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Discovering The “Meal” In Mealworms

Ken — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:00:47 +0000

Until recently the “edibles” portion of my classes have centered around local indigenous plants. For some folks this holds great interest, but for others, they patiently wait through the lecture and stir a little when going on an outdoor identification hike.

Recently I had the opportunity to teach a combined class of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts filled with bright kids who came packaged with a short attention span. Being able to handle different plants and taste them did help to keep them focused. But what drew the most attention was when I took out a container of mealworms and announced that I would be cooking some for everyone to eat.

I used a small wood burning trail stove for my fire source and heated a bit of cooking oil in a Sierra Cup. while I prepared the stove, the Scouts separated the mealworms from the cornmeal that they come packaged in. when the oil got hot as evidenced by the wavy/watery appearance, I dropped the mealworms in that produced quite a crackling sound that drew everyone’s attention. After a short time they began to brown and I let them cool a little before offering them to the Scouts and their parents. To my delight, after first sampling a few myself, almost everyone clambered for their own to taste. The consensus was that they taste a lot like pork rinds which is a familiar taste to this group who grew up amidst the Southern cuisine. I heard one parent say “most people don’t realize how many mealworms they have eaten that were inadvertently included in their corn bread over the years.

In an emergency situation, you can eat bugs raw, but if at all possible, I recommend roasting or frying them first to kill any potential parasites or bacteria. You might be surprised to know that 1/3 of the world’s population include insects in their diet, so you can see that mealworms are a viable food source.

Survival Class At Turtle Island Preserve

Ken — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:12:37 +0000

This last Saturday I had the privilege of being a guest instructor at Turtle Island Preserve. With 100 Cub Scout visitors from Pack 175 traveling from Decatur GA there was a lot going on. The Scouts and their parents were assigned to smaller groups that were able to attend 3 out of 15 possible instructional activities throughout the day. I was the instructor for the survival activity and my students and I had lots of fun, especially with the “hands-on” portion. The photo shows the underlying structure of a debris hut that the Scouts assembled during our shelter portion.
It was not just the Scouts who learned survival skills, but their parents as well who in some ways were more excited than their sons. I am no exception to learning skills as the adults shared from their experiences that will most probably become topics in future articles.
Throughout the day we experienced sunshine and rain but it didn’t dampen the spirits of those who attended. You can visit the website of Turtle Island Preserve at http://turtleislandpreserve.org/programs to see how their programs might fit your interests or those of your group.

Cub Scout Class

Ken — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:54:23 +0000

Just over a week ago I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a Cub Scout Patrol Meeting (Pack 399). This was a new experience for me as the main audience’s age was 9-11 years old. Rather than plunging into conventional skills that I normally demonstrate, I chose to review the “Hug-A-Tree” program which was developed to teach children on how not to get lost, how to stay comfortable if they do get lost, and how to be spotted and found. I demonstrated how to use the trash bag and whistle that the program suggests to take on a picnic, hike, or camping trip.

But what would a survivaltek class be without some fire? At the request of the Cub Scout Master, I cooked an egg using hand sanitizer as fuel, and demonstrated how to make fire with flint and steel. But don’t worry, an impressive amount of parents were on hand and we all had fun together. It’s great having the opportunity to prepare the next generation for outdoor living and developing survival skills for the future.