Posted on 05/11/2008 8:20:25 AM PDT by Daffynition
t's low in fat, low in food miles and completely free range. In fact, some claim that Sciurus carolinensis - the grey squirrel - is about as ethical a dish as it is possible to serve on a dinner plate.
The grey squirrel, the American cousin of Britain's endangered red variety, is flying off the shelves faster than hunters can shoot them, with game butchers struggling to keep up with demand. 'We put it on the shelf and it sells. It can be a dozen squirrels a day - and they all go,' said David Simpson, the director of Kingsley Village shopping centre in Fraddon, Cornwall, whose game counter began selling grey squirrel meat two months ago.
At Ridley's Fish and Game shop in Corbridge, Northumberland, the owner David Ridley says he has sold 1,000 - at £3.50 a squirrel - since he tested the market at the beginning of the year. 'I wasn't sure at first, and wondered would people really eat it. Now I take every squirrel I can get my hands on. I've had days when I have managed to get 60 and they've all sold straight away.'
Simpson likens the taste to wild boar. Ridley thinks it is more a cross between duck and lamb. 'It's moist and sweet because, basically, its diet has been berries and nuts,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk ...
Squirrels here are brown and the size of chipmunks. Not enough to make a sandwich.
Great pic.
I don’t know about squirrels, but last year our neighbor had a woodchuck that would have fed a family of 6. The big guy would just sit upright on the lawn, watching the world go by.
Ground hog [woodchuck] isn’t too bad.Stuff it like a turkey.
I have fat grey and red squirrels right outside my back door. And they are very tasty, although a little chewy.
For a small investment of one 22 caliber shell, squirrel is flat out a bargain meat dish! mmmmmmmmm
Armadillo anyone? We have more than we need here. I guess you can boil them like lobster and dip them in butter?
My yard is over run with squirrels, but I hadn’t thought of eating them. hhhhuummmmmmmm
We used to have a bunch of squirrels, chipmunks, and a groundhog. Then a fox decided this was his ecological niche. He keeps down the stray cat population as well
I do think the the number of squirrels we have are in direct response to the four giant pecan trees on our lot....
Gee squirrel could be the main course and pecan pie for dessert.
Kevin Viner's recipe for two pasties
140g squirrel meat cut into 1cm cubes;
100g sliced potato; 100g sliced swede; 50g diced onion; 30g smoked bacon;
15g chopped hazelnuts; 75g butter;
5g chopped parsley; a good pinch of salt and pepper
Method
· Egg wash edges of pastry circles.
· Place the potato, swede, hazelnuts, parsley and seasoning on to each circle followed by the bacon, squirrel meat and, finally, the onion.
· Place butter in each pasty, then fold over the pastry and crimp the edges.
· Put the pasties on to a greaseproof baking tray, egg wash both pasties well, place in a pre-heated oven at 180C or gas mark 5.
· Bake for 45-50 minutes. The juices should start to boil and the pasties should be able to move on the tray with ease.
I don't know about you guys but I ain't eatin' anything with 100 grams of sliced swede in it.
There isn’t enough meat on them to be worth the trouble, even if you put ‘em on a stick and nibble the meat off. Just throw ‘em in a Brunswick stew.
When my son was small and in the Disney stage, we went over to a friend’s house, where she served a traditional Brunswick stew. Eventually he figured out what was in the stew and from that point on we all referred to the animals running around in the back yard stealing bird seed as “Brunswicks.”
Try some hedgehog....roll it in clay...bake...remove clay shell and spikes....add seasoning and eat...yummy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.