Gut-Load Smoothie

[opheliaeatsbugs]

So, I meant to do this so long ago, but finally got other Ophelia-challenges under control and made my first gut-load smoothy. I read, re-read several posts and took my suggestions from a blog post from Much Ado About Chameleons and @kinyonga. Any thoughts or further suggestions? I could add in mango, kale, strawberries...

This is what is in the blender:
11oz of butternut squash
1 gala apple, cored
2 cups of a green mix (collard, mustard, turnip greens)
1 small orange
4 blossoms and leaves from my hibiscus bush, washed
1/2 tbsp of bee pollen
1 1/2 cups of filtered water

They will be frozen tomorrow, but I put some fresh into the 2 containers of dubia roaches and hopefully they like it

The breeders and feeders also have dry dubia chow.

 

[bobbydigital]

I've been meaning to do something like this. Maybe I'll use your recipe. How do you feed it to them after it's frozen? Do you let it thaw and put it in with the feeders, or just put a whole frozen cube in with them?

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

At this point, I put a cube on a lid and put into their container... we'll see and I'll post my findings

 

[JoeDigiorgio]

I've been thinking of doing a gel food like this too. Instead of water, add a boiled agar solution and let it set at room temp so it doesn't get so wet after its defrosted

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I've been thinking of doing a gel food like this too. Instead of water, add a boiled agar solution and let it set at room temp so it doesn't get so wet after its defrosted

Hmmm I wonder how that would work...

 

[JoeDigiorgio]

Essentially the same as the repashy gels. His foods have agar powder as a component of the mix and it sets as a gel at room temp after hot water is added.

 

[jamest0o0]

Looks like my breakfast smoothie!

I add walnuts, almonds, hemp seeds, spirulina, kelp, sweet bell pepper, sweet potato, bee pollen, dandelion greens, basil, buttternut squash, greens mix, orange, uhhh a few other things i forget lol i just go to whole foods and make a giant smoothie like you did there. I have 3 huge freezer bags of the stuff vaccuum sealed up lol.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Looks like my breakfast smoothie!

I add walnuts, almonds, hemp seeds, spirulina, kelp, sweet bell pepper, sweet potato, bee pollen, dandelion greens, basil, buttternut squash, greens mix, orange, uhhh a few other things i forget lol i just go to whole foods and make a giant smoothie like you did there. I have 3 huge freezer bags of the stuff vaccuum sealed up lol.

And do u just drop a frozen cube into the cage on a paper towel?

 

[jamest0o0]

I put the cube in a cup with paper towel to thaw. once it's thawed i get a new piece of paper towel smears some on it and place pieces like thatin my bug bins. I noticed the roaches and everything seem to eat it all up when it's smeared across the towel rather than in a chunk.

 

[Surferchick]

Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will try this.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I put the cube in a cup with paper towel to thaw. once it's thawed i get a new piece of paper towel smears some on it and place pieces like thatin my bug bins. I noticed the roaches and everything seem to eat it all up when it's smeared across the towel rather than in a chunk.

It had been in a hunk and they didn't seem interested. I pulled out the lid and smeared it on paper towel - hopefully they like this better!

 

[Bush baby]

Instead of water, try Gelatin instead. It would eliminate all the water that comes from the cube thawing out when placed in the insect enclosure.

 

[jamest0o0]

I haven't tried gelatin, but i'd imagine it'd be hard to blend that way. I almost broke my blender using water lol.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

When the gelatin is hot, it's like water. But it might be hot enough to slightly cook the smoothy... would that matter? Is gelatin okay for insects and chams? Im not familiar with other brands that use gelatin (I've only used fresh food and Cricket Crack for gut-loading)

 

[jamest0o0]

Ook lol, shows how much i know about gelatin... interesting though, the water works perfectly fine for me with how i do it, but the gelatin method could be cool.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Ook lol, shows how much i know about gelatin... interesting though, the water works perfectly fine for me with how i do it, but the gelatin method could be cool.

I could give it a try and see how it works... I'm all for less mess. Although the dubia are very nice house guests. Crickets make a mess with everything.

 

[JoeDigiorgio]

Agar is a plant based gelatin substitute, it's actually vegan if I remember correctly. Gelatin is made with animal protein and agar is made with protein from kelp I believe. It's what they use to culture bacteria in lab dishes.

Same deal, you dissolve it in hot water and add the mash, it sets at room temp and then you cut and freeze.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Agar is a plant based gelatin substitute, it's actually vegan if I remember correctly. Gelatin is made with animal protein and agar is made with protein from kelp I believe. It's what they use to culture bacteria in lab dishes.

Same deal, you dissolve it in hot water and add the mash, it sets at room temp and then you cut and freeze.

I'll look that up, thanks!

 

[ChamLB]

I made a batch this weekend and the kids were afraid I was going to make them eat it. Lol.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I made a batch this weekend and the kids were afraid I was going to make them eat it. Lol.

HAHAHA! I can imagine their faces. My kids were kinda okay (I've made some pretty crazy smoothies) until I put in the hibiscus flowers and leaves... then they were like "we're out!"