An elderly man I used to work with said that during the depression and even after, when he was a kid, his family ate them and they are excellent. He said there were times when all of the local squirrels were gone and all they had to eat (meat) was groundhogs but they were better than squirrels and rabbits to eat.
An elderly man I used to work with said that during the depression and even after, when he was a kid, his family ate them and they are excellent. He said there were times when all of the local squirrels were gone and all they had to eat (meat) was groundhogs but they were better than squirrels and rabbits to eat.
People could eat rats also but really?
6am and you know what that means.....It’s Grrrroundhog Daaaaaaaaaay!
early Joy of Cooking books had receipes for ground hog and squirrel . It had come out during the depression, and many people ate small game.
What the hell, Jon?
I had a bunch on my property, all dead now. Once in a while one tries to make its home here. I built a “special purpose rifle” in .223 just for the groundhogs. A .22 WMR killed them too, but they’d often crawl back in their holes.
The last one I killed was with a piece of firewood. The dog had it cornered.
They’re not underrated by the coyotes.
Both groundhog and squirrel are mostly lean dark meat, similar to beef, but not greasy like duck is. The squirrel obviously is smaller and has less meat. Each can be infested with fleas and ticks, so it’s good to be careful handling the carcass. Boiling the squirrel makes it easy to remove the muscle (meat) for further preparation, such as using it in a stew or stir fry. Groundhogs aren’t usually found in the deep south (South Georgia and Florida, e.g.)—something about the soil being too acidic for them, a game biologist once told me—but are sure plentiful in the Appalachians.
Good SHTF information.
I’ve eat quite a few woodchucks over the years. The key is to remove the scent glands and the soak the meat in cold water over night to get the blood out. After that, cook it any number of ways. We usually cook it in a crock pot or Dutch oven.
I had a groundhog in my backyard just a few days ago. Got several shots (photos) of him. He was near my bird feeders when I first spotted him in the afternoon. As soon as he saw me, he took off for some shade underneath my deck. He thought I couldn’t see him. After 10 or so minutes, he ran over to the ravine between my house and my neighbor. At that point, I lost sight of him.
Don’t Drive Angry!
Have picked off many over the years. Would have to be desperate to eat one.
Interesting thread. I love game, however, when I was a kid, my uncle brought my family a large, fresh ground hog. My mom was - and still is - an amazing cook who can do anything with anything. But none of us could stand the taste or consistency of that beast even after all her kitchen magic!
The one that lives under my porch is nicely fattened up, but he/she’s more of a neighbor than a potential meal.