the meal in mealworm

Welcome to week three of my blog! To view older posts, scroll down or visit the archives on the right hand side.

A Bug's Life: Week 3

In last week's post, I talked about the research I am working on to create an optimal environment for my farm. This week, I wanted to talk a little bit about why mealworms are phenomenal insects. Mealworms are high in protein and have a nutty flavor. They are commonly roasted and eaten whole or ground into protein powder. 

In addition to being a sustainable food source, mealworms also produce frass (excrement and exoskeleton) which is an excellent fertilizer. Their diet can be almost anything, from composting your food scraps to breaking down your plastic waste. 

Food For Thought: Diet Changes Over Time

It's hard to imagine foods we don't readily eat, like insects, becoming a part of our everyday diet in the future. But the truth is, many foods we regularly eat today used to be considered gross. Perhaps the most well known example is lobster. In the 1700's, lobsters were plentiful on the shores of North America, making them a source of cheap protein. Lobster was considered a poor man's food and was used in prisons. By the late 1800's restaurants in the northern U.S. began to serve lobster at higher prices, and by World War 2 lobster was considered a delicacy. Caviar and oysters have a similar origin story; they started out as cheap, stigmatized protein sources before climbing the social ladder. As the healthy super-food trend has grown over the past decade, foods such as kale and quinoa are popular in the United States for the first time ever. While eating insects may seem odd for now, cultural and agricultural trends may change the way we view eating them in the future.

Sustainability Spotlight: Plastic Free Month!​

July is plastic free month! This global movement encourages people to reduce their single-use plastic waste for the month of July and beyond. The website  offers plenty of ideas on how to reduce plastic waste in your home, school, and community. Currently, I use reusable bags, cups, and straws to reduce my plastic waste. Starting this month, I'm going to try bulk grocery shopping and sustainable shower items to further reduce the amount of plastic packaging I use.

Check out the video below to see Cesar Majorana try this challenge!