Re: grasshoppers

[Guest guest]

--- In @y..., " dkemnitz2000 " <dkemnitz2000@y...>

wrote:

> Anyone know how the omega 3's and 6's spec out or where I can get

> the info in live chlorophyl fed grasshoppers? Dennis

I don't know where you can get definitive info, but I'm pretty

certain that you'd have a ratio in the " optimal " range. They're

grass eaters, after all, so they'd basically be concentrating what's

in the grass. It's not chemically possible to convert from one omega

type to the other, so their content should be a concentrated

reflection of their diet just like it is in any other creature.

[Guest guest]

<<Anyone know how the omega 3's and 6's spec out or where I can get the

info in live chlorophyl fed grasshoppers? Dennis>>

Hey Dennis, I was bored so I did a little surfing. Looks like they're just

beginning to study the nutritional value of insects but I couldn't find the

breakdown for fats. You'll probably have to contact some of the researchers

involved in this cutting edge work to get the lowdown.

Following this are 3 little tidbits for your enjoyment.

1) clip from an article that summarizes the nutritional value of insects.

From this I take it that someone has looked at EFAs of insects but they

don't give specifics.

2) An article from Thailand. If your looking for a farming niche, perhaps

growing and exporting bugs to Thailand would work--although you might have

better luck with termites than grasshoppers

3) Next a recipe, you'll have to upgrade it to be NT compatible, but I'm

thinking making the substitution of grasshoppers for crickets shouldn't be

that big a deal. Grasshoppers sound more appetizing to me than crickets

anyway. (I f you do the grasshopper for Cricket substitution you probably

should change the name to Chocolate Hoppy Chip cookies)

Take care,

--

---------------------------------------------------

http://www.food-insects.com/ A Concise Summary of the General Nutritional

Value of Insects

Cholesterol levels in insects vary from low (e.g. none in the edible

leaf-cutter ant, Atta cephalotes Latr.) to approximately the levels found in

other animals ( " ' " ' 1 mg sterol g- 1 tissue), depending on species and diet

(Ritter, 1990). Insect fatty acids are similar to those of poultry and fish

in their degree of unsaturation, with some groups being rather higher in

linoleic and/or linolenic acids, which are the essential fatty acids

(DeFoliart, 1991 ).

------------------------------------------------------

Study confirms nutritional value of eating insects

BANGKOK, June 2: Residents of northern and northeastern Thailand have a

nutritional edge on people in the rest of the country because of their

fondness for eating insects , according to results of an Agriculture

Department study published on Sunday.

As many as 194 species of insects are devoured by people in the region,

including worms, butterflies, bees, ants, wasps and termites.

The Nation newspaper quoted Dr Ar-ngun Liuwanich, senior entomologist at the

Department of Agriculture, as predicting the edible-insect industry would

have a bright future as the bug-eating habit spread beyond the Thai north

and northeast.

" Villagers there realise the nutritional value of the insects and use them

as a protein supplement, " she said. " Edible insects are now becoming so

popular that there are farms to increase the production of the favourite

ones. "

The government study, funded by the Thailand Research Fund, found that the

insect diet of northern and northeastern Thais includes 61 kinds of

hard-winged bugs, 11 kinds of soft-winged bugs, 47 kinds of butterflies, 42

kinds of crickets, 16 kinds of bees, ants or wasps, four kinds of

dragonflies and grasshoppers and two kinds of termites.-dpa

----------------------------------------------------------------

An Insect Recipe

(from Audubon Institute: Eating Insects,

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/html/eatbugs.html)

CHOCOLATE CHIRPIE CHIP COOKIES

by Kathy Gee and s

2-1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup dry roasted crickets

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda,

and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and

vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture and

insects; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded measuring

teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

_____________________________________________________________________---

[Guest guest]

> <<Anyone know how the omega 3's and 6's spec out or where I can get

the

> info in live chlorophyl fed grasshoppers? Dennis>>

>

>

> Hey Dennis, I was bored so I did a little surfing. Looks like

they're just

> beginning to study the nutritional value of insects but I couldn't

find the

> breakdown for fats. You'll probably have to contact some of the

researchers

> involved in this cutting edge work to get the lowdown.

>

> Following this are 3 little tidbits for your enjoyment.

> 1) clip from an article that summarizes the nutritional value of

insects.

> From this I take it that someone has looked at EFAs of insects but

they

> don't give specifics.

> 2) An article from Thailand. If your looking for a farming niche,

perhaps

> growing and exporting bugs to Thailand would work--although you

might have

> better luck with termites than grasshoppers

> 3) Next a recipe, you'll have to upgrade it to be NT compatible, but

I'm

> thinking making the substitution of grasshoppers for crickets

shouldn't be

> that big a deal. Grasshoppers sound more appetizing to me than

crickets

> anyway. (I f you do the grasshopper for Cricket substitution you

probably

> should change the name to Chocolate Hoppy Chip cookies)

>

> Take care,

> --

>

> ---------------------------------------------------

>Thanks . We have many grasshoppers, all sizes I might add,

however I can't get excited about eating them even as a chocolate

flavor enhancer. I wonder whether they're on the GRAS list. Maybe

dehydrated grasshoppers will sell. Dennis

[Guest guest]

There actually kind of good, taosted and salted--I had them in Mexico

once--and no it wasn't at the same time I learned to shoot Tequila---

Anyway, I thought the GRAS list was just for food additives. grasshoppers

I would imagine are considered a " whole food " .

Plus what the FDA generally recognizes as safe and what I might don't

always mesh--so MSG I believe is still on the GRAS list but I don't want to

eat it. I'd rather eat grasshoppers than many of the things on that GRAS

list by the looks of the food ingredients in lots of foods.

--

---------------------------------------------------

>Thanks . We have many grasshoppers, all sizes I might add,

however I can't get excited about eating them even as a chocolate

flavor enhancer. I wonder whether they're on the GRAS list. Maybe

dehydrated grasshoppers will sell. Dennis

[Guest guest]

Well Dennis for your dining pleasure I found a few more recipes (I still

think this could be your farming niche), I see the Native Americans used

them as a protein source and made them into bread--I think they are probably

gluten free (a marketing tactic). One suggestion is to feed them bran to

clean out their intestines, I wonder if ground sorghum would work? (just

trying to pull two threads together here)--By the way, earthworms need to be

fed corn meal or something else to clean out their intestines too or else

they taste like dirt--I learned this the hard way ):

Also please note the caveat about freezing them or otherwise killing them

before frying--apparently jumping grasshoppers in hot oil make a mess

(ROTFL)

Also I included some yummy sounding recipes from far of places--genuine

Native Nutrition (:

[My apologies to the raw foodists on the list--all these recipes are for

cooked grasshoppers & locusts]

-- (who better go to bed soon)

----------------------------------------------

Fried Locusts

Pluck off wings and legs (heads optional).

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Fry in butter.

Add a dash of vinegar and serve.

Grasshopper Fritters

Pluck off wings and legs (heads optional).

Dip the rest of the insect in egg batter and deep fry.

Salt and serve.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Grasshoppers were an important source of protein for Native Americans. Says

Karren, " The Utes regularly migrated to the Great Salt Lake, where they

would fill baskets with crickets and grasshoppers that had drowned in the

lake and were already salted for winter storage. They would eat them roasted

or grind them into a meal and cook them like breads. "

Before dropping the grasshoppers into a hot frying pan, though, feed them

bran for several days to clean out their intestines and then freeze them.

Jumping grasshoppers in hot oil make a mess in the kitchen,

----------------------------------------------

Tinjiya (Tswana recipe): remove the wings and hindlegs of the locusts, and

boil in a little water until soft. Add salt, if desired, and a little fat

and fry until brown. Serve with cooked, dried mealies (corn).

Sikonyane (Swazi recipe): prepare embers and roast the whole locust on the

embers. Remove head, wings, and legs, in other words, only the breast part

is eaten. The South Sotho people use locusts especially as food for

travellers. The heads and last joint of the hindlegs are broken off and the

rest laid on the coals to roast. The roasted locusts are ground on a

grinding stone to a fine powder. This powder can be kept for long periods of

time and is taken along on a journey. Dried locusts are also prepared for

the winter months. The legs, when dried, are especially relished for their

pleasant taste.

Cambodia: take several dozen locust adults, preferably females, slit the

abdomen lengthwise and stuff a peanut inside. Then lightly grill the locusts

in a wok or hot frying pan, adding a little oil and salt to taste. Be

careful not to overcook or burn them.

Barbecue (grilled): prepare the embers or charcoal. Place about one dozen

locusts on a skewer, stabbing each through the centre of the abdomen. If you

only want to eat the abdomen, then you may want to take off the legs or

wings either before or after cooking. Several skewers of locusts may be

required for each person. Place the skewers above the hot embers and grill

while turning continuously to avoid burning the locusts until they become

golden brown.

[Guest guest]

At 01:49 AM 8/1/2002 -0700, you wrote:

>Well Dennis for your dining pleasure I found a few more recipes (I still

>think this could be your farming niche), I see the Native Americans used

>them as a protein source and made them into bread--I think they are probably

>gluten free (a marketing tactic). One suggestion is to feed them bran to

>clean out their intestines, I wonder if ground sorghum would work? (just

>trying to pull two threads together here)--By the way, earthworms need to be

>fed corn meal or something else to clean out their intestines too or else

>they taste like dirt--I learned this the hard way ):

Hey, I'll buy some (IF they are fed sorghum! No wheat-fed grasshoppers

here, please!).

Seriously, I've been buying dried fish for a snack -- trying to get something

high-protein and easy to carry. It actually grows on you, though it has no

salt or oil. Salty fried grasshoppers are actually sounding pretty good. You'd

have to disquise the shape a bit, I think, to eat them in public.

Europeans and Americans are the only folks who do NOT eat bugs.

ly I think it is just fair: the grasshoppers eat the crops, we eat

the grasshoppers ...

Heidi

[Guest guest]

> Well Dennis for your dining pleasure I found a few more recipes (I still

> think this could be your farming niche), I see the Native Americans used

> them as a protein source and made them into bread--I think they are

probably

> gluten free (a marketing tactic). One suggestion is to feed them bran to

I think I missed a good opportunity when the Mayflies swarmed last year and

people were shoveling them up by the bucketful! Easier harvest than those

grasshoppers swarming in the fields of Kansas.

Peace,

Kris , gardening in northwest Ohio

[Guest guest]

-

>It's not chemically possible to convert from one omega

>type to the other,

Since ruminants have bacteria in their gut which saturate unsaturated fatty

acids, and since even we humans have enzymes which saturated and desaturate

various fatty acids, I think you're wrong...

-

[Guest guest]

> Since ruminants have bacteria in their gut which saturate

> unsaturated fatty

> acids, and since even we humans have enzymes which saturated and

> desaturate

> various fatty acids, I think you're wrong...

I did some more checking to make sure I was understanding things

correctly. I'm right to the extent that no *known* animals are able

to convert one omega series to the other. Apparently, however, it's

not impossible for an organism to make the conversion. At the very

least a worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, *is* apparently able to make

the conversion from omega 6 to omega 3 according to a research

project that used an adenovirus vector to deliver a specific c.

elegans gene into human breast cells (in vitro). The experiment was

apparently successful and resulted in a dramatically changed omega

ratio.

Chilling but informative.

So based on the existence of c. elegans, it wasn't correct of me to

*assume* that grasshoppers can't alter the ratio of their ingested

omegas just because animals can't do it. I'd be very curious to know

how widespread the ability to perform that conversion is among

insects.

[Guest guest]

--- After reading the earlier posts on grasshopper recipes and sales I

started wondering about the harvest and processing........ The

chickens eat those they reach. However when grasshoppers hear those

chickens chirping the second day, it seems, they scoot into the taller

weeds, pampas grass and younger trees. I can harvest those on the

weeds by the handful rather easily when the chirping chickens are

near. It's quite a sight to see approximately 15 1 1/2 " yellow

hoppers on the end of a pigweed or muletail (weed). I'd hate to corral

them to feed them. Wouldn't they taste ok on their current diet of

green natural grasses and weeds? I bet it'd take a number of them to

make a pound of dried hoppers. I bought a pound of dried shrimp to

make one of those cold soups in NT and it sounds much better than

hoppers and locusts. I suppose they'd dehydrate easily at our

current temps and humidity. Since Heidi's willing to try them I

might harvest and dehydrate a few, store them in the hermetically

sealed baggie and ship to Washington for further study. Thanks for

the interest. First I'll see how they handle dehydration. Dennis

In @y..., " Kris " <kris.johnson@a...>

wrote:

>

> > Well Dennis for your dining pleasure I found a few more recipes (I

still

> > think this could be your farming niche), I see the Native

Americans used

> > them as a protein source and made them into bread--I think they

are

> probably

> > gluten free (a marketing tactic). One suggestion is to feed them

bran to

>

> I think I missed a good opportunity when the Mayflies swarmed last

year and

> people were shoveling them up by the bucketful! Easier harvest than

those

> grasshoppers swarming in the fields of Kansas.

>

> Peace,

> Kris , gardening in northwest Ohio

[Guest guest]

-

>I'm right to the extent that no *known* animals are able

>to convert one omega series to the other.

So cows only convert unsaturated acids to saturates, they never partially

saturate them even in the process of saturating the unsaturated acids?

-

[Guest guest]

> -

>

> >I'm right to the extent that no *known* animals are able

> >to convert one omega series to the other.

>

> So cows only convert unsaturated acids to saturates, they never

partially

> saturate them even in the process of saturating the unsaturated

acids?

>

>

>

>

> -

<><><><><><><><>Sort of along this line:anyone know how a grasshopper

turns grass,etc into so much protein (Approx. 2/3's it's body weight,

not sure if moisture is included). Dennis

[Guest guest]

Quoting dkemnitz2000 <dkemnitz2000@...>:

> <><><><><><><><>Sort of along this line:anyone know how a grasshopper

> turns grass,etc into so much protein (Approx. 2/3's it's body weight,

> not sure if moisture is included). Dennis

I thought that it just took amino acids from the grass, possibly with some

modifications to change them to whichever amino acids were needed at that

particular time. To my knowledge, I don't think that animals can

synthesize protein from fat or carbohydrates and atmospheric nitrogen,

though I could be wrong about that.

--

Berg

bberg@...

[Guest guest]

--<><<I keep forgetting about the higher nitrogen content of green

grass, etc opposed to brown dry grass,etc. So it must simply be the

nitrogenous amino acids consumed by the grasshopper in the sum, sum,

summertime that makes it high in protein. Thanks . Dennis

In @y..., Berg <bberg@c...> wrote:

> Quoting dkemnitz2000 <dkemnitz2000@y...>:

> > <><><><><><><><>Sort of along this line:anyone know how a

grasshopper

> > turns grass,etc into so much protein (Approx. 2/3's it's body

weight,

> > not sure if moisture is included). Dennis

>

> I thought that it just took amino acids from the grass, possibly

with some

> modifications to change them to whichever amino acids were needed at

that

> particular time. To my knowledge, I don't think that animals can

> synthesize protein from fat or carbohydrates and atmospheric

nitrogen,

> though I could be wrong about that.

>

> --

> Berg

> bberg@c...

[Guest guest]

At 10:46 PM 8/1/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>. Wouldn't they taste ok on their current diet of

>green natural grasses and weeds? I bet it'd take a number of them to

>make a pound of dried hoppers. I bought a pound of dried shrimp to

>make one of those cold soups in NT and it sounds much better than

>hoppers and locusts. I suppose they'd dehydrate easily at our

>current temps and humidity. Since Heidi's willing to try them I

>might harvest and dehydrate a few, store them in the hermetically

>sealed baggie and ship to Washington for further study.

Well dried perhaps .... actually we get them a lot around here

in the fall, so I should " eat my words " perhaps. We also get

4-inch slugs that remind me SOOO much of abalone. But I'd

like my marriage to stick together and I suspect sauteed slugs

would be a strain even on a man who puts up with bubbling

kimchi.

The Indians got together in a circle and herded the hoppers

into a pit (beating the grass), then burned them, I think. They are

supposed to be roasted.

Lately I've gotten into munching on dried fish (whole anchovies), which

rather freak people out. At first they were rather bitter, but they grow

on you. The Asian person behind the counter just nodded though, when

I bought them, and smiled and said, " Oh, I like these very much! " .

I'd guess a whole, small animal like that has to be LOADED with

vitamins. Grasshoppers don't eat anything terribly gross. But

there are whole sites devoted to bug-eating. It may become

popular, who knows. 25 years ago my family got into calimari,

which was considered very, very gross at the time. Now it's just

chic. Emeril even had raw fish on his show, and steak tartare!

There is hope!

(PS: on the protein issue: I think I read somewhere that

grasshoppers have bacteria in their guts to do conversion,

like cows do).

Heidi

[Guest guest]

At 01:27 AM 8/2/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>So it must simply be the

>nitrogenous amino acids consumed by the grasshopper in the sum, sum,

>summertime that makes it high in protein. Thanks . Dennis

OK, here is the lowdown on feeding grasshoppers:

http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/grasshopper/Handbook/IV/iv_7.htm

Basically it seems they need to eat lots of protein, and they do

it be eating a varied diet.

I'm curious as to the vegetarian stance on eating bugs

though. Are they considered meat?

Heidi

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/1/02 10:38:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

heidis@... writes:

> I'm curious as to the vegetarian stance on eating bugs

> though. Are they considered meat?

They would certainly be off-limits to a vegan. They don't even eat honey,

because it's an animal product. And the vegans who are also druggies won't

eat pcilocybin mushrooms because they grow in cow dung. For vegetarians,

it's an open field. There are vegetarians who even eat fish. I think most

people get the sense that insects are not capable of the same emotional,

psychological, etc, functions that, say, cows are.

chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of

them make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense

compassion, which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to

bear the sight of the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature.

Thus they pray ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the

truth, and for those who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

--- Coming back only to clarify: ruminants utilize the aminos but I'm

unsure on the grasshoppers. Dennis

In @y..., " dkemnitz2000 " <dkemnitz2000@y...>

wrote:

> --<><<I keep forgetting about the higher nitrogen content of green

> grass, etc opposed to brown dry grass,etc. So it must simply be

the

> nitrogenous amino acids consumed by the grasshopper in the sum, sum,

> summertime that makes it high in protein. Thanks . Dennis

>

> In @y..., Berg <bberg@c...> wrote:

> > Quoting dkemnitz2000 <dkemnitz2000@y...>:

> > > <><><><><><><><>Sort of along this line:anyone know how a

> grasshopper

> > > turns grass,etc into so much protein (Approx. 2/3's it's body

> weight,

> > > not sure if moisture is included). Dennis

> >

> > I thought that it just took amino acids from the grass, possibly

> with some

> > modifications to change them to whichever amino acids were needed

at

> that

> > particular time. To my knowledge, I don't think that animals can

> > synthesize protein from fat or carbohydrates and atmospheric

> nitrogen,

> > though I could be wrong about that.

> >

> > --

> > Berg

> > bberg@c...