Cooking with Squirrel - A Fall homestead traditional meal

Braised Squirrel With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Pinot Noir

By Jonathan Miles September 12, 2013

Photo by Johnny Miller

“I love the sweet aroma of squirrel, and I’m surprised at most folks’ inexperience with serving the little guys,” says chef Levon Wallace, who heads up the kitchen at Proof on Main in Louisville, Ky. Wallace developed this recipe after bagging a few grays on a recent outing. “It’s a riff on coq au vin,” he explains, referring to the classic French dish of a rooster stewed in wine, “and works well for rabbit, or duck, too.”

Ingredients

- 4 squirrels, cleaned
- 1 bottle of Pinot Noir or other dry, light-bodied red wine
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. juniper berries, cracked
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns, cracked
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 slices good-quality country bacon, cut into 1-inch dice
- 1 cup pearl onions, peeled
- 2 cups forest mushrooms (shiitake, morel, chanterelle, oyster, or your favorite variety)
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 1 large stalk celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- About 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1: Remove the hind and forelegs from each squirrel with shears. Trim the ribs away from the saddle and discard ribs. Cut the saddle in half.

2: In a large nonreactive bowl, combine half the bottle of wine with the thyme, rosemary, two bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the squirrel pieces and marinate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight, refrigerated.

3: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the squirrel pieces from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade. Season the pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess. Transfer the floured pieces to a wire rack or plate. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook until just crisp and golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add the squirrel pieces (in batches if necessary) and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate with the bacon. Add the pearl onions and cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown, then add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic, and remaining bay leaves. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring. Add the reserved half bottle of wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to dislodge any tasty browned bits.

4: Return the squirrel and bacon to the mixture, stir to incorporate, and place the pot in the oven, covered. Cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the squirrel meat is tender but not falling off the bone. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with parsley. Serves 4

Pinot Two Ways

The same grape varietal you cooked with is the one to drink with this dish. So pick up two bottles at the store. Pinot Noir can get pricey, so for the stew, try an inexpensive bottle from New Zealand. If you want to upgrade for the drinking, look for an Oregon vintage like the 2010 St. Innocent Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir.

From the October 2013 issue of Field & Stream magazine

Our first attempt at fermentation

Over the weekend between some gleaning of the gardens and coop cleaning and building a raku kiln for my wife's pottery, I collected up some of our smaller heads of green cabbage that had split open or were just too small to do with much with and decided to use them to make some kimchi.

While we have made sauerkraut in the past this was a little different in the sense we used a 1-1 brine (1 Tbsp. salt - 1 cup of water) solution and submerged the cabbage, carrots and diakon.  Traditionally salted cabbage is all that is used to make the sauerkraut to draw out its own water and when it is warm out it usually goes bad for us.
I ran into problems in that no two recipes for kimchi were the same, some where more of a pickle using vinegar, to me that is not conducive to fermentation.  Some didn't even provide measurements, an assumption that the authors made that could lead to failure.  After reading up in some of my fermentation guides I came to the conclusion that as long as the brine is correct to the amount of vegetables we would be good.


With four heads of cabbage in hand I removed all the damaged leaves and sent those off to the chickens, since cabbage and kale are two of their favorite things.  Loosely chopped the cabbage in to larger chunks and diced the carrots, about 1 cup, and shredded about 1 cup of diakon, placed them in an 8 cup fermentation crock and proceeded to mix 8 Tbsp. of kosher salt to 8 cups of water and cover the vegetables with the brine.  The key now is to keep the vegetable submerged in the brine so I placed a plate that was about the same diameter as the crocks opening the pressure of the brine on the surface of the plate kept it submerged.   Covered it all with a clean towel to allow it to breath and set it in the corner of the kitchen out of the sunlight but warm (around 70 degrees), this is where I have mixed information and we will update the post on the overall out come.  Some recipes call for 24-72 hours to let soak, others say 24 hours and I found several that called for 4 weeks.  We welcome any recommendation any of you might have on what you do for fermentation.  I opted for a wait and see, since I like my kimchi to have a crunch with heat ( that part is coming in a minute).

After 24 hours, and another day of garden work and some squirrel hunting I checked the vegetables and the cabbage and carrots where soft but snapped when bit so I decided now is the time to process the paste.  The paste is the part where the additional flavors are added, I opted to go with an onion, six cloves of some spicy red garlic and 8 dragon chili peppers along with a good chunk of ginger with a Tbsp of fish sauce.

Some recipes called for hand mashing, grating or food processor, I chose the food process and again this should be a paste but the onions left so much liquid it was impossible to make a paste, but the smell was wonderful.

Now we took the cabbage, diakon and carrots out of the brine using a metal colander to separate the liquid from the vegetables, make sure to set the brine to the side, you are going to need it.  Place all the vegetables in a glass bowl or metal pot, do not use plastic bowels or utensils for processing due to inviting bacteria into your mix.

Dump the paste mix into vegetables and mix thoroughly with clean utensils so that all of the vegetables are coated.  Grab yourself some of your canning jars or 1/2 gallon glass jar and pack the vegetables into the jars.

Now the key is to only pack to the fill line of the jar(s) so that there is about 1/2 inch of head space. Ladle the brine into the jar(s) to cover the vegetable, cover and shake to get the air to rise to the top and add more brine to cover if needed.  The key is to keep the vegetables submerged so you do several things, you can place a stone, (make sure it has been washed and boiled for 10 minutes) on top of the mixture to keep it packed, this is good for small pints or quart large mouth jars or if you use a 1/2 gallon pack it only half full with vegetable cover with brine and take a second jar pint size will work, fill with extra brine or water, tie a string around it and lower it into the container so that it compresses the vegetables, the sting will help you remove it later.  You can loosely close the jars or cover with a paper towel and use the ring to hold in place.  Place the jars in a container to catch any brine that leaks out during the fermentation, this should also force any air out of the containers, and place in a cool dark location for fermentation to continue.

We will continue to update this post as we progress on the fermentation and let you know of any adjustments we have to make in the mean time here are some fermentation troubleshooting tips at Makesauerkraut.com

How to save heirloom tomato seeds

1.      Cut one or two of the best tomatoes in half (not end to end but around the middle) and squeeze out the seeds and gel into a small container. We recommend a small canning jar with the ring.

2.      Label the jar with the type of seed and variety.

3.      Add 1/2 cup of water and swirl it around.

4.      Cover the jar with a cloth or paper towel to keep out fruit flies.  Be sure to secure with either a ring if a jelly jar or rubber band to keep it in place.

5.      Store the container out of the sun, for 3 to 5 days.

6.      There will be an odor as the fermenting takes place.

7.      A mold film may form on top, which is normal.

To separate the seeds

Film of mold sealing the jars

If you covered the jar with a paper towel, carefully remove the film that has grown on top of the seed and water. There will not be a film if you used a fermenting lid.

Add more water to the jar and swish it around. The best seeds and those you want to keep will sink. If you are using a fresh tomato from the garden almost every seed will be viable.

Carefully pour off water, discard floating seeds, and the bits of pulp suspended in the liquid. Repeat this process, adding more fresh water, until all the pulp is gone and you have clean seeds.

Drain them as well as you can and spread them in a single layer on a screen or a paper plate to dry. We don’t use paper towels at our house so I patted the seed dry with a muslin kitchen towel. You can use paper towels, but I’ve heard that the seeds tend to stick to them. Plastic or ceramic plates do not work well to dry your seeds. The tomato seeds need to have the water wicked away from them and that won’t happen with plastic or ceramic. If you’re saving more than one variety, be sure to label the plates.

Let the seeds dry for five to six days at room temperature in a well-ventilated place. You may want to stir the seeds with your fingers daily to break up any that are clumped together. This will help them dry quicker.

In just a few days the seed will be completely dry and ready to go into storage. Tomato seed has a very long shelf life and once dry it doesn’t need any special care. Place the dried seed in small manila envelopes or zip lock bags.  I use old yogurt containers with lids. Be sure to label the container with the date packaged.

How to Make “Willow Water” root hormone

Here is the procedure for making willow water:

1. Collect young first-year twigs and stems of any of willow (Salix spp.) species, these have green or yellow bark. Don’t use the older growth that has brown or gray bark.
2. Remove all the leaves, these are not used. Don’t waste good green material though, compost the leaves or throw them in the garden as mulch.
3. Take the twigs and cut them up into short pieces around 1" (2.5cm) long.
4. The next step is to add the water. there are several techniques to extract the natural plant rooting hormones:
   a) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with boiling water, just like making tea, and allow the “tea” to stand overnight.
   b) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water (unheated), and let it soak for several days.
5. When finished, separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring out the liquid, or pouring it through a strainer or sieve. The liquid is now ready to use for rooting cuttings. You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep the liquid in the refrigerator. Remember to label the jar so you remember what it is, and write down the date you brewed it up, and to aid the memory, write down the date that it should be used by, which is two months from the date it was made!  
6. To use, just pour some willow water into a small jar, and place the cuttings in there like flowers in a vase, and leave them there to soak overnight for several hours so that they take up the plant rooting hormone. Then prepare them as you would when propagating any other cuttings.
   The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.

Reprinted from https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/home-made-plant-rooting-hormone-willow-water/

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

14 mins

Total time

1 hour 14 mins

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: About 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. culinary lavender
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pure cane sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Place 1 Tbsp. of the granulated sugar, lavender, and lemon zest in a mortar and grind lightly with the pestle.
3. Place lavender mixture in large bowl with remaining sugar and butter. Cream together until smooth. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture until it forms dough. Shape into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes (I used a 1 3/4 inch cutter) and place on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with some pure cane sugar, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Can be store in an airtight container for 5 days.

Time to start planting for the fall. But consider this

What to consider when planting crops in August: how fast they grow, and how frost-tolerant they are. Here are a few good crops to plant in August.

Fast-Growing Crops

These fast-growing crops can be planted early enough to avoid a frost:

1. Baby carrots – Harvest in 30 days.
2. Leaf lettuce – Harvest in 30 days.
3. Radishes – Harvest in 30 days.
4. Spinach – Harvest in 45 days.
5. Bush beans – Harvest in 40-65 days.

Survives Light Frost

If you generally experience light frosting early on, these crops are capable of surviving:

6. Kohlrabi – 50-60 days to maturity.
7. Leaf Lettuce – 30 days to maturity.

Frost-Tolerant Crops (Survives High 20s Fahrenheit)
These three crops can really extend your growing season past the first frost:

8. Beets – 50-60 days to maturity.
9. Green onions – 60-70 days to maturity.
10. Peas – 70-80 days to maturity.

Frost Tolerant Crops (Survives Low 20’s)
These crops are the hardiest of the hardiest. They will survive after everything else has died and is in your canning jars.

11. Cabbage – 50-90 days to maturity.
12. Collard Greens – 40-65 days to maturity.
13. Kale – 40-65 days to maturity.
14. Radishes – 30-60 days to maturity.
Again, depending on where you live, August doesn’t have to necessarily spell the end of your gardening season. By getting out of the old habit of planting only after the last frost, we can really extend our growing season.

Sad news on the homestead

Yesterday we experienced a sudden death of one of our wyandotte hens and as surprised as we were
this is often quite common with chickens.  I wondered was there things we could have done but even after a full inspection of the carcass there were no  signs of mites, infections or even trauma, though the night before I did close up the coop because the temp dropped to almost freezing.  In the morning she was her usual noisy self and fighting the other hens over sunflower seeds and when I got home from work I was only greeted by five hens and there she was in the dusting area half buried in the dirt.

I let the rest of the hens out so I could remove her and clean out any feathers or debris where she was.  Still puzzled I did some research and found this was not uncommon and though we did not process the carcass for consumption, due to not being able to tell how long she had been dead and it was a rather warm day, I did inspect her wings, vent, neck and head area because after the very first cold spell at the start of the winter she was not looking well.  She was disoriented and shaking her head a lot.  So we brought her in to warm up and let her rest in a dog carrier.  After two days she went back out and seemed fine, but as winter set in we started only getting 5 eggs on average, so one of them was not laying (we never forced laying and let the girls do their thing) but on occasion we would get one extremely large egg, jumbo +, often it was wrinkled shell and extremely think walled.  Just over the past week we had four occasions to find rubber shelled eggs, so we watched and egg production returned to normal.  Then poof day after six normal eggs she died.

There could have been other signs, like she never roosted with the other hens, she would go to a higher spot in the coop and not share body warmth from the others.  She often was last to eat but had a bit of a temper with the other chickens.  She was not a runner and barely followed the flock when they all saw one of the others getting something good to eat, or so they thought.  She hated worms, while the other girls would relish at the opportunity to get into the compost bin to get the worms, she did not.  She hated to be picked up and would go to great lengths to get away.

In the end we still have no idea how she died but are a bit concerned and will watch the other girls for the next week or so to make sure they are fine.  I did run across this article from Mother Earth News on sudden chicken death, all seem plausible based on what we observed.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/sudden-chicken-death-zbcz1404