GOING TO HAVE SQUIRREL FOR SUPPER

[tracdoc]

Though I've never eaten squirrel, I wouldn't mind trying it. I would imagine it might taste something like rabbit (?). When we lived abroad, rabbit was sold at every market, from the little butcher shop to the "supermercato." The Italians must have a hundred ways to prepare it, and every one I've tried was delicious-- roasted on the grill, stewed, and in a rich tomato sauce over handmade pasta. Yum! I miss it.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Italians must have a hundred ways to prepare it )</font>

I grew up eating cottontails, jack rabbits, and swamp rabbits, and as you said, there is a wide variety of ways to cook them. I never ate any rabbit I didn't like, except one. In '72, we were living in Des Plaines, IL, and in the supermarket one day I noticed a frozen package (box) that said it was one whole three pound rabbit, cut up, imported from Poland. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif As many rabbits as there are in this country I could hardly believe any would be imported. So I bought that, my wife fried it, I took one bite and we threw it all in the garbage. It tasted like it had been fried in very old and rancid grease. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Although it was tender and appeared OK, I can only guess that it had thawed in shipment and partially spoiled.

And I had never eaten a domestic rabbit until we bought the little farm and I started raising New Zealand Whites. I sold a few and ate a couple of hundred; all delicious, even better than the wild ones I grew up eating.

 

[JimR]

Grey squirrel tastes just like chicken. You can boil the meat right off the bones in a large pan. You then want to add in your favorite vegetables like onions, potatoes or rice, carrots, beans, peppers, you name it to make a really nice stew. The best time to shoot squirrels is about a month from now as they fatten up for winter.

 

[ByronBob]

My boy is 5. I have no need to hunt squirrel by myself but when he's old enough (12 in N.Y) were going to start with them and progress to the bigger boys with antlers. 6 weeks to season here and it's looking like things will be good this year.

You almost can't cook squirrel wrong but it's better if you put it in stew or soup to get the game taste out of it. I learn something new everyday here. Never heard of ramp before.

 

[fishman]

You're right Bird, domestic rabbit is delicious. I grew up eating a LOT of tame rabbit. It's a very suitable replacement for chicken, and in fact, I liked it a lot better. Haven't eaten one in years. Thought about raising some myself, but I don't really want to kill and clean them, did it too often as a kid. Maybe I'm just getting soft. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Now a deer, that's another thing entirely. They broke down my garden gate the other day and ate everything but the habenero plant, and they snacked on it. I can see them now, munching on a tomato, then taking a nibble off a pepper for just a little extra kick. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I caught them in the act when I drove up the other day. Four deer in a high-fenced 30x40 garden kind of resemble a pinball game on steroids. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

This is AFTER I thoughtfully planted them several small patches of oats, and loaded the feeder with corn. Deer, they have no sense of decency. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( don't really want to kill and clean them )</font>

Yeah, John, that's the worst part of it. I started with one buck and 3 does, but then expanded to 15 cages with 10 does producing. The most I ever had to butcher in one day was 18. I'm really surprised that rabbits are not more readily available commercially in the grocery stores.

 

[DocHeb]

That's because they're soft and fluffy and bring candy on Easter. The anthropomorphism* of animals is a persistent goal of animal rights activists.



*Websters: Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

 

[mwechtal]

Bob,
Ramps = Leeks
Mike

 

[TBAR]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Yep, Reb, they're a little tough to skin. I don't know how others do it, but we always pulled up a fold of skin at the top, middle of the back and cut through that which would let you get a couple of fingers on each hand in there, then pulled both directions; i.e., skinned them out from the middle to both ends. )</font>

I used to do it that way too. My grandad however would cut around the tail, cut off the feet, stand on the tail and pull up on the skin.


TBAR

 

[Bird]

Haven't seen it done that way, TBAR, but it sounds reasonable; might be faster and easier.