CRICKETS FOR SURVIVAL
Crickets live in shallow tunnels dug beneath stones or dirt or in clumps of plant matter. Males can often be heard calling females for mating at night when they are more active. Most species are found in grasslands and forest, but many others can also be found near seashores, in marches, trees and caves.
TELLING THE TEMPERATURE WITH A CRICKET
A cricket’s chirp can help you determine the temperature. Crickets won’t chirp if it is warmer than a hundred degrees or less than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Count the number of chirps sounding in a 15 second span of time. To this total, add 40. Your result will be the temperature in Fahrenheit. To determine the temperature in Celsius, count the chirps heard within 25 seconds, divide by three, then add four.
LIVE BAIT
Using crickets as live bait, you can catch fresh fish. Cricket fishing is well suited to shoreline fishing as it is most effective within 15 feet of the banks of small lakes.
Secure your hook to the fishing line and then place the cricket onto the hook. Firmly grasp the cricket between your fingers and thumb while you insert the hook. I’ve found some instructions that recommend inserting the barb behind the cricket’s head, into the thorax, and then pushing the hook along the length of the body, exiting the barb just beneath the tail, at the rear of the abdomen. This is in contrast to experienced fishermen that state the hook should be inserted at the rear, threaded through the body and exit just behind the head, through the thorax. Fish will attempt to suck your bait off of your hook and this method helps prevent loss of the cricket without hooking a fish.
A discarded can will serve well as a fishing reel. Anchor the free end of your fishing line and cast the baited hook into the water. Wrap your line around the can to bring the hook back. Continue to cast and reel in your line until you have a fish.
A SOURCE OF FOOD
Crickets reproduce twenty times faster than cattle raised for food. Over the span of three or four weeks, over 1,000 eggs can be laid by a female. Crickets require a fraction of the space and food needed to raise other forms of meat. These insects are twice as efficient at meat production as pigs or chickens. They can supply meat at a rate that is four times that of sheep and six times that of cattle, after deductions for trimming and dressing.
The meat from crickets provide protein and other nutrients. One hundred grams of cricket meat contains 3% carbohydrate, 6% fat and 21% protein in addition to 21 mgs calcium. For each gram dry weight of cricket meat there is 63 to 122 milligrams of fatty acid (linoleic acid & a0linolenic acid), copper, magnesium and iron. All of this is available for the cost of vegetable table scraps.
HERDING CRICKETS
A series of large trenches would be dug by the Paiute people as a means of catching crickets. Dry straw would be placed over this. Then the crickets would be driven into the trenches. Next, the straw was set ablaze and the crickets were roasted. Bushels of the roasted crickets were then gathered to be ground into flour used to bake protein-rich bread.
FARMING CRICKETS
Raising your own crickets will ensure that you have a ready supply that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals. Put about two inches of soil in the bottom of a large aquarium. Egg cartons can be placed inside to serve as roosts. Provide water by placing wet cotton balls inside. Grated vegetables and scraps of grains should be left inside for food. Take the time to lightly mist the soil every few days. Secure the aquarium with a tight-fitting lid because crickets are escape artists and will try to get away whenever you open the lid.
PREPARING TO EAT
Place in a colander your selection of crickets. Use cheesecloth or wire screening to quickly cover this and keep the insects contained. Run water over the top to rinse them thoroughly. Shake the excess water from the container. Seal the crickets in a container and place this in the freezer for 15 minutes. While this length of time will be enough to kill the crickets, it will not be enough time to freeze them. Take them out of the freezer and rinse the crickets once more. Depending on your personal preference, the legs, wing cases and heads can be removed. The legs can be painful to swallow and will sometimes get stuck in the teeth. Crickets can be consumed raw, but they can also be dehydrated or roasted and incorporated into your recipes.
TAKE PRECAUTIONS
Be careful when selecting crickets for food. Avoid those found near or in residential areas as these might have been exposed to chemical insecticides or herbicides.
Below Ray Mears demonstrates using a can as a fishing reel.
It's towards the end of this short video:
HOW TO MAKE A MUSTARD PLASTER
Plasters made with mustard can be used to effectively treat coughs and congestion. Additionally, this treatment can help ease pain and aches that arise from inflammation. The mustard plaster’s vapor helps ease congestion. The warmth of the plaster increases blood flow and oxygenation of the area.
MAKING A MUSTARD PLASTER
In a small container, place 2 cups of flour and combine with 4 tablespoons of dry mustard, blending with a fork. If you haven’t any dried mustard, you can use prepared mustard. While you continue to stir, add a little warm water until you have a paste-like consistency. Smear this paste onto half of a swatch of flannel or cotton cloth (about 12 inches by 6 inches). Fold the cloth in half so that the paste is sandwiched in the middle. Heat your oven to its lowest setting and warm the cloth on a baking sheet inside for 5 minutes. Don’t leave it longer as the plaster could overheat or harden. Remove the warmed plaster from the oven. NEVER MICROWAVE YOUR PLASTER.
HOW TO USE YOUR PLASTER
To apply your plaster, wear a thin undershirt and place the plaster on your chest. The plaster should never make direct contact with the skin. If preferred, you may make two plasters and apply one to your chest and one to your back. On top of this, place a blanket or towel and relax for fifteen to twenty minutes.
CAUTIONS
Remove the plaster if you detect irritation, blistering, red or painful skin. The plaster treatment should not last longer than one half hour. To save ingredients, you can use half as much of the recipe for small children. Children younger than six years old and fragile older persons aren’t usually good candidates for this treatment.
Wait 4 hours between applications which can be continued until symptoms improve.
DISCLAIMER
The purpose of this article is for information only. Persons utilizing these methods assume all liability. This article is not a substitute for the care of a trained health professional.
