Meat. It’s What’s For Dinner...

9:09 am - 52 degrees outside - overcast, low clouds...

It’s that time of year again... hunting season. 

Hunting wild animals for food used to be a part of everyday life – for some it still is.  Hunting may not be for everyone, but it’s a part of our lives.  Hunting is simply harvesting wild food, and we only harvest what our family will eat.

my great-grandmother in the early 1900s

Tony hunts for deer and elk every year – one deer and one elk will put enough meat in the freezer to feed our family for a whole year and be able to share some with family and friends. 

A few years ago, our daughter took and passed a hunters education class to get her hunting license.  Last year she got her first buck (male deer), and this year she got her first bull (male elk).  We are very proud of her, and she is helping to provide for our family.  We are also very proud that our children know and understand where their food comes from.

Caitlyn's first bull elk. Shot 2nd day of rifle elk season.

Hunting for our own food also gives us peace of mind that the meat in our freezer has not been tainted by antibiotics, artificial hormones, pesticides, herbicides, or unnatural feeds that are not needed and are possibly harmful.

Elk tastes similar to beef (no gamey flavor).
Compared to beef, elk meat is lower in fat and higher in protein.

There are a lot of shocking things about meat.  Sometimes I find that the most shocking thing about meat to some people, is that meat is actually made of dead animals!  Crazy right?  Sorry for my sarcasm, but I do seriously think we maintain a cognitive dissonance between the animals we see and the meat we eat.

One of the problems with our current food system is that there is this real disconnect with where our food comes from.  The same person who would squeal if they saw a farmer shoot a cow can easily buy packages of ground beef at the grocery store...or a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts...or fish fillets.  While we understand what meat is in a cerebral way, we don’t really understand what that means.  We don’t equate a dead, bleeding animal with this delicious looking meal on our plate.  We literally and figuratively remove the life from our food.

To hunt and butcher an animal is to recognize that meat is not some abstract form of protein that springs into existence at the grocery store tightly wrapped in cellophane and styrofoam.  Meat is life.  It still astounds me how many people actually believe that the meat they buy at the grocery store...is just meat at the grocery store.  They forget or choose to forget where it really came from – a living breathing animal.  In order to appreciate that slice of steak on your plate, I think you need to also know and appreciate where it came from.

Grouse. It’s What’s For Dinner...

10:22 am - 51 degrees - foggy, windy, and raining...

Hunting for wild game to put food on the table used to be a part of everyday life – for some it still is.  Hunting may not be for everyone, but it’s a part of our lives.  Hunting is simply harvesting wild food, and we only harvest what our family will eat {click here}.

Tony hunts for deer and elk every year – one deer and one elk will put enough meat in the freezer to feed our family for a whole year and be able to share some with family and friends.  In fact, as I sit here typing this blog post, Tony and Jack are out deer hunting.

In addition to hunting large game, Tony also hunts upland birds, just not as often.  As our kids get older they want to go hunting with him more often, so this year he took them grouse hunting.

Grouse are small upland birds that range over most of the United States and southern Canada.  They are not usually very big, somewhere between a quail and a pheasant – undressed a grouse will normally range anywhere from a pound to around three pounds, give or take.  So for a family of four, a minimum of four is usually recommended.

Many feel that when it comes to upland birds – grouse is the best as far as flavor goes.  Grouse tastes similar to pheasant, it’s not gamey, and does have some similar “chicken flavor” but it is not nearly as bland as chicken and has a different texture. 

Here is a simple and delicious way to prepare grouse...

 ~Grouse Nuggets~

4 grouse, cleaned and cut into ¾” cubes

Milk

Flour

Salt & Pepper

2 eggs, beaten

Italian bread crumbs

Olive oil

After you have your grouse cleaned and cubed, get out 4 small bowls to make an assembly line.  In the first bowl pour some milk.  In the second bowl pour some flour and season with salt and pepper.  In the third bowl beat two eggs.  In the fourth bowl pour some bread crumbs.

Dip grouse cubes into milk, then flour mixture, then egg wash, and then bread crumbs.  Do this to all the grouse cubes.

Warm a non-stick skillet with ¼” deep of olive oil on medium-high heat.  Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning often so they won’t burn.

Serve with honey, Ranch, BBQ or whatever sauce you like.

- Enjoy!

Meat. It’s What’s For Dinner...

1:35 pm - 57 degrees - scattered clouds, light breeze...

It’s that time of year again... hunting season. 

Hunting wild animals for food used to be a part of everyday life – for some it still is.  Hunting may not be for everyone, but it’s a part of our lives.  Hunting is simply harvesting wild food, and we only harvest what our family will eat.

There are a lot of shocking things about meat.  Sometimes I find that the most shocking thing about meat to some people, is that meat is actually made of dead animals!  Crazy right?  Sorry for my sarcasm, but I do seriously think we maintain a cognitive dissonance between the animals we see and the meat we eat.

One of the problems with our current food system is that there is this real disconnect with where our food comes from.  The same person who would squeal if they saw a farmer shoot a cow can easily buy packages of ground beef at the grocery store...or a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts...or fish fillets.  While we understand what meat is in a cerebral way, we don’t really understand what that means.  We don’t equate a dead, bleeding animal with this delicious looking meal on our plate.  We literally and figuratively remove the life from our food.

Tony hunts for deer and elk every year – one deer and one elk will put enough meat in the freezer to feed our family for a whole year and be able to share some with family and friends.

Shot a bull elk on the third day of
muzzleloader season.

  

Hunting for our own food also gives us peace of mind that the meat in our freezer has not been tainted by antibiotics, artificial hormones, pesticides, herbicides, or unnatural feeds that are not needed and are possibly harmful.

This is the most "organic", "free range" meat you can get!

Nutritional wise, Elk comes in pretty good.

To hunt and butcher an animal is to recognize that meat is not some abstract form of protein that springs into existence at the grocery store tightly wrapped in cellophane and styrofoam.  Meat is life.  It still astounds me how many people actually believe that the meat they buy at the grocery store...is just meat at the grocery store.  They forget or choose to forget where it really came from – a living breathing animal.  In order to appreciate that slice of steak on your plate, I think you need to also know and appreciate where it came from.

Elk Steaks.  It's what's for dinner.

Meat. It’s What’s For Dinner...

10:38 am - 52 degrees - sunny and breezy...

There are a lot of shocking things about meat.  Sometimes I find that the most shocking thing about meat to people is that meat is actually made of dead animals!  Crazy right?  Sorry for my sarcasm, but I do seriously think we maintain a cognitive dissonance between the animals we see and the meat we eat.

One of the problems with our current food system is that there is this real disconnect with where our food comes from.  The same person who would squeal if they saw a farmer shoot a cow can easily buy packages of ground beef at the grocery store...or a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts...or fish fillets.  While we understand what meat is in a cerebral way, we don’t really understand what that means.  We don’t equate a dead, bleeding animal with this delicious looking meal on our plate.  We literally and figuratively remove the life from our food.

Hunting wild animals for food used to be a part of everyday life – for some it still is.  Hunting may not be for everyone, but it’s a part of our lives.  Hunting is simply harvesting wild food, and we only harvest what our family will eat.



my great-grandmother in the early 1900s

Tony hunts for deer and elk every year – one deer and one elk will put enough meat in the freezer to feed our family for a whole year and be able to share some with family and friends.

Tony got a buck yesterday morning

Hunting for our own food also gives us peace of mind that the meat in our freezer has not been tainted by antibiotics, artificial hormones, pesticides, herbicides, or unnatural feeds that are not needed and are possibly harmful.

To hunt and butcher an animal is to recognize that meat is not some abstract form of protein that springs into existence at the grocery store tightly wrapped in cellophane and styrofoam.  Meat is life.  It still astounds me how many people actually believe that the meat they buy at the grocery store...is just meat at the grocery store.  They forget or choose to forget where it really came from – a living breathing animal.  In order to appreciate that big slice of steak on your plate, I think you need to also know and appreciate where it came from.