Ration Disasters

[Bo T]

I think there was a documentary or movie about that.
I often wondered why Lynx or Bobcats can survive on Snowshoe but people start to starve. The only answer I come up with is the cats eat the head and entrails which provide a portion of fat to go with the rest of the skinny critter. I'd guess the same for trout.

 

[Black Hand]

The entrails aren't necessarily rich in fat but contain protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals and fiber. These may play a more significant role when eaten in conjunction with the lean meat (primarily protein) and bones (marrow is fatty).

 

[sidelock]

I have been drinking directly from "SOME" streams all my hunting years and have never had a problem. Never carried water cleaning pills or other devices. Gotta watch stream you drink from. I know folks who became sick from wells though.

 

[sidelock]

My brother eats lots of muskrats (I have also, and it was great) and beaver and says it is some of the best.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Never had muskrat....Trapped a lot of them, always figured they would be good eating...a very clean almost pure vegetarian animal.... If tasty I don't think a man could starve....they are easy to catch.

Beaver I have eaten... :td: Not on my "try again" list....

 

[Black Hand]

Beaver I have eaten... :td: Not on my "try again" list....

Could to share why and how it was cooked & seasoned? Curiosity and all that...

 

[coloradoclyde]

I believe it was slow roasted in a smoker and finished in an oven.....it's been a few years... :haha:
The taste was most unpleasant.....I'm not sure if some glands were missed or what.....But it tasted like A$$...
A friend of mine cooked it.....to this day it is the only bad thing he has ever cooked.... :idunno:

 

[tenngun]

You have to make sure thy are clean and not touch the glands to the meat when skinning(pia) I quarter them and boil. Then strip the meat from the bone and season with sage, garlic, basil, and pepper. Fry with onion, mushrooms if I have them, green pepper, then top with a rue. Serve over whatever starchy thing I have, or just scoop up a bowl full and eat it like a cream of something soup.

 

[Cruzatte]

I believe it was slow roasted in a smoker and finished in an oven.....it's been a few years... :haha:
The taste was most unpleasant.....I'm not sure if some glands were missed or what.....But it tasted like A$$...
A friend of mine cooked it.....to this day it is the only bad thing he has ever cooked.... :idunno:

I had some beaver kabobs once upon a time at Fort Osage. I thought they were mighty tasty. They were grilled with green and red bell peppers, and onions.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The problem with muskrats, and beaver, and groundhog, is getting the scent glands out of them before cooking. Young groundhog is tasty, adult groundhog not so much, but my dog loved it.

LD

 

[Vaino]

That was an interesting movie which the main and only 3 other actors were in the movie.....two of which were Eskimos. He boiled the mice or whatever whole and after awhile seemed to relish them....of course he portrayed an "oddball, dedicated scientist".

My uncle was a big muskrat trapper who also trapped a lot of other valuable fur bearers. The fur buyer would come up every week during the season and the off season and buy the pelts and also the frozen muskrat carcasses which were shipped to a New York food wholesaler who sold them to various restaurants and their menus read...."swamp rabbit" Evidently "swamp rabbit" was a big seller because the fur buyer also bought the carcasses from a few other trappers.

I don't know whether the pelts or carcasses brought in more money, but I do know that the pelts were sold for $2.50 each in the late 40s and early 50s.....Fred

 

[Black Hand]

...of course he portrayed an "oddball, dedicated scientist"...

Many of us are very passionate about what we do in science. Oddball is one of the more complementary names I've had applied to scientists. :grin:

 

[coloradoclyde]

People often attach the term "odd" or "oddball" to things they don't understand....Which is ironic if you think about it.... :haha: :thumbsup:

 

[Vaino]

The scientist in the movie probably would have been an "oddball" even if he was not a scientist. The actor portrayed a "zany" scientist to perfection.

I try not to "guess" what others think.....Fred

 

[Kansas Jake]

I like pot luck meals. I've eaten at them my whole life and enjoy the variety of foods. In our family and church life they are a long term tradition. Now, I avoid a food that does not look like it is completely cooked or something that may have sat out too long. Interestingly, I've not had food poisoning from them, but have enjoyed it several other times. Once from my own cooking, that I still don't know what happened and a couple of times from well known chain fast food/restaurants .

 

[Vaino]

Years ago attended a Catholic Church festival and the parish was mainly composed of people of Slovene heritage....those women could really cook delicious food. Every dish of the 16 or so offered was superb.

A few yrs later a neighbor of my Dad invited us to a Lutheran Church festival and the people were predominantly composed of those of Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and German heritages. Two dishes were offered....lutefisk served w/ a cream sauce or melted butter and Swedish meatballs served over noodles. A very hard, thin pancake called lefsä was the "bread of the day".

Tried the plain lutefisk and it lived up to its clear jello like consistency and when the first fork full was in my mouth, I didn't know what to do w/ it....so, took a napkin to my mouth and felt immediate relief. Needless to say, the Swedish meatballs were the "hit" of the night and were especially tasty.

Two very different church festivals and seeing I was more familiar w/ the people and their Slovene foods, the Lutheran festival was more interesting....and although I tried lutefisk again w/ both the cream sauce and melted butter, the Swedish meatballs and lefsä were excellent. The interest was mainly w/ the people of this church......Fred

 

[Kansas Jake]

I grew up going to a small Lutheran Church where most families were of Danish heritage. Lutefisk and lefsa were not on the menu. But wow, the women and a few of the men of that church could cook. I still have a recipe book they put out back in the middle 1970s with recipes from the women of the church. I think it was there and at family gatherings where I learned to love potlucks.

BTW, I'm not Irish, but sure do love corned beef and cabbage.

 

[tenngun]

That's ok, corned beef and cabbage isn't irish either :haha:

 

[bender20]

Correct it's what the Irish immigrants could afford over here in the USA. They bought it from the Jewish community and cabbage was a cheap vegetable.