Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Chocolate Covered Grasshoppers

Ok, so it's way past my bedtime, and I decided I might respond to a few of the comments on my last blog. Momo suggested she might try a chocolate covered grasshopper with me. Maybe they'll induce labor!!

Before I got around to commenting on comments, ADHD kicked in, and I decided that maybe I could really find some of those suckers on the internet, and send them to everyone I know.


Hey, I DID find them, and I could buy them! $40 or so would get me that box above. Bugs and Grubs, and...something...are included.

Shrewd consumer that I am, however, I did further research. Robert J. Lew, on Amazon.com, had this to say about the product pictured above:

I didn't find the quality of the chocolate covered insects to be any more agreeable than the ones that I make at home for a fraction of the cost. 3 giant Hersheys bars cost less than 4 bucks. Handfull of random insects (I recommend Daddy-long-legs) are free.

WHAT? You can make these at home? What in the heckity-heck must a chocolate covered Daddy-long-legs look like? Hey, are you supposed to kill them first, or dip them alive? Do they scream, like lobsters?

More research is in order.

Recipes! Holy crap, Lisa, are you reading this? There's a recipe for Fried Green Tomato Hornworms!!

NPARL: Just for Kids, has recipes for Garlic-Butter Fried Grasshoppers, Slug Fritters, and Insect Crunch.

Look at this one:

DRY ROASTED GRASSHOPPERS

Directions:

Spread fresh, frozen and cleaned insects on paper towels on a cookie sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for
1-2 hours until desired state of dryness is reached. Check state of dryness by attempting to crush
insect with spoon.

What? First I have to catch them...do I kill them before I freeze them or do I just toss them in the freezer and run? And then I have to clean them? How in the hell do I clean a grasshopper? I don't have to de-bone it, do I?

HALP! I need more instructions! What in the heck is my desired state of a grasshopper?! I'm not sure, but I imagine that "over-easy" isn't going to be done enough for me.

I have to confess, I was half-bluffing with the closing statement of my last entry. Embellishing. But only because I didn't have a bag o' grasshoppers on hand.

Heh.

Who's with me?!! It IS grasshopper season after all.

Next Friday, people.

My House.

BYOG.

Photo credit goes to me.

15 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:30 AM

    On the Discovery Channel one of the survival shows (I can't remember which one) the host was eating grasshoppers. He said to clean a hopper you just hold them and grab their head and twist and pull. Then he said that hoppers carried a multitude of bacteria and it was important to cook it thoroughly. I'm not a bug lover but I don' think I could twist the little fella's head off.

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  2. Anonymous7:44 AM

    I think I'll hold off on the grasshoppers until I need to eat one to survive. I wouldn't want to ruin the experience.

    I think you should try some locust - this is the year for them.

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  3. I will usually eat anything once but have a total hatred of beans.
    I had to do it..so sorry but you've been tagged:
    http://lastminutelyn.blogspot.com/2007/07/ive-been-tagged.html

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  4. OK...I've changed my mind if we have to kill them personally. I would just sit there and cry and cry, I'm sure.

    Remember the "whole fish" episode?

    :0)

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  5. "Remember that these recipes are ONLY for fun!" Yeah, right. What's fun about even thinking about eating insects?

    And I'm sorry, Hershey-bar guy, but if you are going to eat insects, you must at least use real chocolate.

    Thanks for the post, Lori, real appetizing—and I haven't even had breakfast yet!

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  6. I'd be in IF you did the cleaning! We had chocolate covered ants as a kid. They tasted like Goobers.

    Love your grasshopper picture :)

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  7. I'm there!!!!!!! As a recovering arachnaphobe, the spiders would kill me but grasshoppers? I'm there!

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  8. did you know I saw the chocolate covered grasshoppers on lolipop sticks...on the web...

    Like lolipop bugs or something like that....

    We can make some money off of this...it's catepillar season in my home...we have them crawling all over the place....

    catepillars on a stick..
    smothered in ....marshmallow..

    anyone in??

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  9. AZ: Pull their heads off after they're dead? And all that bacteria: no grasshopper sushi, huh?

    StFarmer: You're right, they probably would taste better if you were hungry. Really, really hungry. Locusts...yum!

    LML: I'll check out that tag. So you'll eat bugs over beans?

    Momo: We won't put a whole grasshopper on your plate. We'll dice it up in LoriRice.

    Lisa: Give 'em hell, only the finest chocolate for your grasshoppers. It's nice to know that even when you're grossed out, you still have standards.

    Wendy: Goobers? Were they little tiny goobers, or several ants bunched together to make a goober-sized snack? Tell your boys what I'll fix 'em when I'm come over!

    BostonPob: You can recover from arachnophobia? I don't know; I'm good to keep repeating "spiders are the good guys" over and over...but I don't want to touch me. Or my tongue.

    FrugalMom: Tsk. You were doing so well with new things.

    MaryP: I'm pretty sure the caterpillars already taste like marshmallows. Go ahead...taste one.

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  10. I used to watch Fear Factor ... I could do anything they put forth as a challenge ... except eat the "weirdness" they were served. From animal body parts (uncooked) to live insects. blech!

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  11. I recognise that dude at the end: he was my screensaver from a while back. Don't eat him! He's my friend (well, he doesn't talk to me or anything - that would just be crazy).

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  12. Anonymous4:53 PM

    Survivor guy was yanking heads off of live grasshoppers, after I commented I think it may not be bacteria they carry; it may be that they carry parasites – whatever; he suggested they be cooked until very crunchy.

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  13. Hi G

    Az is correct in they must be cooked well first to remove the parasites (this is a good idea with most wild edibles). I've never had the chocolate covered ones, seems to me like the chocolate would overwhelm the delicate taste of the grasshopper. My favorite is gutting them and stuffing them with blackberries before your fry them. We didn't twist their heads off either, just drained the brown yucky stuff out of their wee little faces first. All in all quite good...

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  14. You should come to Montreal. In the fall the Insectarium always hosts a bug-tasting.

    Hey, that's what I'll try. I'll go to the next bug tasting.

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