Wild Foods Day

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

Many years ago you couldn't run down to the grocery store or restaurant and fill your kitchen or stomach with food.  People would have to go to the woods and lakes for their meals.   This was the hunter and gatherer time period.  These days’ people mostly hunt and gather for enjoyment.  You can tell when hunting season starts because my local newspaper starts publishing pictures of hunters with their game.  My stepson belongs to a hunting club, and when he is home from work, he will take his family to the camp and spend time in the woods hunting for deer to stock his freezer with.  He and his wife hunt for sport, not out of necessity as in the old days.

(Google Image) 

Not only are you able to hunt for meat, but you can also find other food in the wild, such as roots and berries, mushrooms and greens.   If you want to go grocery shopping in nature, the first thing you need to know is what is edible, and what is not.  The ability of identifying plants and berries is becoming a lost art much like many other talents passed down from older generations.  Before gobbling up some leaves I would suggest you invest in a book to be able to identify these plants.  Organizations such as the Boys and Girl scouts of America teach how to identify safe plants, you can also check with your local forestry commission.

(Google Image) 

Learning about what nature provides is very satisfying and could possibly help you survive if you are ever lost or trapped in nature.  Plants are also useful with medicinal care, and made me think of this story.

I have an earache:

• 2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
• 1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
• 1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
• 1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
• 1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
• 2000 A.D. - That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

I was recently watching a segment of Blue Ribbon Hunter.  It's a little video article that is published on yahoo.com every week or so where the host visits different festivals or restaurants across the country.  This episode was about the road kill festival.  The food prepared there was from critters people had hit with their car.  Click here to see the different foods they prepared:

(Google Image) 

http://screen.yahoo.com/the-roadkill-cook-off-30784538.html;_ylt=AnnneErsSKm8UKGIUOjJNTRZc0Iv;_ylu=X3oDMTJkbWozbmJ0BG1pdANVUFAgUmVsYXRlZCBWaWRlbzIgV2l0aCBWaWV3IENvdW50cwRwa2cDaWQtMzA3ODQ1MzgEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3ZjX25hdgR2ZXID;_ylg=X3oDMTFoOTlpZTNlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDdmlkLWdhbGxlcnk-;_ylv=3

(Google Image) 

Today is Wild Foods Day.  Why not spend the day hunting and gathering in the woods or waters in your area.  You will be able to find some food and it will be a lot stressful than fighting the crowds and standing in line at the grocery store, and the foods will be preservative free.

(Google Image) 

Wild Food Day

By Diane Forrest,

An old timer who grew and collected much of the food he ate used to say something like this:

"The plants I grow in my garden and the foods I collect in the woods have to fight off the same bacteria, molds and viruses that I do. The ones that live in this area near my house. They've developed immunities over hundreds of years to survive here -- the fiddleheads, wild leeks, mushrooms and blackberries. When I eat them I get the benefit of some of that evolution. When you go buy fancy vegetables from California and fruit from South America or some faraway place, what good does that food do you? None of the bugs it’s had to fight off live here. It might even do you some harm."

My son grew up in boy scouts, from the time he was a cub, til he reached the rank of Eagle.  They would go on many overnight camping trips in the woods in our area.  During these trips they would learn about how to survive in the wild.  The would locate and identify edible plants, as well as learn how to trap and prepare animals, clean and cook the things they gathered as well as other useful information.

There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you can survive off of the land and catching and preparing your own food without the use of a grocery store or microwave.  Many men and women in the south are known for their skills in hunting and fishing.  They claim that the first day of deer season should be considered a national holiday.  Each year during deer season, our local paper is full of hunters with their kills.  They take great pride in being able to supply food for their families.  They grow up learning the rules and skills of hunting and tracking, and pass this knowledge on to their children.  If you take care of nature, it will take care of you.

It has been my experience ( since I am not much of a chef) that men have a knack for cooking wild game, so I am giving you a recipe from an experienced deer hunter called Deer Meat Supreme:

• Venison
• Salt
• Pepper
• Meat Tenderizer
• Flour
• Margarine
• Lemon Juice
• Accent
• Eggs
• Lemon Pepper

Tenderize venison that has been aged properly.  Place meat on cookie sheet and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Add pepper (heavy), lemon pepper, salt (sparingly) meat tenderizer, Accent and marinate for 1/2 hour.  Turn meat and repeat process and marinate for 1/2 hour.  Flour meat, dip in beaten egg and flour again.  Fry in cast iron skillet with about 3/4 inch hot bacon grease for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn and try another 2 to 3 minutes.  For a different taste, you can skip the egg and flour and fry in 1 stick butter.  Do not overcook.  Enjoy!

One of my favorite recipes with deer is deer sausage.  The sausage is made at meat packing facility.  Of course you can make your own, but it’s easier to have it prepared.  You can also have hamburger made from deer meat as well.

I like the link sausage and my daddy's old scout recipe for biscuits.

Boy Scout Biscuits:

1 cup self rising flour

1 heaping table spoon mayonnaise

Milk

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix flour and mayonnaise, then add milk until the mixture is thick, not too dry, and not too wet.  Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until done.  Makes about 6.

Slice sausage down the center and place in skillet.  Fry until done and place on hot buttered biscuit.

For other information about wild food and recipes click here http://theforagerpress.com/fieldguide/basics.htm

Today is wild food day, so try something different and see what you can find in your yard.  Just make sure it is edible and not poisonous first!