Phuck you Phil!

Point Break

Point Break

Super Anarchist
27,184
5,153
Long Beach, California
This explains it……

3121C2B1-3416-4873-8046-B1A7ED4E8923.jpeg
 
Ed Lada

Ed Lada

Super Anarchist
20,180
5,826
Poland
Am I the only one here that has noticed a disturbing trend in recent months?

It started with the Cat thread, which seems to be about evenly split between cat lovers and those who think that cats are minions of the devil.

Then the other day The Noble Beaver thread appeared demonizing those flat tailed, buck toothed denizen of streams and ponds. Or stream that become ponds because of the beavers.

Now it's the humble, pudgy, B.J. Porter of the animal world ( (no offense B.J., not many people post actual photos of themselves here) and scourge of farmers everywhere and a favorite target of hunters who like to shoot them because they are easy to find and kill. I know a lot of folks back home that use woodchucks to hone their skills for deer season, I never heard of anyone eating one.

What's next? Iguanas? Humans? Oh wait, never mind the humans thing, many people already hold them in low regard and shoot them regularly.

As a well know member here whose initials might or might not be B.G. was fond of saying, "troubling".
 
boomer

boomer

Super Anarchist
17,168
2,172
PNW
Taste more like rabbit, but dark a somewhat gammy, braising or using it in stir fry would be my preferred fair, but I'm sure there are many favorite backwoods, tarheel and mountain recipes and stews, where it could be used.

Flighty creatures those doves, their fluttery flight pattern has been a challenge, for those who like to bring in such fare. - I have friends and acquaintances who live for doing so, and two in particular who make regular trips to Argentina for their exceptional Dove shooting and hunting destinations. We have Mourning Dove who'd come in when we put out ground seed for the birds - a practice we stopped several years ago, because all the rodents, Squirells, Chipmunks and Hawks became a nuisance. We still have a lot of Dove around us, and they're surprisingly good sized - bigger then the California Quail.

Some of the best Dove hunting in Argentina

Mourning Dove.jpg


031b.JPG


017d.JPG
 
Last edited:
slap

slap

Super Anarchist
6,402
1,861
Somewhat near Naptown
From https://foragerchef.com/a-groundhog-stew/

Groundhog Stew, with Bacon and Natural Wild Rice

Marinate the woodchuck, brown it, braise in stock, remove meat from the bones, then sweat some diced vegetables, add back the meat and cooking liquid, along with some rice, season it up, and voila. Have some good bread around, you're going to want to wipe the bowl clean.

Prep Time
12 hrs

Cook Time
30 mins

Course: Main Course, SoupCuisine: AmericanKeyword: Groundhog, Small game, Stew, Woodchuck Servings: 2

Ingredients

One roughly 2-3 lb groundhog skinned, gutted, rinsed and quartered (see photo above)
Marinade
3 cups dry white wine
1 bulb of garlic cloves lightly crushed with the back of a knife
1 large sprig rosemary leaves torn off the branch
a small handful of fresh thyme sprigs roughly 6-7
2 fresh bay leaves optional
Kosher salt and pepper
¼ cup blended olive oil or neutral vegetable oil

For the Groundhog Stew

3 cups mixed vegetables diced ¼ inch (I used a mix of carrots, potatoes, onion, celery and fennel)
1 large tomato Bottom scored, blanched in boiling water for a few seconds, then cooled, seeded and chopped.
3 qts chicken stock preferably homemade
4 ounces smoked pork belly or slab bacon diced ¼ inch
¼ cup wild rice flour for dredging the woodchuck, optional
½ tablespoon garlic minced
¼ cup dry sherry
½ cup wood parched / natural wild rice or 1 cup cooked wild rice
1 ear of sweet corn
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Tobasco to taste, optional
Sliced scallions ¼ inch, tender white and green parts only, optional

Instructions

Marinating

The night before hand, trim the groundhog pieces of as much visible fat as possible, then season liberally with salt and pepper, toss with the garlic cl0ves, oil, thyme, bay leaves, and rosemary. Put the seasoned groundhog pieces in a wide dish or casserole and pour over the wine. Allow the woodchuck to sit overnight or at least for 4-5 hours, turn it around in the juices now and then if you have time.
Cut the corn from the cob, then cut the cobb into 2 inch slices and reserve both separately.
To prepare the stew, render out the fat from the bacon in a wide 10 inch braising pan, remove the bacon and reserve, leave the fat in the pan.

Browning and Building the Stew

Remove the groundhog pieces from their marinade, pat dry and remove any rogue herbs or pieces of garlic. Toss with the wild rice flour, then brown on medium high heat in the bacon fat. Pour off the spent fat from the pan, deglaze the pan with the sherry, reduce by half, then add the stock, corn cob, cover the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
If you have time, skim the albumen and fat that rise to the surface of the pan occasionally as it makes a cleaner tasting stew. Simmer the groundhog gently for 1.5 hours, or until the meat can be picked from the bones.
Meanwhile, cook the wild rice in the chicken stock until just done, then strain out the rice and lay out on a plate or cookie sheet to cool. Reserve the wild rice liquid to add to the stew. It adds really good flavor, and that's why you're cooking the rice in chicken stock in the first place.
Remove the woodchuck pieces and cool, then pick the meat from the bones, give it a rough chop, and reserve. You should have about 2.5 cups of meat.
Remove the stock from the pan and reserve then strain it. You should have about 1 qts of liquid.
Wipe the pan, then melt the butter and add the diced vegetables, bacon and the garlic. Sweat the mixture until it's well cooked, and the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes, then add the reserved woodchuck liquid, tomato, wild rice liquid and simmer for 15 minutes more.
Finally, add the woodchuck meat, corn kernels, and wild rice. Season the stew with salt to taste, then serve immediately with some Tobasco on the side. If not serving, chill immediately, transfer to a labeled, dated container and reserve until needed.

Notes

You could substitute another small creature here — rabbit, turtle, duck or goose legs would all be great. There are probably some other little creatures I don't know of that would be good too.
Click to expand...
 
Willin'

Willin'

Super Anarchist
4,332
2,005
The Burg, Maine
I've decided we've gotten it all wrong.

Punxsutawney, that is.

It's pronounced Punks-ought- uh- knee, like monotony.

We've been wrong all this time!

That is all.
 
Go Left

Go Left

Super Anarchist
5,941
1,034
Seattle
boomer said:
I'd think you'd look forward to extending your time on the slopes.

In the PNW we look forward to the fall, winter and spring for some of our best sailing. If winter is a wee bit longer then normal, that's great for sailors for extending possible breezy conditions, and for those who want an extended ski and snowboarding season on the slopes, all the better.

I usually turn to NOAA for guidance on seasonal changes, or even the Farmer's Almanac, both of which have a good consistent spring and extended weather forecasts overall. If the groundhog says it's gonna be a longer winter, I always look at that as a good thang, with possibly higher then normal breezy wind conditions from Southerlies and South-westerlies in frontal systems and squalls, and the possibility of more storms and winter storm windsurfing or sailing.

Our local weather men usually beat the groundhogs prediction by wide margins. In fact the groundhog is usually only right for the PNW about 40% of the time, for the nation as a whole 46% and varies from 40% - 50% for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Right now looking forward to a vertical paneled tri-radial new main with two full length battens high, and the rest partial battens to arrive - to replace the old full batten crosscut main to go with the new vertical paneled jibs and blade we bought the past few seasons and if winter is extended, all the better and loving it.
Click to expand...
Congratulations. Two full top battens is definitely the way to go. 100% full-battened mains tend to be slow, with hooked lower leeches.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Latest posts





Top