if you get a good mess, freeze them. all you do is wipe mud/dirt off, put them in a small plastic tub, bugs grass and all. don't clean them first. put water on them and freeze them in nov/dec you will feast like a king on them.
Don't they turn to mush? I dry mine and put them in a brown paper sack store in a cool dry place. When it's time to eat them just plop them in a bowl of water and let them reconstitute.
