Originally published by LawnStarter.
What are the best states to harvest edible wildlife and explore unique culinary experiences?
To highlight the growing interest in foraging and harvesting edible species, LawnStarter ranked 2024’s Top States to Try Edible Insect and Wildlife Cuisine.
We compared all 50 U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia, based on 4 categories. We considered the number of edible species, restaurants serving insects, and Google search interest, among 8 total metrics.
California (No. 1), Florida (No. 5), New York (No. 2), Illinois (No. 8), and Texas (No. 11) are buzzing with interest in eating bugs, topping Google searches on the topic. All but Texas made it into the top 10 of our ranking, though high interest shows that even the Lone Star state is catching the bug-eating wave.
Bug-loving states are cheffing up insect dishes. California leads the way with 21 restaurants, followed by New York, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, and Colorado. These states are normalizing entomophagy, making it easier for adventurous eaters to enjoy edible insects through cuisines like Mexican, Thai, Japanese, and African.
Roadkill harvesting is gaining traction as an unconventional source of edible wildlife. It’s fully legal in New Hampshire (No. 30) and allowed with limitations in 42 other states. Find a unique celebration of this practice at the Autumn Harvest Festival and Roadkill Cook-off in West Virginia (No. 38).
California (No. 1), Massachusetts (No. 7), and Maine (No. 43) have some of the best climates for harvesting edible wildlife, balancing sunshine with fewer hot days. While Maine’s interest is a bit lower, the locals still love their bugs. Mainers enjoy a variety of insects like grasshoppers, ants, stink bugs, and tomato hornworms. Speaking of Maine, did you know lobsters are most closely related to insects?
How does Maryland stack up in some key metrics (1st = Best)?
- Food Establishments Serving Edible Insects – 18th
- Percentage of Sunshine – 36th
- Incidence of Rabies – 2nd
- Google Search Interest – 17th
