Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 To: anglican@list.stsams.org From: Douglas Palmer Subject: Re: Squirrels >>(says she remembering walking towards North Church and spotting a squirrel for the first time -OK,OK I know they're vermin but they were previously unseen by this Antipodean!)>> Squirrels as vermin?! No, no... Squirrels are delicious. BBQ, baked, fried... all sorts of ways. One of my favorite hunts when I was a kid was going out for four or five squirrels and a few pounds of Morel mushrooms to fry up. Just remembering has made quite hungry. Time to eat! -- Douglas Brooklyn Heights, NY ------------------------------ From: "sally.mullock" Good grief Douglas! I have never heard of eating squirrels, other than those the local cats take. We have loads round here, all the European Grey as there are not many red ones left in the UK (the red need deciduous woodland while the grey thrive in evergreen). There are so many in our garden, and when we first moved in here they used to get into our roof and run up and down between the joists, so we have called our house Squirrel's Leap!! Love SallyM ------------------------------ From: Sibyl Smirl I ate them as a kid. Good eating. Would again, if I were broke and hungry enough, or they were sold in stores. I just have trouble killing things bigger than insects (which I don't eat for other reasons) myself. I couldn't even kill domestic chickens and rabbits when we had them. ------------------------------ From: "Stephen P. Victor" > I ate them as a kid. I just had a lovely "chicken" cutlet made of Quorn, a new meat alternative imported from Europe (I think). Quite tasty, and almost like the real thing. Don't know if they make "squirrel" cutlets out of it though. Steve -- Stephen P. Victor Austin, Texas USA ------------------------------ From: Andrew Auld How'd I miss THIS thread: SEE RECIPE: Easy creamed squirrel I also have a recipe for Squirrel pie, and an excellent Armadillo Piquant, if anyone wants to try it..... - pax - Andrew H. Auld; Survivor ------------------------------ From: "Hagen, Susan" Isn't that what Brunswick stew is supposed to be made from? I know my W. Va. mother grew up eating squirrel. My granddad hunted until he was pretty old. Mom spoke well of scrambled squirrel brains but that sounds too much like fare from the Roadkill Cafe for me. I would be delighted to participate in the Morels though. Susan ------------------------------ From: "W. Michael Mahoney" Andrew commends - > Easy creamed squirrel: > 2-3 squirrels -- cut up, depending on size Snip (sic ((sick)). I tried this once, but the little feet kept getting stuck in my throat so I gave it up. Mike Mahoney, amid lots of squirrels in Rappahannock County ------------------------------ From: Andrew Auld > Isn't that what Brunswick stew is supposed to be made from? Yep, originally. Ya want the recipe? - pax - Andrew who's gettin' hongry right now. Damn that Slim Fast. ------------------------------ From: FlyingFish224 Food Queen, now in retirement, here. Steve (hi, Steve) ate Quorn, a vegetarian protein source. It has recently won FDA approval, and will be (now is?) domestically produced in the US. Quorn has been manufactured in Europe and consumed for some time. Quorn is produced from a fungus. Just thought you might like to know. Renee ------------------------------ From: "Hagen, Susan" As one who is very allergic to molds of all kinds I think I'll give this a miss. Susan ------------------------------ From: Sibyl Smirl That's too bad--corn fungus, which is merely a nuisance to US farmers, is considered a great delicacy in mexico. Mushrooms, including morels, are fungus, too. Japanese (or is it Chinese?) like "tree ears", another fungus that grows on wood. French truffles (not the candy kind) are an underground fungus, which they find with pigs or dogs as sniffers. ------------------------------ From: "Hagen, Susan" Well, you have a point. I eat mushrooms with no problem but am terribly allergic to things like mildewy basements, wet moldy leaves, mold-based antibiotics like penicillin. I recently tried some truffle oil sprinkled on pasta - delicious. Susan ------------------------------ From: Sibyl Smirl That's interesting--my daughter is terribly allergic in the respiratory way to things like airborne spores of mildew and such, but I don't think she's ever shown penicillin allergy--I'd probably better warn her to be careful--penicillin allergy can kill you. ------------------------------ From: Douglas Palmer > That's too bad--corn fungus, which is merely a nuisance to US farmers, > is considered a great delicacy in mexico. Corn smut is *delicious* -- and a sign of a chef that is working hard to make authentic Mexican food. Huitlacoche is not easy to find here, but worth trying if you do find it. It's good sprinkled on chicken, too -- before or after baking. > Mushrooms, including morels, are fungus, too. I love morels. We used to get pounds of them in the Spring (IIRC) and bring them back to fry up. I saw two in the grocery store for $4.29 a few weeks ago. Dried ones are very expensive by the pound. > French truffles (not the candy kind) are an underground fungus, > which they find with pigs or dogs as sniffers. My two-year-old niece ate two whole white truffles from a jar that her father had put on the table while he was cooking. As he turned around, she was drinking the last of the truffle oil and asked for more. Now there is a girl who will probably enjoy trying all sorts of foods. :-) -- Douglas Brooklyn Heights, NY ------------------------------ From: Sibyl Smirl > Corn smut is *delicious* . . . . Not hard to find here, where we grow a lot of corn (though I don't think anybody sells it) but I've never dared try it: too disgusting-looking in its natural state. ------------------------------ From: "Hagen, Susan" >> Isn't that what Brunswick stew is supposed to be made from? > Ya want the recipe? Sure Andrew. Susan ------------------------------ From: Lesley W. Michael Mahoney arranged the electrons to write: >>Andrew commends - >> Easy creamed squirrel: >> 2-3 squirrels -- cut up, depending on size > Snip (sic ((sick)). > I tried this once, but the little feet kept getting stuck > in my throat so I gave it up. Maybe you should try the Galah Stew recipe on them. One galah, cleaned One stone Place galah and stone into billy and cover with water. Cook over fire for three days, topping up with water as needed. Once stone has softened, throw away galah and eat the stone (This has reference to the fact that quite a few native animals are difficult to turn into dishes soft enough for most western tastes. Surprisingly, one that is not is crocodile, which I have eaten. Its white flesh is a cross between chicken and tuna. Mmmmm.) Lesley de Voil Toowoomba Queensland Australia ------------------------------ From: Sibyl Smirl Rattlesnake is supposed to be fine eating too, like chicken, but I've never tried it. I might, some time. ------------------------------ From: "Bonnie L. Sherrell" I can and will recommend alligator, but suggest you have a full Cajun prepare it for you. It has a texture similar to chicken or tender pork, but its own unique flavor. I never dreamed I would like such a thing, but Claude has shown me the error of my preconceptions. (And Claude is indeed a "coon-ass). Bonnie L. Sherrell Teacher at Large