ANALYSIS: We don’t back away from any substances on our Commodities show - well, apart from stuff at the bottom of backpacks that’s best left for archaeologists to explore - so Friday’s show brought some exotic materials.

Bugs, long a food item in some countries, are making a tentative appearance in the diets of adventurous eaters drawn to their low environmental impact.

At the forefront: Ritzy food seller Summerhill Market in Toronto’s plush Rosedale district.

Co-owner Brad McMullen has begun stocking snacks of dried crickets and mealworms, as well as baked goods that incorporate the creatures, to keep up with his foodie customers. The critters are supplied by Entomo Farms, a producer of insect protein near Peterborough, Ontario. 

Sticking with cutting-edge consumables, we talked to Bruce Linton, CEO of medical marijuana grower Canopy Growth (CGC.V 1.36%), who told us about the challenges and opportunities if and when Canada gets around to legalizing recreational weed. He reckons liquor stores will be the distribution point, much as he might like to open stores, because they have long been used to tight security and requirements to sell products responsibly.

Finally, we got to jade, the hard green rock with a long artistic tradition in Asia. British Columbia is a major source and viewers have been tracking the travails of the jade-mining Bunce family in Jade Fever, a reality show on Discovery.

The effervescent Claudia Bunce told us that last year was tough, with jade hard to find and Chinese investors growing impatient.

On Thursday, we were more mainstream, sticking to the global oil glut and the challenge it means for Canada.

Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, said the move by the Saudis to freeze oil production doesn’t change the fact that Riyadh is still insisting that it won’t act unilaterally to cut production. One good piece of news for investors betting on a bounce: Sen says financial constraints will make it tough for Iraq to keep boosting its supply. And she reckons an actual cut in December looks likely.

Fatih Birol, executive director at the International Energy Agency, told us while the energy consumers’ group thinks Canadian oil output will stop growing in the next few years, the world still needs Canadian energy and that Asian nations will welcome liquefied natural gas from a reliable supplier.

Pipeline giant Enbridge (ENB.TO 0.75%) took advantage of stronger demand for energy stocks to issue an enormous $2-billion in new shares. Money manager Patrick Horan of Agilith Capital told us that while he’s no longer short-selling Enbridge he’s avoiding the shares because of what he sees as a ravenous demand for capital.

Sorry, we ran out of time to tackle dodgy cashmere that may or may not contain “rat fur.”

Maybe next week. But we’re not eating it.