# Excited about my crickets!



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

My first batch of eggs did not hatch - I think they were not warm enough. I moved the "nursery" into the tack room which is warmer and now I have hundreds and hundreds of little babies. They will be full grown and ready for breeding (or eating) at just 6 weeks of age. My goal is to raise crickets with materials found on my own property - not buying any materials or feed from the outside. They are so high in protein (70%) that I think I can easily supplement my chickens and cut on feed costs with mesquite flour and crickets, along with excess garden scraps.

Then on to "Cricket Energy Cookies" for human consumption, again made with ingredients from my property: mesquite flour, prickly pear syrup, dried jujubes, ground pecans, and cricket flour. Maybe add honey, peanut butter or coco (from my emergency supplies) for variety.

I cannot believe how really easy this is. I know people think it is creepy to eat insects, but as a survival food, this is pretty amazing. You don't need acrerage to produce large volumes of very high protein flour that can be added to anything. You could make simple biscuits, tortillas or cornmeal mush to feed a lot of people - add some cricket flour to the recipe and the nutritional value sky rockets. Especially with children, pregnancy, and illness, adequate protein intake is essential for growth, development, and recovery.

PS: Dried cricket poo is also a very high quality garden fertilizer. (I really like it when every part can be used.)


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Is cricket a "Clean" food,a.k.a. would Moses eat them? ?
All I know is there sure seems to be a lot of them around my parts.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

AquaHull said:


> Is cricket a "Clean" food,a.k.a. would Moses eat them? ?
> All I know is there sure seems to be a lot of them around my parts.


Yes. Leviticus 11:20: 
 'All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. 21There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. 23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.

John the Baptist ate locusts, and he was a Nazarite - a person who had taken a vow to be ceremonially clean, including not drinking alcohol.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

I recently saw an episode of Shark Tank where the contestant was looking to garner investments in his cricket super cookie business. After digging deeper into his business, the sharks determined that the real business opportunity was in cricket meal or flour (whichever it's called) ... very intriguing and certainly piqued my interest. One of the key points was volume of production per acreage.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

RNprepper said:


> Yes. Leviticus 11:20:
> 'All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. 21There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. 23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.
> 
> John the Baptist ate locusts, and he was a Nazarite - a person who had taken a vow to be ceremonially clean, including not drinking alcohol.


OK, well I drink beer in the "New Way To Go",because it's OK for the Poor


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

RNprepper said:


> My first batch of eggs did not hatch - I think they were not warm enough. I moved the "nursery" into the tack room which is warmer and now I have hundreds and hundreds of little babies. They will be full grown and ready for breeding (or eating) at just 6 weeks of age. My goal is to raise crickets with materials found on my own property - not buying any materials or feed from the outside. They are so high in protein (70%) that I think I can easily supplement my chickens and cut on feed costs with mesquite flour and crickets, along with excess garden scraps.
> 
> Then on to "Cricket Energy Cookies" for human consumption, again made with ingredients from my property: mesquite flour, prickly pear syrup, dried jujubes, ground pecans, and cricket flour. Maybe add honey, peanut butter or coco (from my emergency supplies) for variety.
> 
> ...


Great post, nice way to think out of the box!

My suggestion for your next protect is a sand filter to make clean water to flush the cricket legs out fro inbetween your teeth

That was supposed to be funny, still a good idea


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

yikes! I am so afraid of bugs! the other day I kept walking by a big green beetle that was up side down. it took me a good 3-5 minutes to go past it each time! I hadda work up the gumption to to get past it! any way I felt so bad I couldn't help it upright so it could run away to his friends. I was just so scared of it!


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Hemi45 said:


> I recently saw an episode of Shark Tank where the contestant was looking to garner investments in his cricket super cookie business. After digging deeper into his business, the sharks determined that the real business opportunity was in cricket meal or flour (whichever it's called) ... very intriguing and certainly piqued my interest. One of the key points was volume of production per acreage.


Those were the guys who started the Chapul Cricket Bar company. They are going great guns since that show and have gotten into a number of stores. I ordered a sample pack, and they really are good. That got me to thinking about making my own protein/energy bars from local ingredients: "Arizona Cricket Bars" or something like that. There is another similar company, "EXO" and a startup by some gals who make cricket chips called "Chirpies." It's coming, folks. Insects can feed the world.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

shotlady said:


> yikes! I am so afraid of bugs! the other day I kept walking by a big green beetle that was up side down. it took me a good 3-5 minutes to go past it each time! I hadda work up the gumption to to get past it! any way I felt so bad I couldn't help it upright so it could run away to his friends. I was just so scared of it!


Sorry, Shotlady, I cannot even begin to relate. I'm a country girl and used to all sorts of critters - 4 legged, 6 legged, and no-legged. I can catch and cook 'em all. When the SHTF, my family will never be hungry. And no, I am not Honey Boo Boo's mama.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

I was brought up in rual texas. it was pretty primitive as I would know life now. I finally last weekend admitted I have assimilated to being a suburbs girl  was a sad revelation. I figured accept it and move on! and I hope to get some of that washed off after I move to my next place! I have never been fond of bugs. I wont kill one except roaches, but I cant sit around and enjoy them either.

I will never be hungry either. I expect to be kingpen!


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Ah shotlady, the kingpin. I could see that.
I have eaten flavored crickets, I could definitely eat the flour, or try them fresh fried. 

Great posr


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