I've been growing red worms for some time now, as an outlet for my kitchen scraps. I'm moving, and I'll probably increase my production to to help feed the chickens I want to get. That got me thinking, can I eat red worms? I know they contain large amounts of protein, but I couldn't find anything on google that told me definitively one way or another. Thanks!

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 12:54 AM. Reason : .]

11/5/2009 12:52:04 AM

eww

11/5/2009 12:54:14 AM

Try it and let us know.

11/5/2009 12:55:11 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQHjYIojTs

Nobody likes me everybody hates me...

11/5/2009 1:21:49 AM

I couldn't fathom eating my red worms. It is nice seeing someone else here that does red worm composting though! That reminds me, I need to add more bedding tomorrow because the pumpkin guts I added last week made the compost moister than it should be.

11/5/2009 3:16:11 AM

Yes, you can eat them. Survival courses ftw, you don't actually feel them writhing around, just swallow whole and enjoy nutrients!

11/5/2009 7:48:01 AM

Quote :

"It is nice seeing someone else here that does red worm composting though!"

ditto!

11/5/2009 8:36:12 AM

I need some worms. I made a composter but I haven't picked up my worms yet.

11/5/2009 9:06:54 AM

I want to say that I got mine from http://www.redworms4sale.com/store/red-worms/ which was nice because they are in Raleigh.

11/5/2009 9:19:09 AM

how did you guys build your composters? or did you get one of those pre-built kits? I'm interested in composting once I have a place where I can do so...

also, what do you guys do with meat and other "non-composting" items... just trash them?



[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 9:23 AM. Reason : .]

11/5/2009 9:20:00 AM

I met a woman at BugFest who sells them. I think hers are $22/lb. I just haven't had time to meet up with her yet.

I got two of the big tupperware bins from Target, drilled holes in the top one for air/drainage and stacked them. $7 instead of like $150 or however much the premade ones are.

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 9:21 AM. Reason : ^]

11/5/2009 9:20:59 AM

I used two 14 gallon rubbermaid brown (get black if you can find it) tubs. Drilled air holes, placed filters in the bottom to allow for drainage but prevent them from crawling out. Placed bricks in the bottom tub to allow air flow. I also bought something called coconut coir which comes in blocks. It absorbs 3x its weight in water and makes for better initial bedding than newspaper and cardboard alone. Let me go take some pictures right quick and I will post them.

11/5/2009 9:24:43 AM

eat em

11/5/2009 9:25:09 AM

The last picture is just that of the lid where a few of them decided to hang out. Some people have the notion of nightcrawlers when we talk about composting worms but they are actually quite small. And I keep this in my bathroom. Contrary to popular belief it does not smell at all if you maintain the correct balance. If you put in too much food then it may rot and then you will have a smell or if the compost is too moist during which time you simply add more bedding. You want the compost to be about as wet as a damp sponge. Actually, once it gets going for a few months the freshly made soil/compost smells fresh and clean. Your plants will love it!

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 9:56 AM. Reason : .]

11/5/2009 9:53:21 AM

so why exactly do you want to eat red worms?

11/5/2009 9:57:08 AM

11/5/2009 10:07:08 AM

Hey HockeyRoman, my worm bin is the exact same tub. I don't have that cool second tub to catch drainage though, thats a good Idea. I'm moving in with 3 roommates, so I'll have to upgrade to support all the scraps we make. I think Ill need 12 sq feet, which is going to be a lot to maintain.

I wasn't really going to eat the worms, I mean, I would, I don't have anything against it. I was just wondering if you could, and if it was common in some places.

wdprice3, yeah, I just trash the meat and dairy, which isn't a whole lot of scraps.

11/5/2009 10:41:14 AM