat ground meat.

A lot of what we eat (steaks, chicken nuggetts, hamburger, bacon) is dissasociated with the source form of the meat. This should probably be the inroad. If people get used to the idea that they're ingesting insects anyhow, then maybe the rest gets easier?

I dunno..

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