Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1901 — Canned Ants. [ARTICLE]

Canned Ants.

Ants are now regarded as a great delicacy, and the only trouble is that there is not enough of them. Men who do hard manual labor in cold climates acquire a strong craving for something sour, and they have found out long ago that ants are a palatable substitute for pickles. They use only a peculiar variety, large and red in color, and found In immense quantities under the bark of dead trees. It Is not very hard to collect a quart pail full, and, after killing them by scalding, they are spread on a board and dried in the sun. When ready to eat they look like coarse, brown powder, and have a very agreeable, aromatic smell. With a view to making this new delicacy more generally known, a syndicate is at work collecting and canning ants, preparatory to placing them on the market generally.