I attended the Bois D' Arc Primitive Skills Camp & Knap In, in Missouri, in 2017. One of the reasons I attended was to participate in the Edible Insects class, conducted by Bo Brown. We gathered in the early morning, and set out walking the perimeter of a open field looking for bugs. We managed to find grasshoppers, crickets, grubs, and some wolf and orb spiders. We even opened some mud dabber nests to harvest the larvae. I've eaten bugs before but I still have some mental blocks eating insects, that require making a "shift". Bo Brown preached that all life is precious, and encouraged us to give thanks for their sacrifice that we might learn and be nourished. We took the wings and lower hooked legs off the grasshoppers, and cooked the insects to kill any parasites. I watched one young participant, Celeste, tentatively eat a wolf spider, and then go on to clean up any left overs. Eating insects is all a state of mind. I thought it was interesting that the United Nations released a paper years ago stating that using insects as a protein source would become a necessity to feed growing populations. Insects are highly nutritious in protein and vitamins compared equally to beef. Many native populations relied on the seasonal crops of insects to supplement their food sources. This summer I look forward to the influx of June bugs, a staple of some of Plains Indians.
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