11 Edible Bugs and How to Eat Them

1 / 2
Lyrical, humourous, surprising, enlightening and thought-provoking by turns,
Lyrical, humourous, surprising, enlightening and thought-provoking by turns, "Unlearn, Rewild" will make you question what it means to be civilized. From edible insects to feral food preservation, Miles Olson offers radical sustainability skills and ideas for an uncertain future.
2 / 2
While foraging, hunting, gardening and gathering for his livelihood, Miles Olson’s experiences have given him a unique perspective on
While foraging, hunting, gardening and gathering for his livelihood, Miles Olson’s experiences have given him a unique perspective on "rewiliding," radical self-reliance, and the impact of civilization on the natural world.

Picture a world where human exists, like all other things, in balance. Where there is not separation between “human” and “wild.” Unlearn, Rewild by Miles Olson (New Society Publishers, 2012) blends philosophy with a detailed introduction to a rich assortment of endangered traditional living skills. In this excerpt, Olson introduces bugs as food and offers a short list of edible insects.

You can purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store:Unlearn, Rewild.

A Handful of Edible Bugs

Where I live there are definitely edible insects, but not in the same variation and abundance as other bioregions. I’ve read accounts of Paiute food gatherers burning a field of grass to expose (and roast) large quantities of grasshoppers, and indigenous Peruvians harvesting large amounts of edible tarantulas (with large, fatty butts) from caves. The insects I mention here are widely distributed, but perhaps where you live there is an abundance of a certain edible species specific to that area? It’s worth looking into.

  • Published on May 30, 2013
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368