Rabbit Pot Pie

My good buddy, and avid fellow forager/bush-crafter, Nicholas came to visit last week. I had just found a nice new bass spot and was hoping he and I could check it out.
We had plans to hunt and fish all day, crash in the woods, and get up early to hunt some more.
The first part of the plan went well.
We hunted in the morning for rabbit and feral goat (both of which gave us the slip), and had a nice day out on the aluminum monster (my canoe).
The blackberries were abundant as were their thorns! Watch out!

Nicholas and I caught a few nice fish (not one a legal keeper so we tossed them back).

Abalone took pleasure in chasing some of the bigger bass once they were hooked!

Like I mentioned, we had planned to crash out in the woods and cook a nice cottontail curry from the rabbit I got the other day...
but the mosquitoes were killer! Those useless insects suck! (get it?)
So we were forced to pack up camp, after having already moved our operation a mile away from the first mosquito haven.
When we returned home it was nice to not be a pin cushion any longer and we slept soundly for the next few hours.
The following morning we were "up and at 'em" again hunting even earlier with hopes of acquiring a rabbit or two.
Sure enough, we were successful!

We ended up with two cottontails in the bag!
When we got home we slow cooked the rabbits and made a family favorite...rabbit pot pie!

This was hands down the best pot pie I have ever had! Unlike my last squab recipe, this one is a keeper!

Well, my girl and I have friends coming over for the abalone and fish I caught freediving last weekend with my buddy Alex, so I guess we need to get cooking!

Keep the old ways alive!

Spatchcocked Squab

“There’s a whole spatchcock of mussels on this rock!” My buddy Alex last winter intentionally misusing the word spatchcock because he thinks (and so do I) that it is funny.

I spent the last month and a half in the woods (story coming soon) and so of course I missed being in the woods…so I returned ready for a rabbit hunt.

I got a nice cottontail (though I forgot to get a picture) and a few moments before a flock of feral pigeons (aka rock doves/squab) passed by and I took three with my trusty Remington 12 ga. 870.

I have been wanting to try squab for the last year and I finally had my chance.

 These birds are sizable, a delicacy in Europe, and have no limit or season in California as they are invasive. These are the perfect ingredients for a recipe to entice most any forager!

I plucked the squab and cleaned the cottontail and headed home for a little urban foraging. First, I hit my favored fig spot to secure fruit for a sweet balsamic-fruit reduction sauce. Next, it was to my stores in the garage for last season’s English walnuts (still perfectly preserved even though this harvest season is now upon us).

With a little dash of my homemade sea salt and a few more goodies here and there, a delicious meal was served. I spatchcocked the birds by cutting out the backbone to splay them out flat for broiling.

-The Problem_ Turns out, if you don’t sear or slow cook squab it is as tough as shoe leather! I ate the tastiest (yet toughest) rock doves ever!

I will perfect my recipe. As I always say when people badmouth jackrabbit, “it’s all about how you cook it!”

Once I have a worthy squab recipe I will share it.

In the meantime I am off to go bass fishing, foraging, and cottontail hunting with my good buddy Nicholas.

Wish us luck.

Keep the old ways alive!

Cottontail Rabbit Tagine

Last month marked the annual opening of rabbit season. Though  jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) are open all year, cottontails (Sylvilagus), brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are only fair game during a limited season lasting from July 1st- the last Sunday in January. 

My dog had been anticipating a good cottontail hunt since finals week and I was happy to take her along for the ride!

We started out with a little bluegill fishing. She chased fish after fish until she finally began to tire.

As the sun sank low in the sky, she and I headed out for a rabbit hunt.

Along a bank of grass, bare earth, and coyote brush we spotted a rabbit. I loaded my trusty 12 gauge and we crept in and drew a bead. The shot was true and Abalone ran full speed at the rabbit pinning it to the ground.

She was one proud dog, and I was one proud hunter!

We picked wild fennel from a secret spot to use in our dinner and after sharing an appetizer of liver, heart and kidney’s with my quadrapedal hunting buddy, I set to work on the main course…rabbit Tagine!

Tagine refers to both a suite of recipes from the Middle East, and the dish in which they are cooked. The recipe I settled on used tomato, fennel, lemon, garlic, onion, potatoes, olives, parsley (from my garden), my homemade sea salt, and select spices.

It was fantastic! The meat was so tender and the spices complemented this wild game incredibly well. I certainly hope to make this dish again soon! 

Well, time to get out foraging again. I will have another story for you next week (a tale of spending most of last month at 5,000 ft, deep in the mountains). 

Keep the old ways alive!

Dolmas with Wild Grape Leaves

The figs just started fruiting and as usual I was there to greet them!

A few days later on a successful bass outing I spied some wild grape vines and got thinking. 

Abalone with her bass (she chased it around the creek gnashing her teeth)

Here in northern California, wild grapes grow in such abundance that they will actually cover and kill large trees who cannot compete for vital sun to photosynthesize. As a result I am happy to use the grape vines for material, eat the fruit, and eat the leaves. 

Wild grapes beginning to out-compete some cottonwoods

I can assure you, the leaves of the wild grape are far from unappetizing...they are in fact delicious!
I gathered up a few making sure to select the tender new growth (late spring/early summer is the best time for tender leaves). I was also careful to only gather leaves about the size of my palm (much larger and they're too tough, much smaller and there is simply not enough).

Then after a few minutes blanching in boiling water, the leaves are allowed to cool and are filled with a delicious mix of rice, ground meat, olive oil, and spices.
One simply needs to roll them up like "cigars" and a Greek feast is in the works!

These dolmas were delicious! I will certainly return to the grape patch for more.
Well, the mulberry flush is over, but I tasted some of the first blackberries of the season yesterday. So get out there gathering, head out hunting, and always strive to keep the old ways alive!

Prime Plum Jam

My absolute favorite plum is the Santa Rosa variety. The sweet red-fleshed fruit is balanced by a tart purple skin that makes for a delicious combination!
Every year I look forward to the plum harvest. However, last year I was so caught up with finals week that I completely missed a plum tree right down the block from me. By the time I found it, hundreds of plums lay rotten on the street. I vowed to return the following season and ask the tenants for permission to make use of these delectable fruit.

On a walk with my dog the other day we rounded the corner and I saw we were just days away from a full-on flush of perfect ripe plums. I knocked on the door and asked politely and low and behold, the owner (Sven) told me to "pick as many plums as you want!"
You don't have to tell me twice for the message to get across!
I returned with my dog, a picker, and my friends Nick and Kate and we picked two bags full.

Afterwards we set to work cooking down some plum jam. My grandfather made jam from his Santa Rosa plums every year. Now when I cook the recipe I am reminded of him and the flavor brings me back to being a kid.

Well, I just spied a wild grape vine while bass fishing at the creek. Though the grapes are not near ripe, I have plans for the leaves. I will keep you posted.
Keep the old ways alive!

Apricot Jam Once Again

I have been pretty busy lately but I managed to get out for a half an hour the other day and gathered up a hat full of apricots!

The fruit this year is so sweet and juicy!

I brought my harvest home and cooked it down with sugar and made a small batch of incredible jam.

This is a short report as I have to get back to the books.

After finals week I will need a break...and nothing beats foraging as a way to relax! I will keep you posted.

Keep the old ways alive!