Some people say “no looking back” but I think if you don’t look back, you can’t see how far you’ve come. I was thinking last night about the first time we butchered a chicken. I can remember my grandma going out, catching a chicken, chopping off it’s head, cleaning it and cooking it for dinner. I’m not there yet but I’m getting much closer. The first time we butchered a chicken .. it was a mean one and it had to go. Chad, who was always a hunter, said he’d do it so he cleaned it all up and I put it in the freezer. For two years, I’d take that chicken out of the freezer and then get a sick feeling and stick it back in the freezer. Finally, it was extremely freezer burned and I threw it out. Now, I don’t have any problems eating our chickens.
Vince has never been much of a hunter but he sees the value in fresh meat raised right here, no antibiotics or hormones . . not to mention free . . but the first deer he shot, we both almost threw up. We called a neighbor who came and showed him how to clean it. I really had to walk away a few times during the process and even canning it was hard for me. The second one wasn’t quite so hard but I still had funny feelings in my tummy. Now, I can get out there and help him with the whole process and it doesn’t bother me.
The other day, I was driving down the driveway and a squirrel ran across the driveway and I thought “dinner!” That’s when you know there’s hardly any city girl left in you. When I was a kid, we ate lots of squirrel. Vince says he’d have a hard time eating squirrel but a few years ago, he had a hard time eating venison and now it’s one of his favorites.
When I start looking at roadkill and thinking “dinner” . . then we have a problem. 🙂
kim webb says
That’s funny, but if you do start eating the “roadkill”, please don’t tell us.
Lee says
A couple decades ago, I was chief cook & bottle washer for our singles’ outdoor group. One guy in the group got me a tee-shirt that had a “roadkill” menu on it. At the time it was pretty funny…but I never did serve them any roadkill. When I was young and lived on the ranch I helped my dad skin and cut up deer and sheep. I’m not sure I could do it now…but maybe if I could. Venison jerky sure was good – I remember that very well.
Linda in NE says
Just finished canning the last of the deer after work today. I like it better than canned beef. I remember not liking deer when I was growing up. I think it was the way it was processed….always a hurry up job sans permit so it wasn’t boned out or trimmed of fat and connecting tissue like we do now. Then it gets soaked in salt water for a while, then drained and rinsed in plain water. Takes all the wild taste out. Plus the hubby hunts for meat not a trophy so he tries to get a doe or young buck.
Marsha says
I remember helping my Dad skin and cut up squirrel. We have too many squirrels in the neighborhood. Too bad some one can’t thin them out for meat.
Quilterbee says
Judy, I’m a city girl and I need a warning to skip these types of posts. I know I’m a grown up old lady and any meat whether from your yard or the grocery store had the same fate but I try real hard not to think about it. Thank you.
Sherrill says
I remember back in the days when there was Home Ec class in high school. We were in the cooking portion (vs sewing portion) and one class we had to cook something ‘exotic’ (as opposed to beef or chicken I guess). Our small group picked squirrel as one of the girl’s dad hunted squirrel and they had one in the freezer. Of course it was already cleaned and frozen so we just had to prepare then eat it!! YIKES! I think I just took one bite, which was a requirement, and then I was done. I’m not much for wild game even though like you say it IS usually more healthy. The dead skinned deer in the back of pickup trucks that I saw while in CO totally turned me off of that.
Katie says
The first time my dogs caught a rabbit I had to end its life and that was so hard for me. They have killed every one since but it bothers me less and less, even the one time they ripped out the organs.
Susan says
Thank you for this post. I enjoyed it so much! I read it to my younger son who was sitting here with me. That was truly funny, but so accurate.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Anthony Bourdain did a “heart of America” show in which someone prepared their specialty: squirrel pot pie!