Survival Note

Who knows what one might run into on the road, especially on sparsely populated stretches? What if one gets stranded and the food runs out? If such were the situation now, here in Tennessee, I would be fine: the 13-year cicadas have been emerging and will continue to do so for another week or so. They are easily gathered in the morning, when one is hungriest, off the blades of grass which they have climbed and cling to until the air and sun have dried their wings enough for them to fly up to the trees, where they will celebrate their week or two of life in air and light by singing and procreating.

After gathering them, dump them into boiling water; some suggest 2-3 minutes to kill any possible parasites but the main reason for boiling them first is to get them to stop moving and thereby make it easier, if you want, to separate their abdomen from the rest of the body before cooking them.

Left-over Cicada Crisps

In the survival, live-off-the-land scenario, you will fry them in the pan you brought for such emergencies—or roast them in the oven of the stove of an abandoned house. There will be enough gas in the rusting fuel tank you find next to the oven since it only takes a few seconds to roast the cicadas at 250°.  The cicadas can be eaten by themselves like peanuts or mixed in with an omelet made from the eggs of the two hens likely to be sheltering in the abandoned house. Why wouldn’t you just roast a chicken? Well, cicadas are easier to catch and prepare than chicken. But more importantly, you know that someone else might come by here facing the same situation and you do not want to diminish that person’s chances of finding food. One can feast on cicadas with clear conscience: there are plenty for everyone.
First picture is from the U of Michigan Museum of Zoology web site, linked above. They provide
info  about the various kinds of cicadas and life cycles but nothing about cooking them, 
strangely enough. Second picture was taken by Ukyeye, after I had cooked up a mess and had
my fill, leaving some for others to enjoy although none took advantage of this kindness.