So Many People Attend, The Party Now Takes Austin’s Most Prestigious Park To Contain It.

Bring the kids! Bring yourself!
But leave everything you’ve been taught about good table manners at home.

We’re gonna eat bugs!

Entomophogy…The worldwide practice of eating insects (and spiders)
Big fat juicy ones, wee little skinny ones, we’re all gonna eat bugs.

Why not do it in a fun and friendly environment – you never know when you might really need it….

Marjory Wildcraft, Allen Davisson, and non-profit company Little Herds are teaming up again to create an amazing evening that you and your kids will be remember for the rest of your lives. If you have a camera, bring it! We will be preparing tasty treats of grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, katydids, bees, wasps, wormy things and if we’re lucky, a scorpion or two.

This will be a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bugs to share) party so start catching them early so we have lots! They can be stored in a bag in the freezer until the festival, but get an early start so we have a swarm.

• June Bugs are out now around the lights at night…. bag lots of them + freeze em.
• Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids… keep them alive overnight so they get a chance to “purge” then freeze em.
• Wasp nests… into a jar with the whole nest… NOTHING will be wasted.
• Wolf Spiders… put on a headlamp and their eyes glow like green laser emeralds at night. They taste like chicken but they’ll eat each other so keep em separate.
• Grubs…new on our menu this year… not for the faint of heart.
• Mealworms…. Usually from the pet store but we wouldn’t want to miss em!
• Scorpians – yum, yum, the best of the flavors – bring as many as you can. They show up yellow at night under a black light.

Bring any other insects you find and we will put Allen to the test to see if he knows the edibility of it.  Last year, the kids brought a walking stick and munched it down.  Ooossshh.

The Bug Festival is held at Zilker Park in the Rock Garden Picnic area (just a bit above the hill where the outdoor amphitheater is).  We are starting at 7:00pm and go until almost dark.  Saturday June 29th. Yup, the really interesting people will be there.

This is all you need to bring to the event your family will talk about for years to come:

• Bugs!
• Potluck dish of “normal” food for 8 hungry people
• Your own beverages (no glass bottles), but alcohol is allowed (and Marjory’s husband highly recommends lots of beer)
• A good story or joke
• An open mind
• $5 per adult if you pre-register here
• $7 for each grown-up (at the door)
• kids under 12 free

“It started as a small gathering behind my barn” says Marjory Wildcraft, the founder of the 7th Annual Bug Eating Festival which will be held in Austin’s Zilker Park on June 21st. “It’s just crazy how many people are into it now”.

Wildcraft likens eating a cricket to riding a roller coaster. “At first you are sayingno, no. no as the insect gets closer to your mouth. Then you actually eat it, and it tastes… sort of good. Then you get this rush of relief. It’s a ride.” says Wildcraft.

A love / hate relationship with eating insects.

Marjory Wildcraft is best known for her radio and television segments teaching people how to become free of supermarkets and drugstores. She is a leader in the transition and preparedness movements. In her video series “Grow Your Own Groceries” (http://www.GrowYourOwnGroceries.com) Wildcraft shows people how to produce half their own food in less than an hour per day.

Marjory wanted to explore food possibilities beyond gardens and small livestock. “I knew that insects are eaten all over the world, are rich in minerals, and have those precious omega fatty acids we all need. But I just never could get myself to eat them”.

The possibility of a good source of free nutritious food was too tempting.

Then she struck on an idea of throwing a big party and making it fun. She contacted Allen Davisson who was experimenting with eating insects to lead the party.

The party idea worked. Wildcraft ate some bugs. And it didn’t require too much beer.

But Wildcraft still had trouble with the “yuck” factor when she was alone.   “Every year I ask myself, am I ready to eat bugs all on my own without Allen and a big party?” So far the answer has been no. And apparently it is taking a while, as this is the seventh year for the festival.

Allen Davisson still takes the spotlight for the evening. In between grilling up and passing around plates of freshly cooked bugs, Allen offers the lore of edibility, preparing, cooking, and eating insects.

“The kids are usually crowded in the closest” says Davisson, “they just jump right in there and try everything. I’ve been amazed at how many kids confess they’ve been eating bugs all along”. Not surprisingly, the homeschooling community has been regulars at the event since its inception.

Both Kids and grown-ups bring jars of insects to see Allen cook them up and hear what he has to say about their edibility. Plates full of cooked insects come off the grill frequently and are passed through the crowd.

The part starts at 7pm in the Rock Garden Picnic Area of Zilker Park. Entry is only $7 for adults and free for children under 12. Register for the event early and get in for only $5 by clicking here

In addition to cooking up insects there will be booths and activities for adults and children alike.  A few of the many sponsors of the event are:

In.Gredients http://in.gredients.com/

Nimble Foods https://www.nimblefoods.com/

World Entomophagy http://www.worldento.com/

and Hopper Foods http://www.hopperatx.com/

The non-profit organization “Little Herds” http://www.littleherds.org/ is the coordinator for the event.

If you can’t make it to this years Festival you can purchase Allen Davisson’s ebook “The American Bug Eaters Handbook” available athttp://www.bugbanquet.com. The ebook comes with a bonus video of Allen showing you how to prepare most of the insects mentioned in the book. Davisson is also available to host a party in your community.

PS:  Rumor is we might have a bluegrass band playing during the evening too!