reply to post #12--- gcrank1: you know it's funny you should bring that up. Many years ago when I was "SERIOUSLY" hunting and I was on the Volunteer Fire Dept., me chief introduced me to several of the farmers in the LaPorte Ind. area. they had soy bean fields and 2 adult woodchucks (ground hogs to some) could destroy an acre of soy a week. they were VERY happy to let me hunt chucks anytime that I wanted ( just close gates and know the difference between cows and chucks
). I would get 7 or 8 out of a farm most of the time. keep 2 or 3 and stuff the rest in the holes (death stench keeps them from being used by other chucks for about a year), offer the farmer part of my kills, which most declined, and take the others home to skin and clean. for the first three years of chuck hunting my wife was on a different work schedule so that I would have them cleaned and in the pressure cooker a' boilin'. when asked what was cooking, I would tell her Roast Beef stew. Man, she really loved my "roast beef stew". then one day she came home early and caught me skinning and parboiling two. Boy, the doo-doo hit the dumpster!!
went ahead and cooked the critters and fed dinner that night (waste not--want not)
. she just stared at her bowl until the daughter (10 yrs) looked at her and said " Mom, you have been eating them for 3 yrs and loved it. Oh, by the way, if you're not going to eat that I will" and started to reach for her bowl. Mother wouldn't let her have it. She did eat it and finally fessed up that it was good, But told me that she didn't want to EVER see me cleaning those over-grown "rats". the funny thing about chucks is that they are strictly vegetarian and are very easy to clean and cook. make a stew with all the veggies and potatoes and mushrooms and whatever else you want in it, add all the favorite spices, then when done pressure cooking, let the pot bleed steam and open. place a 1/2 cup of your favorite wine in the stew and bring to a slow boil with the lid off (to cook off the alcohol--I'm a recovering alkie--30years running
) and add cornstarch and cold water mix to thicken to your preference. Good Lord , just writing this is making me hungry for some "roast beef stew"
Needless to say that we ate alot of game that I hunted. she was just a little put off by the skinned bodies of the "rats"
. Thanks for reminding me of some really good times (took baby girl with me "rat" hunting many times--she was a good shot too
) We enjoyed the wild game on the table. one thing for sure--My Da is not bashful about eating or cooking wild game. we still tease Mom about the "rat" stew. She renamed the stew
. God Bless to all.
Goofy
