What’s for dinner?

Hello everyone!  What’s for dinner?  As I sat in my back yard yesterday watching the Squirrels play, I couldn’t help but remember the times my father and I went squirrel hunting as I was growing up.  It was something we both enjoyed and gave us time together.   My father is gone now and hunting is one of the great memories I have of him.  My next door neighbor was sitting next to me and asked how do you cook them? (squirrels that is) To which I replied… Uh… You know, other than grilling them over a fire I really wasn’t sure.  It was one of those “Duh!” moments.  As I thought further about it, I decided eating roasted Squirrel would get pretty boring and maybe I should take the time to learn a few recipes while I have the opportunity.  So I took to the internet and low and behold there are tons of recipes for squirrel.  Good old Google!  As I read and visited the different sites, I was amazed at all of the different ways there were.  Many of which I would have never thought of, so I started to filter through them to find the ones that could be created with the basic supplies I have in my preps or what I can grow in my garden.  This took a while.

The more I thought about it, the more interested I became in recipes for other wild animals and how to prepare them. Things like Rabbits, Deer, Raccoon and so on.  As Preppers, we often prepare for the need to hunt and skin the animals and often overlook the need for recipes and preparing the meat.  Some animals have glands that need to be removed before they are cooked.  Raccoons are one of them.  They have glands in there arms and legs that need to be removed or the meat will have a bad taste.  If you have ever had raccoon  and it tasted bad then the glands were probably not removed.  It’s a common mistake, but if you are depending on the meat that you hunt or trap to survive on then it becomes VERY important!

There are also many sites on the internet that can provide you with information on how to clean and prepare the meat before you cook it.  I strongly advise that you invest the time now before you need it in an SHTF situation.  First make a list of all of the edible animals in your area and don’t exclude the animals that you think you are not willing to eat, because when you are starving you never know what you will eat.  Besides, even if you don’t need to eat it, if you can clean it then you might can trade the meat for something else.  It’s always good to know how to do it.  I have met people that insist that when SHTF hits, they will become vegetarians even though they are now big meat eaters.  Trust me that won’t happen.  You see, in an SHTF situation, you will be working your muscles a lot more than normal.  Your muscles will require much more protein and vitamins to keep them healthy and meat will be the only viable solution available.  If you loose your strength because you refuse to kill and eat animals then you are as good as dead.

OK, now back to the recipes.  I found a really great site called Backwoods Bound that has a ton of recipes for all kinds of wild game.  They have over 50 recipes for squirrel alone.  I strongly suggest you check it out and print up some of the recipes for SHTF.  You would be the camp hero if you can take a wild animal and make a delicious meal out of it when no ones else can or even just cook it differently than everyone else.  When SHTF hits variety will be a luxury and those that are prepared will be the winners when it comes to food.  I just don’t see anyone coming up with a box of “Squirrel Helper” after the stores are all gone.  I will put a few links at the bottom of this Blog to help you get started.  If you find any that you really like or have a family recipe that you would like to share, please do in the comments below.   Remember that prepping is not a destination, but a journey and no matter how prepared you may think you are, it’s never enough.   Until next time, Bon Appetit!

Squirrel Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html?NF=1       http://www.wideopenspaces.com/5-best-squirrel-recipes/    http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,squirrel,FF.html

Raccoon Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zracoon.html      http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,raccoon,FF.html      http://www.sweetpotatoblessings.com/cafe/raccoon/raccoon.htm

Frog Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zfrog.html    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fried-frogs-legs/

Armadillo Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zarmadillo.html      http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com/wildgamerecipes/wildgamerecipes_armadillorecipes.htm

Beaver Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zbeaver.html        http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com/wildgamerecipes/wild_game_recipes_beaver_recipes.htm

Snake Recipes:  http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsnake.html           http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,easy_snake,FF.html