Are you an adventurous eater or interested in eating insects? You’re in luck! Many places in Illinois are awash in periodical cicadas, and while we usually think of them as food for birds and small mammals, humans can eat them too. Check out this week’s Good Growing Podcast to learn how you can get in on the cicada-eating action. From Pesto Pizza to Cicada Sundaes, we’ve got you covered on how to collect, prepare, and enjoy periodical cicadas.

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/U_0K70ajACM 

Skip to what you want to know:  

  00:35 – Welcome, Ken! We are excited about eating cicadas!

  02:00 – Welcome, Kristin and Kacie! 

  03:07 – How to collect periodical cicadas for eating.

  06:35 – Any considerations or things to look out for when collecting periodical cicadas for eating?

  08:25 – Kristin, any hesitations, and how did you come up with the recipes? 

  11:00 – Periodical Pesto Pizz-zz-zz-za

  13:02 – Eating the blanched cicadas, what did they taste like?

  14:25 – More on the Periodical Pesto Pizz-zz-zz-za

  15:05 – Battered Cicadas with Spicy Lime Aioli

  17:37 – Cicada Sundae’s

  18:45 – Roasting cicadas

  20:02 – What we’re our favorite recipes?

  24:02 – Are there any benefits to eating insects?

  26:37 – Are periodical cicadas a practical food source? What insects are?

  29:10 – Where are insects eaten around the world? Getting over the cultural stigma of eating insects. 

  34:10 – How would we rate the meal?   

  36:48 – Wrap-up, thank yous, what’s up next week, and goodbye!

Cicada recipes: https://go.illinois.edu/CicadaRecipes

Contact us! 

Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu

Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu 

Kristin Bogdonas: kmbogdo@illinois.edu 

Kacie Athey: kathey@illinois.edu 

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

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