When I was younger, I had a cousin whose husband would hunt squirrels. I’ve never tried to eat squirrels, but those older than myself who have say that the meat tastes pretty good.
Mom used to make rabbit stew. Unfortunately, it was always missing the main ingredient – rabbit. It was just a mix of carrots, celery, onion, cabbage and potatoes in some sort of broth.
I’ve tried wild turkey and venison before and love both. The wild turkey was compliments of a former neighbor who cooked the turkey in a smoker. Once done, he shared a portion of it with me. My grandparents had neighbors who gave them some venison and deer summer sausage one year. They didn’t care for venison, but rather than be rude and refuse it, they gave it all to me. The venison cooked up well in the slow cooker, and I made a nice batch of chili out of it. I often wish I had a place to hunt since those neighbors have since moved away.
Another friend likes to go out west to hunt. One year he shot a bear. It’s hard for me to comprehend wanting to hunt a bear, but he did and got one! The hide became a bear rug at home (to the dismay of his wife). He brought the meat home and gave me a small container to try. Outside of being more fatty, it tasted just like pork.
A treat for me as a child was eating buffalo burgers. It was always a nice change from the normal hamburgers that I always ate. The treat didn’t last long since my grandmother grew tired of driving to Shepherd Farms, which is about an hour’s drive from home. From looking at their website, pecans, jellies and jams can be ordered from them.
Photo: grassfed bison burger, Fotolia/Brent Hofacker
My first time eating pork burgers was several years ago at the tractor show in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. I enjoyed those very much. I wish I could remember the name of the group that had the booth up there. Not far from their booth, one of the Mennonite churches, I believe, had a food stand selling turkey legs. I loved those as well and from the looks of the crowd during the five-day show, the turkey legs seemed to be a big hit.
I guess I will always be the black sheep of the family. I have a great fondness of eating wild game and enjoy trying something new.
