We DO buy quite a bit from Amazon, so I understand it might be difficult to determine our consumer pattern, but how did it come to this?

Hello, Andrew… Amazon has some recommendations for you:

• Edible Insects Sampler Pack of 3- Crickets- Bacon & Cheese, Larvets- BBQ & Chocolate Dipped Insects
• Larvets- BBQ

Well… I wasn’t interested in these particular items… but it did get me thinking about what else is available in the world of entomophagy. It must be marginally popular if it’s turning up in Amazon suggestion lists. Turns out that there is quite a bit available, and much of it looks practical, inexpensive, and… of course… good for you. Apparently eating bugs (and crickets in particular) is one of the easiest ways to ingest solid protein.

Banana peanut bug bites for the Rhodesian Ridgeback?

Like every new food, however, it must first pass the “Hogan survived eating it” test. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are the perfect food tasters; when they lost their job chasing lions, they were used as poison detectors for South African kings. Like most dogs, Ridgebacks will readily eat anything, but our Ridgeback carries the canine curse of a weak stomach, so he’s an excellent gauge of a food’s toxicity. Hogan’s now awaiting a package of Banana Peanut Bug Bites.

If Hogan survives, I think I’ll spring for some cricket flour. It can be baked into banana or other quick breads. There are a ton of recipes for this stuff. Here’s the banana bread recipe from Entomo Farms:

Ingredients

1/3 cup (35 g) Entomo Protein 2050 cricket powder (cricket flour)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ cup organic granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
¼ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
3 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (approx 2 to 3 medium)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F, 9×5 loaf pan-buttered
2. In a bowl sift together cricket powder, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl blend sugar, egg, egg white, yogurt, oil and vanilla.   Blend in the bananas. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
4. Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.