Easy Protein source and its everywhere.

People are always worried about finding protein while on the run. If its a real emergancy and your going to die if you dont find food fast what do you do? Start Digging.
The ground is riddled with worms. One shovel scoop equals a mouth full of earth worms. In 5 scoups of earth you can be well fed and back on the road.
There are tons of other edible plants and berries floating around to mix in with your worms for texture and flavor.
All year long there are worms. Even during the coldest time of the year. You just need to dig a little deeper.
Hungry? Grab a shovel.

Worms taste pretty nasty. I had ate one last year. I think if you eat it with something else at the same time it shouldnt be so bad. I just wonder how much protien is in the average worm? Can i get sick off of them?

[edit on 31-1-2009 by ChilledVoodoo]

The biggest source of protein on the planet is insects in general,

Worms of course included in that......

Insects have a 400% higher protein level than Beef per gram....

So you are correct OP..... S+F for you, i have a feeling your thread could in fact save someone's life in the future

i have tasted earthworms, and they don't taste good in anyway but maybe if you cut them open and scrape the indsides out , so you just eat the muscle it might be ok, you could even fry them with some wild onions and herbs

reply to post by Darkice19


Dry them out and then grind them into a powder.

This can then be added to other foods, or liquids.

Makes it a lot more palatable than just eating some wriggling invertebrate you've just dug out the ground. Also makes it easier to pass off to maybe more squeamish family members.

As with the "muddy" flavour of river fish does earth-worm flavour come from its diet?

If so (and again ITSHTF it's unlikely to be a high priority) is there a way of purging it prior to cooking?

Whatever you do, please don't eat raw insects or more than one or two uncooked worms, folks. They can carry the same parasites and intestinal bacteria as any other animal can. Especially grasshoppers/locusts. It's not a bad source of protein if you're in a survival scenario, but a bad case of the trots will leave you far worse off than you were before you ate them... Not to mention the fact that some of those parasites are virtually impossible to get rid of and will leave you very sick until you get medical attention or die from dehydration.

Btw: I can't say for worms, but prior to cooking and eating grasshoppers, it is advisable to remove the intestinal tract. This is easily done by pinching their bung and carefully pulling out the entire digestive tract.

It's not a pleasant thought. Most people wouldn't be able to suppress their gag reflex in order to eat a fresh worm, and depending on what's in the worm, it may not be a great idea. All sorts of nasty pathogens swarm in moist earth, and that's where worms live and eat and defecate.

Eating them on the run? Why? My philosophy is to carry at least enough food to get me where I'm going, at which point I can go about the process of insuring I keep getting food, traps, nets, foraging, hunting, etc...

Earthworms and insects in general are a great source of protein, but you really should either purge them first (starve them for a day or two), or empty the contents of their intestine manually and sun dry them so they can be ground into a powder and added to other, slightly less disgusting dishes.

Good for adding to broth/stew especially - you won't taste it, but it will give you a nice helping of protein.

I don't know that I'd ever eat them raw and unwashed unless pushed to the absolute brink of starvation, simply because, in my mind, the benefit of a few grams of protein is outweighed by the risk of catastrophic dehydration (however small). Just doesn't seem like a good bet.

Well, there is Insect protein extract you can buy over the counter that is awesome for bodily health... but all posters are correct (dont eat raw insects) but a deep fried insect is so so healthy you would not believe.... I have spent half my life in Asia and insects are part of the stable diet as long as you know what to do.......

Google is your friend in this topic!

I can remember watching a TV series back in the 1980's that was following a group of prospective Mountain Leaders for the Royal Marine Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre. They were introduced to earthworms.

The worms were first starved, then sun dried, powdered/ground up and then mixed into an Omelette.

Remember that there are many pathogens that live naturally in the soil like Staph Aureus and Psuedomonus (sp), so eating raw worms is not a particularly good or bright idea.

While on my worldly travels I came across many lovely edible insects, some I actually enjoyed

Anyone here tried a Mopani/Mopane worm?
Gorgeous fat grub found behind the bark of a tree!

travel.webshots.com...

en.wikipedia.org...

Yum!



I found it a little salty and it took 5 mins to chew it!

[edit on 1-2-2009 by zerozero00]

Originally posted by ChilledVoodoo
Worms taste pretty nasty. I had ate one last year. I think if you eat it with something else at the same time it shouldnt be so bad. I just wonder how much protien is in the average worm? Can i get sick off of them?

[edit on 31-1-2009 by ChilledVoodoo]

Did you squeeze it out first? When you pick up a worm you'll see a brownish line going through it. That line is earth, digested and undigested. Simply grab the worm at one end and gently squeeze then holding that pressure move your fingers downwards and the worm will empty itself. They taste a lot better after this

However i have to agree that eating them raw is not a good idea and making fire is very easy so it shouldn't be an issue.

[edit on 1-2-2009 by ImaginaryReality1984]

It only take seconds to cook worms and insects. Be sure not to cook too long.

If you don't want to chew them then roll them in the palm of your hand and swallow the little balls of worm or insect matter without chewing.

This is also the preferable way to eat your human buddies when stranded and one dies. I won't go any further on those instructions.

Plants, they're a heck of a lot more safe, plentiful and better nutritionally, I can go to anywhere in the U.S. and eat a plant off the ground if I need something to eat, dandy lions for example, one of the best things you could ever eat if your in a survival situation, or even if you just want something to eat. Just don't eat the stems.

Not the best source for protein, just 3% of the DV in one cup.

"This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese."

www.nutritiondata.com...

Truth is, protein isn't as good as enzymes, those are what you need, enzymes and vitamins/nutrients.

-Lahara

reply to post by Darkice19


Thank you for posting this!

This is right up there with pine needles having 5x the vitamin C as oranges. And that knowledge is already historically known to have saved lives.


Now enzymes.... if I'm not mistaken those are in raw meat, potentially along with a lot of undesirable things. That'll be my next nut to crack.

Plants, they're a heck of a lot more safe, plentiful and better nutritionally, I can go to anywhere in the U.S. and eat a plant off the ground if I need something to eat

Certainly preferable when they're around, but here, in the winter, the vegetation is more scarce and what is left does not look particularly appetizing. I guess you can say protein is protein but I also believe in the quality of the materials. The whole "you are what you eat" thing.

[edit on 1-2-2009 by bsbray11]

The best way to think and feel like a beast is to eat it. Animals have a kinetic heart center. The flesh of any animal holds the desires of that creature. Plant life does not have a kinetic heart center they can recognize and respond to stimulus but not via desires. That is why plant life is a much more benign food source. A single potato has sufficient daily protein for a sedentary person.

reply to post by ReelView


Yes but most people aren't sedentary and you most certainly won't be lying around relaxing in a survival situation.

Yummy: BBQ insects and worms! I've not tried those but at least I won't starve in case of 'emergency'.