Eating Aliens – One Man’s Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species

Last Updated on September 5, 2020 by Ellen Christian

Did you ever wonder what makes one animal species something that we eat and another something we don’t? Why do we plant certain flowers in our gardens and relentlessly yank out others? Why do we pull dandelions from our garden and plant spinach instead of eating the dandelion greens when the grow?  Some animals and plants are labelled invasive because they take over the area and crowd out other species.  We relentless work to eliminate these species and to save others.  But, what do we do with these invasive plants and animals once we’ve hunted them and what should we do?

That’s the topic of a new book from Storey Publishing called Eating Aliens – One Man’s Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species.  Jackson Landers is a hunter, environmentalist, and adventure seeker who has a creative solution to that question – eat them!   The author has traveled across North America hunting and eating different invasive animal species like Asian carp, boar, nutria, European green crabs, snakeheads, and Chinese mystery snails.  The book itself is organized by animal species.  Each chapter examines what the author has learned about the invasive animal species spotlighted.  You will learn about the species itself including where it lives, it’s habits, and why it is considered to be invasive.  The author then shares his story hunting, preparing, and cooking each animal.

I found Eating Aliens: One Man’s Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species truly fascinating. I don’t hunt so the process of looking for signs of the animal, understanding his habitat, etc. was completely fascinating to me.  I also enjoyed the fact that this book took a look at animals that were, for the most part, completely unfamiliar to me.   I had no idea what a nutria was and the only snakeheads I’ve seen are on television. We don’t have a lot of the animals represented in the book here in Vermont. Many of them appear to live down south. The book contains fourteen different destructive animal species and the author proves that they certainly can be eaten just as easily as species that we are more familiar with. His mission is to feed people while helping to protect and conserve the natural environment.  If these animals are destroying the environment, are in places they don’t belong, and we will be killing them to save the local environment, why shouldn’t we eat them? Just think of the food shelves, missions and people looking to control their food budget that would appreciate a free meals. Hunting invasive animal species is certainly something to think about!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Ellen Christian

Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.