Catalpas

[98custom]

I get to be the first person to post anything on catalpa worms. hehehe anyway I want to know the best way to preserve/freeze them for later use because last time I tried it didn't work very well.

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[catfishkay_]

is first put them in ice water, then roll them in cornmeal, bag em' up and pop into the freezer....... always works well for me!
catfishkay_

[willisjj]

You can then thaw them out at your convenience, roll them in cornmeal once more and drop them in the deepfryer until they are a nice dark crisp green color. You can then serve them with some fried shad and a minnow salad and maybe some hushpuppies and you have a meal fit for a fisherman. Lol, just kidding of course, but I couldn't resist once I read that you rolled them in cornmeal before freezing them!

[canebreaker]

Throw on a few hash browns and I'll be right over.

I cool them in cold water for a few minutes then count so many into a zip lock bag, about 20, and add water, and into the freezer. No matter what I do, and how I prepare them, they always come out dark. The ones you buy always come out bright in color. They must add a preservative.

[willisjj]

I thought I read a post on the old B.O.C. site that said something about adding lemon kool-aid or something like that to the worms before freezing them and it kept them from turning that dark color. I may see if I can find that thread later.....

[Nate]

I think what you're refering to is dipping them in Fruit Fresh before freezing to help keep their color.

The ideal way to preserve the worms would be to vaccum seal them in plastic while still alive, then flash freeze them on dry ice. Then you could keep them in the freezer pretty much indefinately.

Problem is, how many of us have vaccum sealers and dry ice? LOL

[Desperado]

I just put them in cornmeal and freeze them. Never have freezer burn I use them to fast.

[Bottombouncer]

i put them in can in the refrid. for a little while to slow them down so they dont crawl to much then i dump them in togo box pizza box works well and put in freezer check ofton and youll have loose worms split up : :cool:

[Mr Phatkat]

I put them in cornmeal live and freeze. Some people store them in the freezer in salt. They dont freeze, they dont discolor, they get tough until they've been in the water for a while...I took some out for an ice fishing trip from a buddy that freezes them in salt. It might have just been a slow day, but those salt stored ones didnt seem to work as well as i thought they should..

[Stump Bumper]

Folks on the Apalachicola River collect them off the trees in season then freeze them in 7-UP or Sprite. When you thaw them out you are ready to go catfishing. Something about the 7-UP helps them keep their color and consistancy, and those river Channel Cats and Blues eat'um like crazy....Ray