What To Do About All the Grasshoppers
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are around 120 species of grasshoppers in Montana and Wyoming. 12 species of grasshoppers around the world can turn themselves into "swarm-forming" locusts.
When stressed by food shortages and drought, these grasshoppers would change into a climax version of themselves, emerging as locusts with elongated wings needed to travel far from native ranges. -MontanaOutdoors.com
It's not locusts, it's a plague of grasshoppers popping up in huge numbers around the state. This map from the USDA shows infestation in the region with RED areas having more than 15 grasshoppers per square yard:
What can we do with this over supply of grasshoppers? In many countries, these insects are part of the daily diet. If you cover them in Cream of Mushroom soup and throw them in Mark Wilson's Crock Pot, they may not taste too bad.
Here's an actual recipe for GRASSHOPPER TACOS courtesy of Quericavida.com:
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 tomato
Olive oil, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste
1 chile de árbol, chopped
9 oz grasshoppers
Corn tortillas
Lemon, to taste
Directions:
- Peal and chop the onion and dice the tomatoes.
- Brown the onions in a pan with oil and add the tomatoes and cilantro. Incorporate the chopped pepper and the grasshoppers.
- Serve with corn tortillas, onion, cilantro and lemon.
Also called Chapulines, grasshoppers provide more protein than meat and many believe they will soon be widely used as sports protein powder and nutrition bars.
CLICK HERE for directions how to cook grasshoppers.
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