# Cricket project a great success so far



## RNprepper

I am producing about 1,000 crickets per week, in my very small scale cricket project. After freezing and drying/roasting, they are ground into flour. I made banana nut muffins and pumpkin raisen muffins this week, utilizing the high protein cricket meal. Even my co-workers at the hospital thought they were very good. After processing, they smell and taste like pistachios - really! So they blend well with just about anything. After muffins and cookies (yummy ways to get people past the "yuk" factor of eating insects) I will use them in pancakes and spaghetti, and then graduate to tacos and stir fry. They are amazingly nutritious, and yield the highest amount of protein for the lowest cost of any other animal source, including fish and poultry. They are a perfect prepper food and a good way to lay low and provide protein for the family, especially during the early days of SHTF, while every other yahoo is out shooting up the local small game and each other. In the event of a crisis, I could increase the production 10X in a matter of weeks. Cutting back is even easier - just feed to chickens. A lot easier and cheaper than raising a beef! I think with if they were mixed with beans and taco seasoning, you wouldn't even know the difference between a beef burrito and a cricket burrito.


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## Ragnarök

cool lol. very interesting ive never read about how to bake with insects...I do love pistachios too..out of curiosity how long do you roast them? would you consider posting the recipe here?


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## tks

I think I see an Amazon book in your future mame


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## RNprepper

There are just not that many resources out there so this is very much an experiment. Most of the literature is for raising them to feed reptiles and amphibians - not larger scale for human consumption. I would love to visit a commercial cricket farm to see some of the details such as population densities, feed ratios, watering systems, etc. My processes are too labor intensive at present. It takes me about 3 hours a week which is fine, but if I ever increased production significantly, I would need to do it more efficiently.

But...... to dry roast, I simply spread them out on a large baking sheet and put them in the oven on low heat until they are dry. At 200 degrees it takes a couple of hours, but my result is similar to ground pecans - like a meal, rather than the fine powder I've read about. So I might need to get them a bit dryer. I also need to try drying them in the solar oven. I store the meal in the freezer.

Didn't think of that, but a cricket cookbook would be a great idea! Since I adapt all my recipes to be Gluten Free, it would serve a duel purpose. I don't have to know all the fine details of raising them in order to cook with them do I? great idea. Thanks.  Hmmmmm... Now the wheels are turning. I really do think that entamophagy (eating insects) is going to become more popular as a practical, green protein source. It's the new sushi. The rest of the world does it - time we caught up.


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## tks

RNprepper said:


> There are just not that many resources out there so this is very much an experiment. I would love to visit a commercial cricket farm to see some of the details such as population densities, feed ratios, watering systems, etc. But...... to dry roast, I am simply spread them out on a large baking sheet and putting them in the oven on low heat until they are dry. At 200 degrees it took a couple of hours, but my result was similar to ground pecans - like a meal, rather than the fine powder I've read about. So I might need to get them a bit dryer. Didn't make any difference for the muffins, however.
> 
> Didn't think of that, but a cricket cookbook would be a great idea! Since I adapt all my recipes to be Gluten Free, it would serve a duel purpose. I don't have to know all the fine details of raising them in order to cook with them do I? great idea. Thanks.  Hmmmmm... Now the wheels are turning. I really do think that entamophagy (eating insects) is going to become more popular as a practical, green protein source. It's the new sushi. The rest of the world does it - time we caught up.


You could make enough to expand your operation.


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## RNprepper

tks said:


> You could make enough to expand your operation.


Or retire! When I learned how many thousands of crickets are sold per week in just one local pet store, I was astounded. Supplying crickets to just that one store would yield about $20,000/year profit. Let's see - pet store business + cook book + Arizona Cricket Bars (protein bars made from local pecans, honey, mesquite flour, dates, and crickets) = retirement income!


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## tks

I'd be willing to bet that it is an untapped market. I'd check out amazon digital publishing. My niece does digital books and so far she's been paying for college off her earnings.


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## Zed

RNprepper do post few pics regarding your endeavour.


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## A J

You said ".. to dry roast, I simply spread them out on a large baking sheet and put them in the oven on low heat until they are dry...."

All I could envision is crickets jumping all over the inside of the oven!

Pictures would be worth a 1000 words. Do you kill them first? smashed? diced? or is the sheet actually a sheet with a screen lid?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks,
AJ


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## paraquack

Do you ship out of state?


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## TG

Brilliant! Please consider writing a book.


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## Kauboy

A J said:


> You said ".. to dry roast, I simply spread them out on a large baking sheet and put them in the oven on low heat until they are dry...."
> 
> All I could envision is crickets jumping all over the inside of the oven!


I had the same picture, haha.

I assume she collects them in a container and freezes them first.
Much easier to lay out on a pan that way.


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## A J

Kauboy said:


> I had the same picture, haha.
> 
> I assume she collects them in a container and freezes them first.
> Much easier to lay out on a pan that way.


Yep, I saw that after I re-read it. In a SHTF situation, freezing would be resource intensive, so I'd wonder about other means of dealing with them. I'd likely put them in a jump proof/oven proof container.

AJ


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## Kauboy

A J said:


> Yep, I saw that after I re-read it. In a SHTF situation, freezing would be resource intensive, so I'd wonder about other means of dealing with them. I'd likely put them in a jump proof/oven proof container.
> 
> AJ


Keeping them from lumping together would be the tough part if they were still alive when oven baked.
Drowning might add time to the drying out process, but could work.
Leaving them to bake in the sun inside a black container could do some of the work for you.


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## A J

Kauboy said:


> Keeping them from lumping together would be the tough part if they were still alive when oven baked.
> Drowning might add time to the drying out process, but could work.
> Leaving them to bake in the sun inside a black container could do some of the work for you.


I'm thinking a thin (1/2" tall) wire topped drying rack, so they couldn't clump to bad. After 20 minutes, just shake then bake.

AJ


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## RNprepper

A J said:


> You said ".. to dry roast, I simply spread them out on a large baking sheet and put them in the oven on low heat until they are dry...."
> 
> All I could envision is crickets jumping all over the inside of the oven!
> 
> Pictures would be worth a 1000 words. Do you kill them first? smashed? diced? or is the sheet actually a sheet with a screen lid?
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know.
> 
> Thanks,
> AJ


HORRORS! I would never cook any animal alive - even a cricket. I chill them in the fridge to make them basically go to sleep and then I freeze them. Freezing is what kills them. THEN I slow roast/dry them in the oven.


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## RNprepper

Kauboy said:


> Keeping them from lumping together would be the tough part if they were still alive when oven baked.
> Drowning might add time to the drying out process, but could work.
> Leaving them to bake in the sun inside a black container could do some of the work for you.


Don't want to think of those options right now. I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it, although it would be good to have a back-up plan. Maybe just reduce the O2 in their container and they can go to sleep from hypoxia.


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## RNprepper

This is my very small cricket project. Produces about 1,000 crickets per week. The bottom two containers are breeding colonies.


Breeding box. The container of sterilized soil is where they lay their eggs.


Adult breeders


These are babies that are actively hatching. The white ones are newly hatched nymphs before their first moult.


1 week old. Note the toilet paper roll for size comparison.


3 weeks old. Note egg carton for size comparison.


5 weeks old.


7 weeks old. Ready to "harvest."


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## A J

Holy crap, that is totally cool!!!

I have an infinite amount of Maple and Oak leaves here, think they'd eat them (dried fallen off the tree)?

AJ


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## Inor

That is a cool idea! What do you feed them? How do you make them into meal? How much meal do you get from 1000 crickets? Do you eat them whole after roasting too? (I do not know if I could manage that one.) How does the whole "breeding colony" thing work? How do you get the crickets in the mood? Do the breeding crickets eventually get moved to the "other" colony? How do you decide which crickets to breed? How do you tell the difference between the males and the females? I have a million more questions. This is a neat idea!


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## RNprepper

Inor said:


> That is a cool idea! What do you feed them? How do you make them into meal? How much meal do you get from 1000 crickets? Do you eat them whole after roasting too? (I do not know if I could manage that one.) How does the whole "breeding colony" thing work? How do you get the crickets in the mood? Do the breeding crickets eventually get moved to the "other" colony? How do you decide which crickets to breed? How do you tell the difference between the males and the females? I have a million more questions. This is a neat idea!


Feed: Blend of chick starter, mesquite bean flour, wheat bran, powdered garden greens. The ones ready for "harvest" go gluten free for several days (cornmeal, GF oatmeal, powdered milk, powdered garden greens)

Making into meal/flour: Freeze, roast, blender. About 2 cups from 1,000 crickets.

Have not graduated to eating whole crickets yet. My first venture will be either tacos or stir fry. Maybe bean/cricket burritos.

Mood? Just keep them warm. If they are chirping, they are in the mood. Eggs need to incubate at 80-90 degrees to hatch well.

After 10-12 weeks, the old breeders graduate to either the freezer or the chicken pen. (I don't name them so they aren't pets.)

When I need new breeders, I just dump about 100 or so into the box. Eventually I may have to infuse new blood by buying some from an outside source. Inbreeding for too long isn't good for production, according to one account I read.

Males have two long "feelers" (I don't know what else to call them) sticking out from their backside. Females have 3. The extra one is the tube through which the females lay eggs into the soil.

I may be off, but from what I can glean from everything I've read, about 200 crickets would supply the daily protein requirement for an adult. Since we get protein from other sources (grains, legumes, dairy), I figure in a SHTF situation, 100 crickets/person/day would be about right. So I am presently producing 2 days worth of protein for our family of 5. It would be very easy to ramp up if needed, or if I needed the crickets as a feed source for chickens. Having the crickets as a protein source will extend our food reserves, and provide a way to increase the nutritional value of simple foods like pancakes or tortillas.

The ability to survive depends on a lot of things, including flexibility, creative problem solving, and thinking outside the box. People who are too inflexible to consider all options of food, shelter, or defense will lower their chances. Most of my friends/family have tried my cricket bars or muffins and they all like them. The few people who refuse to even take a taste ("I will _never _eat a bug/rat/snake/etc.") may be the first ones to starve.


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## Inor

Thanks! - This idea has me REALLY intrigued. I am not ready to jump in yet with both feet. But please continue to post updates. 

I have researched some other "self-sustaining" systems idea. Usually those involved a garden and Tilapia. Okay, I grant you, the self-sustaining Tilapia thing works. But how many days can you eat fish morning, noon and night before you go stark raving mad? I like this because making them into flour, you can make them into breads, cakes, COOKIES, etc. A little variety of diet when the world is going to hell in a handbasket would not be a bad thing. Please keep us informed of what you learn.

Thanks again!

-I-


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## RNprepper

Inor said:


> Thanks! - This idea has me REALLY intrigued. I am not ready to jump in yet with both feet. But please continue to post updates.
> 
> I have researched some other "self-sustaining" systems idea. Usually those involved a garden and Tilapia. Okay, I grant you, the self-sustaining Tilapia thing works. But how many days can you eat fish morning, noon and night before you go stark raving mad? I like this because making them into flour, you can make them into breads, cakes, COOKIES, etc. A little variety of diet when the world is going to hell in a handbasket would not be a bad thing. Please keep us informed of what you learn.
> -I-


I'll barter cricket flour for tilapia.


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## tks

What a fascinating thread. Thanks for sharing. I'm still thinking a cook book is a good idea and maybe even some YouTube videos.


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## Kahlan

I think you should write a detailed how to book with pictures and a recipe section. I'm especially interested in them as a supplement for my chickens. Unfortunately right now mine aren't free range so I know they aren't getting as many insects as they should/could. I'm seriously considering this idea. Kudos to you!


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## Slippy

RNprepper said:


> HORRORS! I would never cook any animal alive - even a cricket.


RNPrepper,

I enjoyed your thread about crickets very much. Impressive!

IF the mentally ill people of PETA give you any grief, please don't hesitate to PM me. I would like to cook some of them alive if its OK with you.
Thanks
Slip


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## Arklatex

Where do you get the crickets from? I've seen crickets for sale at Walmart in the bait section and at the pet store. Did you just buy a bunch of those and put them in your setup?

Speaking of bait, there is yet another use of the crickets! A handful of them would catch enough small fish to load up a trot line with cut bait. Which will turn up lots of catfish to eat.


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## Slippy

I found these;
Live Crickets - Feeder Crickets and Live Crickets for Sale from petco.com
Crickets for Sale
Home - Live Feeder Crickets Dubia Roaches Superworms Mealworms, Wax Worms, Phoenix Worms Shipped

Who knew?


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## MrsInor

When the daughter brought home a gecko from school we had to feed it crickets. Several pet stores carry them around here. By the time I had it set up where the crickets were reproducing enough so I didn't have to go to the pet store and get more - the gecko died and the crickets ate him.


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## RNprepper

Arklatex said:


> Where do you get the crickets from? I've seen crickets for sale at Walmart in the bait section and at the pet store. Did you just buy a bunch of those and put them in your setup?
> 
> Speaking of bait, there is yet another use of the crickets! A handful of them would catch enough small fish to load up a trot line with cut bait. Which will turn up lots of catfish to eat.


My original crickets came from my compost bins. They are really fast little hoppers and I could only catch 20. So that was the original colony, back in July. I caught about 30 more a month later for the second colony. They can also be bought at just about any pet store.


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## RNprepper

MrsInor said:


> When the daughter brought home a gecko from school we had to feed it crickets. Several pet stores carry them around here. By the time I had it set up where the crickets were reproducing enough so I didn't have to go to the pet store and get more - the gecko died and the crickets ate him.


One local pet store here sells 14,000 crickets PER WEEK! Providing feeder crickets for the pet market could easily be a cash crop. The pet stores get them from the big cricket farms in the midwest, California, Ontario.


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## MrsInor

Inor said:


> Thanks! - This idea has me REALLY intrigued. I am not ready to jump in yet with both feet. But please continue to post updates.


What he means is that he isn't ready to get all the stuff and then turn it over to me. And that won't happen. Not because I am opposed to the idea - but because we have no room.


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## James m

So do they all chirp at once or do they take turns? I guess one would chirp and then another would answer kind of like dueling banjos? 

I don't believe I can stomach that. After seeing the babies and everything. 

I don't know if anyone is interested but my mom has a pineapple growing in a pot at the house. It needs a new pot. And its not doing too well, so I think im going to adopt it


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## Arklatex

RNprepper said:


> My original crickets came from my compost bins. They are really fast little hoppers and I could only catch 20. So that was the original colony, back in July. I caught about 30 more a month later for the second colony. They can also be bought at just about any pet store.


I'm really liking this idea. May try it small scale to see if I like the cricket flour. I'm no entomologist but I think adding wild crickets to the population of store bought crickets is a great idea. It will make the following generation stronger? Also I have tried roasted grasshopper whole, it wasn't bad. Kind of a nutty taste. I imagine crickets aren't any worse, probably taste better.


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## RNprepper

Arklatex said:


> I'm really liking this idea. May try it small scale to see if I like the cricket flour. I'm no entomologist but I think adding wild crickets to the population of store bought crickets is a great idea. It will make the following generation stronger? Also I have tried roasted grasshopper whole, it wasn't bad. Kind of a nutty taste. I imagine crickets aren't any worse, probably taste better.


The roasted crickets smell and taste like pistachios. No kidding.


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## RNprepper

They all chirp at once. 100 -200 male crickets all competing for the captive audience of females! You would think the din would be over powering (think of how annoying and loud a asingle chirping cricket can be in your bedroom). But it is actually pretty quiet as the crickets are contained. When I walk into the tack room, I can immediately tell what the temperature is by the speed and intensity of the chirping. We had a pretty chilly night about a week ago, and when I walked in, it was like "Silent Spring." No chirps. I had to do a little improvement on the heating system. This is the achilles heel of the whole project - heating. If the grid goes down, the crickets are coming in the house with the wood burning stove. (Husband doesn't know this yet.)


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## RNprepper

James m said:


> So do they all chirp at once or do they take turns? I guess one would chirp and then another would answer kind of like dueling banjos?
> 
> I don't believe I can stomach that. After seeing the babies and everything.
> 
> I don't know if anyone is interested but my mom has a pineapple growing in a pot at the house. It needs a new pot. And its not doing too well, so I think im going to adopt it


You would love my pumpkin/flax seed/cricket muffins, James. If you are hungry, crickets will start looking a lot different to you - like little packs of protein.  Good lick with your pineapple.


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## Deebo

All this talk of eating crickets and I haven't seen it. 
I have eaten crickets, but they were flavored. 
I think roasted And ground would be awesome. 
Maybe the next big thing.
Excellent post with great pictures. Thanks


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## RNprepper

Deebo said:


> All this talk of eating crickets and I haven't seen it.
> I have eaten crickets, but they were flavored.
> I think roasted And ground would be awesome.
> Maybe the next big thing.
> Excellent post with great pictures. Thanks


Deebo, I'll be making cricket "meat" balls for spaghetti this weekend. I'll take a picture and let you know how they turn out. Let's see, $5 for a pound of ground beef from dubious origin, or home grown cricket protein that is basically free. Hmmmmm. Chirp, chirp, chirp...... Sounding better all the time. 

PS: If you like, I can post links to several well known publications that have had articles on crickets as a new food source for the U.S.


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## RNprepper

Inor said:


> Thanks! - This idea has me REALLY intrigued. I am not ready to jump in yet with both feet. But please continue to post updates.
> 
> I have researched some other "self-sustaining" systems idea. Usually those involved a garden and Tilapia. Okay, I grant you, the self-sustaining Tilapia thing works. But how many days can you eat fish morning, noon and night before you go stark raving mad? I like this because making them into flour, you can make them into breads, cakes, COOKIES, etc. A little variety of diet when the world is going to hell in a handbasket would not be a bad thing. Please keep us informed of what you learn.
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> -I-


Inor, wouldn't tilapia like to eat crickets? Might be something to consider if you go into the fish thing. Crickets are the bottom of the food chain and might make a fish or chicken project more sustainable.


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## Old SF Guy

RNprepper...I think your idea is amazing... I'm quite curious as to how the oder of the cricket goes away, if it does, because crickets smell horrible to me. Is there any hint of the oder or the taste in your muffins or meal? I know that insect offer great opportunities for protein...but over coming the mental block is hard until hunger becomes a factor...I know because I have been there. I can't eat fishy stuff normally...but when starving I would eat the ass out of a shark. So how is the finished product...is it even detectable?


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## SecretPrepper

How many crickets would it take to make 5 pounds? Im not joking I did some math but it doesn't look right I get between 600 and 700. Our family eats about 15 pounds of meat a week. Replacing half with crickets would be almost 5000 crickets a week. RN is that something that is doable? How much room would one need to meet that kind of production?


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## SecretPrepper

SecretPrepper said:


> How many crickets would it take to make 5 pounds? Im not joking I did some math but it doesn't look right I get between 600 and 700. Our family eats about 15 pounds of meat a week. Replacing half with crickets would be almost 5000 crickets a week. RN is that something that is doable? How much room would one need to meet that kind of production?


Never mind I reread your OP. 1000 per week on very small scale. Could increase production 10X in weeks. The 140 to 150 in a pound still looks wrong to me. Will you verify my math?


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## RNprepper

SecretPrepper said:


> How many crickets would it take to make 5 pounds? Im not joking I did some math but it doesn't look right I get between 600 and 700. Our family eats about 15 pounds of meat a week. Replacing half with crickets would be almost 5000 crickets a week. RN is that something that is doable? How much room would one need to meet that kind of production?


First of all, 15 pounds of meat is a LOT! Daily protein requirements for an adult are about 50 grams. Since we get protein from other sources than just meat (like grains, dairy, nuts), I figured 100 crickets per day per adult would be very realistic to meet daily requirements. The crickets would provide half the protein, as well as a good amount of calcium and omega 3 oils. (After SHTF, we are all going to be eating differently, and probably less protein than we are used to presently. However, I am concerned about providing what it takes to maintain health.) I am still experimenting will population density per container, so I can't give you an exact answer as far as space required. You saw my little set up in the photos? That single shelf space is producing 1000 crickets per week. I could double, triple, or quadruple that very easily in much less space that it takes for chickens, rabbits, or any other small livestock. The feed is basically free, the work is minimal. If I get tired of the whole thing or they all die from freezing temps, then my chickens are going to be very happy!


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## Deebo

Yes, I saw an episode on shark tank where a company is making cricket flour.
I think it is very feasable, and if you know Deebo, well he will try anything once.


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## RNprepper

Deebo said:


> Yes, I saw an episode on shark tank where a company is making cricket flour.
> I think it is very feasable, and if you know Deebo, well he will try anything once.


I bought some of the protein bars from the Chapul company (on Shark Tank.) They were good. EXO is another company that is making protein bars from crickets. Another start-up is making "Chirpies" which are cricket chips. I totally see them as a viable source of protein and oil in SHTF scenario. In many places around the world, protein is one of the chief deficiencies in diet. Oil can also be an issue. Crickets offer both - high quality protein, high calcium content, and high quality Omega 3 oils. Survival living could boil down to making tortillas or pancakes as daily staples. If you could add an egg or some crickets, the nutritional value sky rockets, and sustainable living is much more feasible.


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## RNprepper

Cricket "meatballs" were a hit today. Onion, garlic, shredded zuchinni, chopped mushrooms, flax, egg, oatmeal, ground almonds, salt/pepper, ketchup, Italian seasoning, cricket meal. I put in the mushrooms, flax, and ground almonds for texture, but I'll try it again with a simpler, (post SHTF) recipe: onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, egg, tomato sauce, salt/pepper, oatmeal, cricket meal.


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## paraquack

I know that if the SHTF, I'd be happy for cricket flour, but right now, I sit here ans shake my head very, very slowly.


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## Kahlan

So for these meatballs how many crickets approximately were used and how many meatballs did it make? And what did they taste like? Was it equivalent to a regular serving of meat/protein? Honestly it sounds like from all the ingredients I bet you couldn't even taste much of a difference. Plus were the used in a traditional tomato based pasta sauce? I bet I could feed them to my family with spaghetti and they'd never even know lol. I wouldn't do something like that though without letting them know what they were eating.


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## RNprepper

Kahlan said:


> So for these meatballs how many crickets approximately were used and how many meatballs did it make? And what did they taste like? Was it equivalent to a regular serving of meat/protein? Honestly it sounds like from all the ingredients I bet you couldn't even taste much of a difference. Plus were the used in a traditional tomato based pasta sauce? I bet I could feed them to my family with spaghetti and they'd never even know lol. I wouldn't do something like that though without letting them know what they were eating.


You absolutely cannot taste them in anything. They taste like mildly roasted nuts. I served them on the side with tomato based spaghetti sauce. I haven't worked out the nutritional analysis yet, as I am still tweaking recipes, but at 70% protein, they boost the protein content of whatever you add them to. Some people who are allergic to shrimp are also allergic to crickets. I never sneak them into anything - I always cook with full disclosure. I used 1/4 cup cricket meal in the recipe which made 24 meatballs. That would mean each one had 1/2 teaspoon of cricket meal, I'm guessing about 10 crickets per meatball.


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## Kahlan

RNprepper said:


> You absolutely cannot taste them in anything. They taste like mildly roasted nuts. I served them on the side with tomato based spaghetti sauce. I haven't worked out the nutritional analysis yet, as I am still tweaking recipes, but at 70% protein, they boost the protein content of whatever you add them to. Some people who are allergic to shrimp are also allergic to crickets. I never sneak them into anything - I always cook with full disclosure. I used 1/4 cup cricket meal in the recipe which made 24 meatballs. That would mean each one had 1/2 teaspoon of cricket meal, I'm guessing about 10 crickets per meatball.


You really have my respect. I'm going to be following your project closely. I'm really curious and interested. I think this is a really good and innovative idea.


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## RNprepper

Kahlan said:


> You really have my respect. I'm going to be following your project closely. I'm really curious and interested. I think this is a really good and innovative idea.


Not so innovative, actually. Enthophagy (eating insects) has been around since the beginning of mankind. It's just new to the U.S. BTW, A cricket project would be a tremendous money earner for a young person who can supply a local pet store or sell them on his/her own. It is unbelievable how many crickets are produced to feed the pet reptile/amphibian market. I figured I could make $20,000/year selling just the equivalent that ONE of our local pet stores sells. Takes much less room than other livestock, less expense, less equipment, faster return. No risk of getting stepped on, run over, head butted, or pecked. No butchering, and no crocodile tears at the sale barn.


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## Kahlan

My nearest pet store is probably almost an hour away but this has still got my wheels turning. I can't even imagine how my husband would freak out if I started raising crickets.


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## RNprepper

Kahlan said:


> My nearest pet store is probably almost an hour away but this has still got my wheels turning. I can't even imagine how my husband would freak out if I started raising crickets.


You can also raise them to augment feed for your chickens which I believe you said do not get to free roam very much. My chooks are the same - they can only be out when I am there. I am using crickets to off set feed costs, which you know have gone through the ceiling.


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## Kahlan

RNprepper said:


> You can also raise them to augment feed for your chickens which I believe you said do not get to free roam very much. My chooks are the same - they can only be out when I am there. I am using crickets to off set feed costs, which you know have gone through the ceiling.


This is seriously what I think I might do. Can you recommend a good tutorial or getting started website?


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## RNprepper

Kahlan said:


> This is seriously what I think I might do. Can you recommend a good tutorial or getting started website?


Sorry, but I haven't found a lot that is very comprehensive. If you google "raising crickets" you will see all the places I looked at. Check YOutube, also. There are some good clips from a commercial company. I would love to visit a commercial operation to get better data on details. I am using 55 liter Sterilite containers from WalMart. They are working well. Commercial places use bigger containers, but they can get heavy. My biggest challenge right now is heat. I had very poor hatching this week due to dropping temps. My project for today is to rig up something better to keep them warm. I think I will put a reptile heater under the incubation box.

PS: I told MY husband that I might have to bring the incubator box inside the house to raise the ambient temperature. He just about had a cow. It's only the incubator box- sheesh! He's never even know it was there. He doesn't like my cornsnakes, either, but tolerates them. Maybe I should just put the crickets in the same room with the snakes and he'd never know cuz he won't go near the snakes.  But that goes against my "full disclosure" clause.


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## Kahlan

Thanks, I'm going to look into it.


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## RNprepper

paraquack said:


> I know that if the SHTF, I'd be happy for cricket flour, but right now, I sit here ans shake my head very, very slowly.


I'm always trying to think outside the box.


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## paraquack

Here you go! You can prints tags with this and label the packages.
View attachment 8057


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## RNprepper

Kahlan, I broke down and bought a small heater for the tack room. It was about 40 degrees this morning outside (will be colder tonight) and my wraps and light bulbs were just not enough to keep them chirping. A few brave little guys were trying, but it was pretty pathetic. No chirps, no babies. So they are chirping their little legs off tonight. I hate using electricity, but until I can work out something with solar hot water or methane, it will have to do. It is a good experiment to see how they fare this winter. At least here in Arizona, they will only need heat supplementation 3-4 months out of the year.


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## Kahlan

RNprepper said:


> Kahlan, I broke down and bought a small heater for the tack room. It was about 40 degrees this morning outside (will be colder tonight) and my wraps and light bulbs were just not enough to keep them chirping. A few brave little guys were trying, but it was pretty pathetic. No chirps, no babies. So they are chirping their little legs off tonight. I hate using electricity, but until I can work out something with solar hot water or methane, it will have to do. It is a good experiment to see how they fare this winter. At least here in Arizona, they will only need heat supplementation 3-4 months out of the year.


This is good to know thank you. I was thinking if I tried this I would have to keep mine in the shed and it will definitely be too cold here. I wonder what it would cost to run enough heat to keep them ok.


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## RNprepper

Update on Crickets: This is the ultimate prep - someone else may pay! I found a local mom-n-pop pet store in town that sells crickets for the pet reptile market. This store sells small volume (5,000/month) compared to another one that sells 50,000/month. So this smaller store is interested in buying locally raised crickets from me, which is great! It will actually pay for the project so that I can expand it without additional cost to me. That means I have a free means of raising the crickets to a level that could literally support our own protein needs in a SHTF situation, or help feed the chickens. I am getting about 1,000 babies/ week now with my small project, so it shouldn't be hard to meet the demand. This is pretty cool. I love free preps!  If this works out and we get a good system down, then we can expand to maybe another store and develop the project even further. 

Next level is to some up with a solar hot water system to keep them warm. They are hatching like crazy since I warmed up the tack room with a little heater, but it can only be a temporary fix. The heat has to be self generated and sustainable if it is to be worth while as a true prepping project.

Kahlan, this still might be a worth your while. Do some investigation of your local pet stores. You will be shocked at how many crickets they buy from outside sources. This is also a GREAT project for a child. Nothing is dangerous or heavy to lift, there is a good level of responsibility required, there is money to be made, and there is not a big financial outlay.


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## Kahlan

I really enjoy reading your updates and I am still really considering doing this, though probably not till after Christmas. I don't have any local pet stores but might be worth the drive to Charlotte for me if it came to that but to start with I am mainly just wanting to supplement the diet of my chickens. I already mentioned it to my husband and he didn't even freak out. (I about fell over)
I mentioned your project and what all you were doing with them and he said "If you ever put them in our food just please don't tell me". I took that as a green light for the project hehe.


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## Eagles700LvL

This may be a stupid questions, so I apologize, but how do you count them? 

Estimate by weight?


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## RNprepper

Eagles700LvL said:


> This may be a stupid questions, so I apologize, but how do you count them?
> 
> Estimate by weight?


Yes, weight. The big producers have it down to a science with how much each size of cricket weighs. They just put a shipping box on a scale, zero it out, and start adding crickets until it hits the designated weight. I will have to count and then weigh for my first batches. the pet store is having problems with mortality which cuts their profit. If I can help them with that, they will be very happy. I think shipping stress would take a toll. I will simply bring in the container they have been living in and use the same food they are used to. I think they will do well that way. I'll trade out the container each week. If I were retired, I would sell them out of the house as a home business, but that isn't happening soon unless hubby decides to try it when he retires next year.

As soon as I get the methane generator up and going, we will have an additional, independent heat source. I can see the the crickets, methane generator, and solar hot water system working well in an integrated system that provides both food, fuel, and extra water storage. Gotta keep thinking outside the box.


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