Some recipes for trapping times | Columns
Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s I experienced a young brother Ollie who would trap and hunt whatever was in season. My father was very content when he arrived home with rabbits and squirrels. He would also clean up them for mother. The only detail he could not get my dad to try to eat was the muskrat, greater regarded as the marsh rabbit.
He offered the meat to local folks who loved it, and mom liked it for the reason that he bought them as quick as he trapped them. My brother would preserve the hides and extend them on a specific piece of board built to healthy the conceal. He had them drying out for a certain variety of days, and then would package deal them up and ship them to his customer.
His customer was the late Mr. Clark Harrison Sr. of Preston. Right after quite a few shippings Mr. Harrison would send my brother a check out. Preston seemed like a faraway town back then, and now I reside just a couple miles away. A long time in the past I contacted Mr. Harrison and informed him the tale of my 14-yr-aged brother, who later on retired from the United States Military and did a few excursions of responsibility in Vietnam in the 1960s. I will devote today’s column to individuals two guys — the late Clark Harrison Sr. and U.S. Army Retired Ollie Lowe Hitchens Jr.
You guessed it — I hardly ever tasted muskrat or marsh rabbit, but I have cooked it. The to start with one particular I at any time cooked was correct in my Preston Road kitchen area underneath the assistance of my late spouse, John Williamson Sr., who beloved them and knew how to cook dinner this marsh rabbit. So, in this article we go with JOHN R.’S Favorite MUSKRAT. Trap, clear and minimize muskrat in 50 percent. Soak in a massive pot of chilly salted water for a number of hours — transforming h2o numerous moments. Finally soon after draining properly, spot the meat in a massive pot, cover with water and convey to a boil, boiling for 5 minutes. Take out meat from pot, rinse and cleanse out the pot properly. Then spray the pot with a non-sticking spray, insert the meat, fifty percent deal with with drinking water. Prepare dinner until meat falls aside. Include to style: sage, crimson pepper, salt and bacon or sausage grease. Really don’t be fearful of introducing any of these components and just continue to keep introducing until eventually you can flavor all of them. Prepare dinner down as substantially as you want, but do not allow it prepare dinner dry. Serve with a favorite potato dish of your preference and a green vegetable.
Clean, lower in pieces, and soak three muskrats in chilly h2o and salt. Soon after at least two several hours, drain h2o off and rinse meat well. In a massive pot, position the meat and just ample h2o to deal with them. Insert 2 teaspoons ground sage, 1/2 teaspoon bacon grease, salt and pepper to taste. Permit cook dinner in excess of medium heat for 4 to 5 hours. Start on significant warmth until it commences boiling, then minimize heat to simmering. Let cook dinner right until meat is slipping off the bone. Serve around cooked rice.
Clean, cut up and soak 1 or two marsh rabbits in a salty drinking water for a number of hrs — modifying drinking water quite a few situations. Rinse properly in several alterations of h2o. Take away from drinking water and pat dry. In a large bowl incorporate flour, sage, salt and pepper. Dredge the items of meat in the flour combination and location in a fry pan with cooking oil and include 2 or 3 strips of bacon. Brown on both sides, adding more sage if needed. When meat is browned on both sides, insert some drinking water to the pan, change heat down and enable simmer as the meat will become tender and a gravy sorts.
Remember to email your favored chili recipes to me this week for my future Tremendous Bowl column version entitled Tremendous Bowl Chili recipes, mail to [email protected].