Community Corner

Cicadas in Fort Lee? Hope You're Hungry

Does the sometimes-deafening whine of the mighty cicada horde leave you feeling famished? What a coincidence...

Yes, they're insects.

And, yes, they're swarming across the Garden State.

But that doesn't mean you can't eat them.

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The 17-year cicadas are more a noisy nuisance than anything else. Check out the audio, embedded above, captured by NJ.com's S.P. Sullivan on Thursday in the borough.

They're showing up en masse in disparate locations across New Jersey, so don't think twice if you haven't spied the shrieking swarms.

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to NorthJersey.com cicadas have been spotted "by the tens of thousands" in Tenafly, Englewood, Palisades Interstate Park and lake communities in Wayne, but towns such as Ridgewood and Ramsey haven't heard a peep.

Yet.

Didn't mean to scare you. The mostly climatological variables that account for the insects' appearance — or their absence — still aren't a surefire predictor for whether the buzzing brood will make an appearance in your neck of the woods.

When they do show up, however, some are suggesting drastic measures for dealing with the little buggers — a fork, knife and a Champagne flute.

“I’ve seen a lot of recipes for frying them,” wine educator Hank Zona of Maplewood told WNYC recently. “With fried food I think of sparkling wines that have a nice crispness and acidity that sort of counter balances that.”

The recipes we've found — for sushi, ice cream, pizza, chocolate chip and cicada cookies — sound... interesting, but some are warning corageous connoisseurs to crunch in moderation.

The cicada swarm, known by their ominous monicker "Brood II," is expected to go through its entire life-cycle over a five week period and then won't likely hatch from New Jersey soil for another 17 years.

Have you seen these iridescent invaders in your backyard? Let us know in the comments.


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