Swarm to Table

Save the date (sort of). Coming in April.

(Photo: SwarmToTable.org)
Ava Johanna Schassler (on behalf of the Swarm to Table Planning Committee) went this out: “we plan to build upon the success of last year’s event by putting on an expo-style event aimed to expand the reach and accessibility of this extraordinary experience. This format will also allow us to build upon the interdisciplinary nature of Swarm-to-Table that makes it so unique. Around the venue will be a variety of booths for local chefs to share their insect dishes. Booths will also be offered to farmers, applicable student groups, and departmental sponsors. As educating the public is our primary goal, this year’s event will also include some micro-presentations given by experts on food, art, and culture concerning insects. If you are interested in getting involved in Swarm to Table 2024 in any way or if you know someone else who may be interested, please let me know! We are always looking to share the event with more faces in entomology and entomophagy.

Best,

Ava Johanna Schassler (on behalf of the Swarm to Table Planning Committee)

University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2024

Genetics & Genomics

Undergraduate Entomological Society- President

ajschassler@wisc.edu

(Photo by Madelyn Anderson | The Daily Cardinal)
Last year’s Swarm To Table food and insect celebration was held April 15, 2023 and it was sold out. The sponsors included UW-Madison Undergraduate Entomology Society, Slow Food UW, and MIGHTi. It was held at The Crossing (1127 University Ave, Madison, WI 53715).

Here is a schedule from that event and the promo by SwarmtoTable.

And an article from the Daily Cardinal ‘Swarm to Table’ inspires insect acceptance

And another article: Insects du Jour: Crawling with flavor

eatdrinkmadison.com wrote this account of the 2019 event.

Wisconsin Public Radio had this to say about the 2019 event.

Lastly, have you seen the February Issue of Scholatic Scope?

The magazine again encourages us to ask questions and think in a new way. Kudos for Scholastic.

Bug’n the River House Campers

Insects gathered locally

Tenebrio molitor raised in my hive

Cicadas

I remove the wings of the cicadas

The “Otter’s Den” is a great classroom under the River House

Julianna has several business ventures in North River Mills

Follow The River House in Capon Bridge on Facebook

The River House, Capon Bridge’s cool arts venue, invited me to share my passion for eating insects. The River House hosted a weeklong camp for young folks. I encouraged the young folks to be skeptical (maybe especially of a bald guy telling them to eat bugs.) But I also encouraged them to consider the possible benefits of entomophagy. I told them that insects were a great source of protein, calcium, and iron. I mentioned there is evidence that the chiton (exoskeleton) is beneficial for people with gut disorders like Crohn’s disease. I told them that insectivores might help bring about a healthier environment. Insects give off only minimal greenhouse gases. They can use vegetable scraps for their food and/or water source. Insects require much, much less water than traditional sources of protein like beef, chicken, and pork. They require so much less land to produce the same amount of protein.

I explained there virtually everybody is already eating some insects. The cochineal beetle provides the color for our cokes, our artificially colored yogurts, and fake crab.
I told the campers that my favorite insect treats were gathered locally. But I cautioned them that they should check with their parents before eating insects. And I explained the insects should be cooked, and insects should not be gathered where insecticides have been used.
If you are interested, insects-as-food producers and other entomophagy resources are listed here.
Here is a video with many of the slides I shared with the campers.
You may not be impressed with the first few photos at the top. But I wanted to show the ingredients I used to make the Ento-Treats for the campers. In my defense, most people would not find the butchered cows, chickens, or pigs an appetizing sight.
What I did share with the campers:
EntoNoBake Cookies

1/4 c. peanut butter (or similar stuff)
1/4 c. cocoa mix
1/4 c. oatmeal
1 qt. cooked insects (mealworms, cicadas)
Mix in a blender until you get a desirable consistency.
Spoon them on a serving plate.
For the more adventurous, I blended everything except the mealworms. Then I mixed the mealworms in by hand so the larvae were prominent visually.
And for the REALLY adventurous, I served stir-fried katydids, corn silkworms, and grasshoppers. I just sprinkled some Old Bay on them.
Thank you Julianna Finelli and Kayla Wilhite for the opportunity to share my bugs with the campers. And thank you to River House Ex. Director, Monica Wilson, who took the “good” photos above. Here is her photography website.
Almost all the campers tried the insect treats. You’ll have to ask them for their opinion. Or better yet, check out bug treats yourself.
Bug Appetit!

Insectos, 昆虫, Iniseti, 昆虫, Owady, Wadudu– Delicious in any Language

Sandy or Paul Binotto captured these cute kimono kids. (Impressive alliteration?) Stella and Gwen, and their Mom, Ashley shared Japan.

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind hosted our 5th International Culture Day in Romney, WV. Presenters shared a country, a culture, the music, the food, the art the language.

Steve again shared his passion for insects as food. AaronPauling.com has donated cockroaches. Biblical Protein sent grasshoppers from Isreal. We had Exo Protein bars, the lollipops with insects and CRICK-ETTES from HOTLIX Candy Store, and various products from the Canadian EntomoFarms. People tried samples of edible ants from Entomarket and Cricket Bites from Cricket Flours.

The kiosk described the popularity of entomophagy around the world. It promoted the many benefits of eating insects including: it is nutritious and provides many health benefits; it is good for the planet; and they taste good.

If you would consider participating next year, please let us know.

Here are some other images from the event.

Many thanks to Stephanie Pryor who has coordinated these events since 2016. These are photos she took.

Love In Any Language (song by Sandi Patty)

Milda Mullins shared sweet rice from South Korea.

Steve’s bug display

Terry is wearing the Samoan pula tasi

These photos below were taken by Sandy or Paul Binotto.

Paul Binotto shows his Kenyan instrument to Ken Riggleman

Paul and Donna See, who is a teacher at the State School.

Upstairs in the Brannon Building

Seth and Kerry Haza presented Polska.

Kenia Itzep, of the Hampshire Review and Paul

Deb Bukala

Asghar Saidipour and Amanda Vincent shared Iran and Afghanistan

fa’aSamoa

Paul and Robbie Wolford, a student from the School for the Blind

Blind students and teachers

Dreama Cheshire shared St. Lucia

Sandy and Paul Binotto support Living Hope School in Bungoma, Kenya.

Hampshire High Culinary students and teachers attended.

Pam Francis also travels to Living Hope School in Kenya as a nurse.

Here are photos Ashley Cain captured.

And Terry Bailes managed to snap a few between sharing Taiwan and Samoa.

Drema Cheshire shared St. Lucia

Amanda Vincent

Merci, arigato, fa’afetai, gracias, mam’noon, xie xie– thank you, thank you, to all those who helped make this event happen.

Bug Show at the 4-H club at Little Cacapon Baptist

“Rhonda Omps Moore wrote: “The “Bug Man” came to 4-H last night. My kids weren’t scared to try bug brownies and crickets!“

Rhonda Omps Moore and Melissa Whitacre invited me to share my bug show with their 4-H club. I really enjoy presenting the benefits of entomophagy to young people. Rhonda took most of these photos.

Noah Whetzel’s mom took the photo of Noah and me.

Terry Lynn made the Cricket Brownies made with Entomo Farms cricket powder. Some of the young people seemed to enjoy the spiced crickets.

If you want to order your own insect protein snacks check out the listing on this page: http://stevebailes.org/blogs/entotreats/

I get a kick out of thinking one of these kids could be the next insect protein product entrepreneur. Or maybe he/ she might be the entomologist who discovers a whole discovers a whole new use for insects.

Joseph Yoon, of Brooklyn Bugs, shared this insightful post about entomophagy.
“Among the things we are truly delighted to share on a regular basis, is the philosophy we have as edible insect ambassadors. Here are some talking points we consistently emphasize:

-I love sharing the tremendous potential and innovation with edible insects, but am not forcing this on anybody. I really want individuals to make their own decision and not feel like I’m talking AT them; otherwise, this would be propaganda and not educational.

-I am not suggesting people eat insects and give up meat, nor am I trying to take anything away from you. Rather we’re trying to diversify your diet, and ADD a delicious, nutrient dense, sustainable, and smart form of protein for your consideration.

-Edible insects are incredibly nutritious, and crickets have all nine essential amino acids, prebiotic chitin that’s good for your gut health, vitamin b12, potassium, and iron, and are really an amazing source of food with tremendously broad gastronomical applications.

-There are over two thousand species of edible insects with incredibly different flavor profiles, textures, and functionalities – you can prepare them in sweet and savory applications, and literally “bugify” any type of food or cuisine.

-Insect powders can be utilized for baking, in your sauces, as soup stocks, as a tempura batter and so much more. Whole insects can be transformed from their raw state to create new forms of more readily acceptable foods like bug(ers), and bug balls (meatballs). The only limitation cooking with edible insects lies with our imagination.

-If you were to eat edible insects once a week, even that would have a tremendous impact on the environment.

-Realistically, until we have more availability with ready to eat insect products – like bug burgers and cricket mac n cheese – I think it’s difficult for many people to consider how to incorporate insect protein on a regular basis. Hopefully we’ll start seeing the availability of ento-based products grow in the coming months and years ahead.”

Joseph is one of the pioneers in the world of entomophagy.

Entomo Show Visits Notre Dame University of Baltimore

Oct. 12, 2022. Professor Laura Riley, invited me to share my passion for insects-as-food at her classroom at Notre Dame. Terry Lynn and brought the entomophagy presentation to this first four-year Roman Catholic college for women in the United States (1896).

Had a great day Wednesday. Prof. Laura Riley is now teaching at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore. She invited Terry Lynn and me to her classroom. I shared my passion for insects-as-food– how they are a sustainable food. How entomophagy is good for you, good for the environment– and they taste good. Terry Lynn shared her famous cricket flour brownies.

After class, Laura took us to a marvelously goofy place– Papermoon Diner. The food was amazing. The service was exemplary. But the ambiance is… bizarre– artsy. I felt like I was back in San Francisco.

If you are curious about entomophagy, you might check out all the companies and restaurants that are selling insect-based foods: http://stevebailes.org/blogs/entotreats/

Bug Appetit!

Capon Bridge Hawks Host EntomoShow

Rhonda Omps Moore and Capon Bridge Elementary School invited me to share my passion for insects as food. Laura Brill said she was “won over” by the benefits of entomophagy. Insect-based foods are good for the planet, they are good for your health– AND they taste good.

I’m showing the students my mealworm hive. Rainbow Mealworms got me started.

Zanna Whitacre Connell was a former student, yet she trusted me enough to try the Cricket Bites (Cricket Flours). Maybe Barefoot Farmer will consider marketing insect products, or better yet– growing their own.) Cynthia Mowrey Corbin and other teachers were so supportive in their willingness to try the buggy treats. John Ferraro and Jeffrey Pancione, don’t they deserve a big raise? Kelly Monroe was a former student and classmate of my daughter, Stephanie. Missy Crouse Thorne was a former student and friend of my daughter, Heather. Terry Lynn was not surprised she would “step up” to try the Cricket Flours snacks.

Tracy Hott, Becky Saville, Lisa Hayden. and Sarah Tompson. Becky Saville gives thumbs up. Thanks to the teachers who ran the LCD projector and took the photos including Autumn Yvonne Jones.

Paige Tighe, Open Hand Storytelling, and I taught together back in the day. I think she had strong negative thoughts about insects as food. But I think she is a convert. Paige Tighe‘s face shows pure insect food bliss.

Thank you to Cricket Flours for supporting this presentation. Several of the teachers sampled “Cricket Bites”, the black soldier fly larvae. Check out their other products here. And they shared recipes here. 

Teachers also tried snack bars from Bug Out Bar.

You can find insect-based products and many more here. If you want a large order price (cheaper), but you don’t want to order a large order– you might check out the Bug Co-op. Someone might split an order with you.

The Hampshire Review allows me to blog here about eating insects and entomophagical dishes and products here. If you are interested, check out some of the earlier blogs.

Thank you, Exo, for the shirt, “Crickets Are the Gateway Bug.” Check out Exo bars.

I also want to thank Chirps, Exo, Entomo Farms – The Future of Food, Entomo Farms, Bugeater Foods, Hotlix Candy and Merci Mercado who have been generous supporters in the past, and innovators in the field of entomophagy for their earlier support.
And you’ll notice insects are not just for humans. @JiminysForPet is on Twitter.

Biblical Protein in Israel is another pioneer in the field. They have some interesting videos on their website: https://biblicalprotein.com/

The Capon Bridge Public Library has at least one of the insect recipe books.

I hope you someday get to see David George Gordon, The Bug Chef, and one of the real pioneers in entomophagy.

Bent River Trading Company posted: “When Steve Bailes comes to visit, You Eat Bugs! I’m honored to try my first cricket with Mr.Bailes! #eatmorebugs#crunchycrickets check out http://stevebailes.org/blogs/entotreats/ for more information on health & bugs!” (and insect protein products like Cricket Flours.

Thanks, Kiersten. I always enjoy seeing what’s new at Bent River Trading Company. By the way, Kiersten’s store features WV products (150 WV vendors?) exclusively. Kiersten said she would add insects-as-food products if we can find a WV insects-as-food dealer.

All in all, it was a great day in the insect cuisine world.

Buggy Jam

The company and the tunes were great the other evening at . Thanks to Betsy and Elizabeth Podsiadlo who hosted the old time jam at the Honeybee Studio.  I think the tunes were really turbo charged by the cricket Bug Out Bars. You can read more about the founders of Bug Out Bars here. And here is the Bug Out Bars website. Michael at Bug Out Bars wrote: “New customers can get 30% off their first purchase with code ENTOTREATS30.”

There is some talk of another jam in North River Mills. I will plan to have some insect based delicacies. Musicians can see if insect protein helps them nailing those old tunes. You can order your own here  (a list of producers. If you want big order discounts or free shipping you can team up with somebody in the Bug Co-op group.

• 

  Old time jam at Honeybee (Photo by Alana Hartman)

• 

• 

  Michael Chesher, Co-Founder Bug Out Bar

• 

  Tim Roth, Co-Founder Bug Out Bars

• 

  Our hostess, Betsy

Edible Insects at the Museum

I hate Covid 19, and the challenges it places of so many aspects of our lives, but… One up side is the access we have to experts who are offering amazing classes virtually.

How many of you have been curious about eating bugs. Could it be good for you? Could it really be good for the planet? Could bugs actually taste good? But… you just aren’t ready to pop something in your mouth when you see the antennae and six egs. The good news is– you don’t have too! There are so many ways to enjoy bugs, and you wouldn’t know insects were an ingrediant unless somebody told you.

So, The Natural History Society of Maryland is hosting an event, Edible Insects: An Introduction to Entomophagy, Monday, November 23, 2020 at 7 PM. They posted:

“This Thanksgiving, why not spice up the traditional menu with some insects. Entomophagy is the consumption of insects as a human food source.

Are you ready to have crickets on your salad or mealworms in your burger? This could be the future of the human diet as insects play an increasing role in providing human protein. Join us as we explore Entomophagy. Find out what insects are eaten, their nutritional value and their role in agriculture. View some live insects used as food and learn how you can prepare them in a live cooking demo. Elizabeth Hill, Principal Agent Associate with the University of Maryland Extension, is a 4-H educator that teaches entomology to youth and adult audiences.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.marylandnature.org/get-involved/events/event/edible-insects-an-introduction-to-entomophagy/

The suggested donation for this event is $5. NHSM understands that the pandemic has adversely impacted many. It shouldn’t impact access to education. Therefore, a free option is also available.
Zoom meeting info is included in the email you get once you are registered.

Please direct any questions regarding this program to bstrong@marylandnature.org”

I’d love to hear from you if you participate in this event.

And when you need insect based products, you can find a list of producers here. If you don’t want to make a large order, but you might like to get the larger order discount, you might check out and/or join Bug Co-op.

Bug Appetit!

Cricket Crispies (and Other Taste Treats)

If you can’t harvest insects from your garden, there are many suppliers today. Here is one of my new favorite bug desserts.

Terry Lynn and I teamed up to make an apple pie. (“Can she make an apple pie, Stevie boy, Stevie boy…” By the way, there are some great apples available locally. If you want recommendations, let me know. (My former students often commented that I flitted from one topic to another. My lessons might have been compared to watching a ping pong game, but ping pong is just back and forth. Imagine a bunch of ping pong balls being smacked in every possible direction.)

So… I believe we were talking about insects and apple pie. (There is a connection. ) When the pie is done, sprinkle “cricket crispies”. If you have not tried it already, I would encourage you to do so. The crickets gave a slightly nutty flavor, but mostly, the crickets imparted a nice crunch.

There really are some great insect based products. And they often offer deals and discounts. I have many producers listed here.

And there is a Bug Co-op in case you want to try insect products, but you don’t want to spend a lot. The Coop allows you to purchase small orders at big order prices.

Happy fall and bug appetit!

Be Like John

John the Baptist that is. I don’t see much benefit in wearing the camel hair shirt, but his diet…

I was excited to receive a package from Biblical Protein. (Click the link for more information or check out their Twitter , Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn page. They sent whole locusts (hargol חרגול in Hebrew) and honey (for dipping?). They also sent energy bars made with locusts. And a new insect protein. Biblical Protein argues that COVID is not the first airborne plague– locusts 1 of the 10 plagues in the Passover story

As I child I knew of grasshoppers, and I THOUGHT I knew locusts were those bugs that came every seventeen years (properly known as perennial cicadas.) Locusts are actually grasshoppers that, like the cicadas, tend to swarm (think Biblical plague). Basically, lone hoppers are grasshoppers. Swarms are called locusts. If you want to read more click here.

The story of John the Baptist who lived on locusts and honey can be found in Matthew 3:4. Locusts, the only kosher insect, are listed in Leviticus 11:22. They are also mentioned in the Iliad, the Mahabharata,  and the Quran. Locusts were generally considered a problem– a plague. But this six year old company sees grasshoppers not as a plague, but as providence.

Dror Tamir (co-founder of Hargol FoodTech which produces Biblical Protein) is the public figure, promoting the benefits of eating locusts. Hargol farm is based near Nazareth and the Golan Heights near the Jordan River. They have plans to work with a a Jordanian business, which would seem to promote peaceful cooperation between formerly warring nations.

Hargol has posted a fascinating video tour of their facility. (You can see it at 15 minutes here.) The locusts are raised on wheat grass. It seemed odd to me that the locusts thrive on being crowded– “the more the better.” Grasshoppers, katydids and crickets are the only kosher insects.

I know insects are hard for many in North America to consider as a food source, but globally locusts are the most common insect eaten.

Insects raised for food produce only 1/4 as much greenhouse gas as the conventional meat industry. I think Hargol maintains the reduce greenhouse gases by 98.8%. I often find myself skeptical of claims made by the insect protein companies. But even if some of their claims are partly true, shouldn’t we look closer at their data. In addition to decreasing greenhouse gases, insect farming requires dramatically less water and land usage. Hargol maintains grasshoppers need one thousand times less water to produce 1 kg protein than say beef production. They say grasshoppers require one thousand five hundred times less land.

I have heard people asking how insect protein fits with vegetarian or vegan concerns. Dror, of Biblical Protein, argues that a vegetarian diet often requires much heavy use of insecticides. The insects are killed with poisons and left to die. Insect farming requires no pesticides. When the insects are ready to harvest, they are simply chilled. Then they are killed humanely and processed.

I am a beef farmer. I see a great difference in the amount of food and water required, to produce protein. I see a great difference in the amount of land required. And my cows generally give me one calf each year. Grasshoppers breed and produce all year long. There is very little processing required as grasshopper are already 17% protein. When I butcher my beef, I lose more than half of the cow’s mass. Hargol can use 100% of locust.

What are the health benefits of eating locusts? “They are low in carbs and practically fat-free. They also contain a wealth of minerals: iron, zinc, folic acid – an essential for pregnant women – as well as omega-3, omega-6 and vitamins. What’s hardly there? Cholesterol and saturated fat,”

There are many challenges facing Hargol. It is the first commercial operation to domesticate locusts. Light population density, humidity, and temperature must be maintained at very exact levels.

So, are you ready to try locusts? You can order locust products from their website listed at the beginning of this article. If you are going “hard core”– eating whole locusts, Dror recommends you remove the wings. If you want to ease your way into entomophagy (eating bugs) you might start with the locust powder. Insects are typically very mild flavored, so you often taste the spices or other ingredients. Hargol is creating locust and beef sausages, and honey locust gummies.

And again, John the Baptist ate honey and locusts. Be like John.

If you want to check out other companies that supply insect protein you might check out my entotreats page.

Cricket Kale Puddin’

If you know my Terry Lynn, you know I am blessed with a patient supportive wife. My turn to cook Tuesday night. (I know. I am seeing some of you shudder.) I had a recipe for Kale Puddin’.  I asked Terry Lynn if she would mind if I threw in a 1/2 cup or so of crickets. I know she was not thrilled, but she said OK. If anybody wants the recipe, I will be glad to share it.  I may have taken a few too many liberties with the recipe. (e.g. we didn’t have rice, so I substituted 1st summer squash and then spaghetti pasta.)

An Arlington, VA classmate Peter Gundelfinger wrote: “The Whole Earth Catalogue had an entry in the ‘70s with insect recipes. It said, in the war on insects, if we can’t beat ‘em, we’ll eat ‘em!”

Just add the crickets or mealworms with the kale in the food processor.

Bug Appetit!

Mystery Bug Berry Sludge Pie

I’m worried.  I know there are plenty of reasons to worry.  (1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”)  But IF I was going to worry, I think I would worry about my eldest granddaughter.  IF I was going to worry, I would worry that she inherited the “crazy gene” from her mom and my sweet wife, bless her heart.  (Hint: you can get away with saying lots of things if you add “sweet” and “bless her heart.”)

Back to my granddaughter…  many of us are finding the need to phone those we love.  So during the phone chat, I told my granddaughter, Pipes,  This is the granddaughter who helped me serve bugs to the  The Gateway Bug screening at ACFF (w/ special tasting) in 2017 at Shepherd University (Click here if you want to read more about that.)  One of Pipes’ aspirations was to become a baker.  So I thought I would share my newest baking adventure.

• I began with the directions, “Start with a jar of mystery berry sludge…”  Now at this point normal people are supposed to exclaim something like, “That’s gross!”  But Pipes interrupted me with, “Wait a minute.  I need to write this down.”  So I continued with directions as follows:
• (I am NOT a baker, so I pulled a double pie crust dough out of the freezer.)
• Preheat the the oven to 425 F.
• Bring 2 1/2 C. of the mystery berry sludge to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  (I really don’t know what it was.  It looked like blackberry, but it had no seeds.  I probably ran berries through a Squeezo.  But they were more tart than I would expect of blackberries.)
• Add 1/4 cup of sugar.  (I found out it needs more sweetener.  You can add a dollop of ice cream when it is served.)
• Make a thick paste with 2 Tbs. of corn starch.  Add that to boiling sludge.  (I REALLY think I need another term if this is to be socially acceptable, but synonyms don’t sound any better: muck, mire, ooze, silt, alluvium, slime, viscous mixture.)
• Add 2 C. dried apples from an unknown archaeological era.
• Add a couple pinches of salt.
• I smear Crisco on a 9 ” pie pan.
• Melt 2 Tbs. of butter.  Coat the top of the bottom pie crust (to prevent the sludge from soaking into the crust.)
• Pour the mystery berry sludge and the dried apples into the pie crust.
• Add another 2 Tbs. of butter.
• Add the top crust.
• Brush on an additional 2 Tbs. of butter and sprinkle sugar on top.
• Bake at 425 F for 15 min.  Reduce the heat the 350 F and bake for an additional 30 min.

Finally!  I know this is what you were waiting for.  (This is a bug blog after all.)  Sprinkle your favorite bug garnish on top for a nice nutty kick. The photo shows Entomo Farms dried crickets and Livin Farms mealworms.  My web host migrated my website, and now my bug page is (temporarily?) unavailable.  Here is a site that listsento-companies.

As a bonus, I added photos of Terry Lynn’s muffin with bug toppings.

So, in conclusion, I will admit I am not really worried about Pipes or any of the other crazy ladies in my life.  They are indeed crazy, but I love them just the way they are.

Stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance– and try not to worry.  Bug appetit!

Steve