Friday, January 9, 2009

Squirrels the new cuisine

Wake up America - squirrel for supper is the hot trend in England.

    • Saving a Squirrel by Eating One

      Lately, a new meat is gracing the British table: Squirrel is selling as fast as gamekeepers and hunters can bring it in.January 7, 2009 - By MARLENA SPIELER - Dining & Wine
    For those of us concerned with the decline in hunter numbers and support for hunting this is hopeful news. Research by Responsive Management indicates that youth that start hunting small game, including squirrel, are more likely to continue to hunt than kids that start with big game.
  • The first game animal I shot was a gray squirrel with my single barrel shotgun. I've been shooting them ever since. I disagree with the author of the Times article that squirrel are hard to skin and bone. If you skin them right after shooting them the hide comes off very easy. But she is right about how good they are. My co-housing neighbors, who are from Texas and never hunted (yet), think squirrel is the best meat in the world.
  • Next year, head over to the Champlain valley and take a kid squirrel hunting. Then cook up a big squirrel pot pie and invite over some non-hunting friends for a memorable meal, and a hunting story. As the reporter from Channel 5 news found out last year, when he shadowed my wife and me - squirrels aren't as easy to get as most people think!
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2009 at 9:31 AM

    Hi Eric! Great point! I'm looking forward to introducing my 5 year old to squirrel hunting this year.

    VA has a great video on skinning and dressing squirrels - I have a copy, would you like to post?

    Can you share the squirrel pie recipe?

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  2. Eric C. NuseFebruary 8, 2009 at 6:52 PM

    Dee,
    Yes love to have the post on the video. I find the faster you skin them the easier.
    My recipe is pretty simple, squirrels (either all young or all old) water to cover, 1 large onion and simmer for a hour (young ones) or pressure cook for 30 min (old ones)
    Take out the squirrels and let cool, pick meat off the bones put back in the pot, add carrots and potatoes and what ever else you have or like, salt and pepper, a tablespoon or so of herbes de Provence
    The put in a hot oven, after it is boiling for about 10 min, add a biscuits and cook until done. I then add some thickener made of corn starch, water or stock with some soy sauce.

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