Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

Cheryl — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:19:35 GMT

This is an interesting article but I found the comments more to my viewpoint.

I grew up in poverty in Arkansas, and have eaten squirrel and rabbit that my stepdad provided for us. He held down a job, but it just wasn't enough, and living in the country things got very hard at times. Far from being one to question what other people eat, I'm actually proud of my upbringing, and the foods that I was exposed to. Today I live in more comfort, thanks to my hard working husband, and we no longer eat squirrel, but I sure would if I had to. My stepdad also taught me how to dress rabbits and squirrels (that means skin and remove the insides for those who are above eating squirrel.. grin). They have a good flavor, like chicken (ya I know, the old joke) but a little more gamey.

I've had dandelion greens and another green called lambs quarters, and also poke salat! My mom would take us kids out picking along highways, ya i know.. road exhaust, but we didnt think about that back then, and we'd pick what she called boysenberries. I'd go to school with scratches all over, but those cobblers were heaven, and she'd sell the extras that we picked for spending money. And if we picked enough, she'd splurge after we were done and we'd go to the store and each of us kids would get our own can of shasta brand soda from the machine, and to this day, shasta orange soda, ice cold, brings back memories of those days.

I also learned from a young age how to make a week or so's worth of meals from such staples as a sack of beans, flour, can of shortening and rice and cornmeal.

To this day one of my favorite meals on earth is pinto beans, cooked about 6 hours until the juice is really thick, and chill the leftovers in a loaf pan, chill and then slice and eat on bread like a sandwich.. oh man, that's good eatin. Problem is, pintos dont last that long around here. haha

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

SavvyFrugality — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:05:09 GMT

@Cheap_Yankee: thanks for passing along those tips! I'm sure many readers will find that useful.

@Laundry Goddess and Pat: I suppose it's a matter of taste. I'm an adventurous eater, so I've actually had squirrel (squirrel jerky, to be exact). Would I eat stuff growing in the wild out in a rural area? Depends on what it is. Would I eat something growing wild in a city like New York or Chicago? Umm...no. You don't know where that stuff has been or what else is present in that park or empty lot (chemicals, etc.).

As always, never eat anything you can't identify with 100 percent certainty. This especially goes for berries and mushrooms, which can be highly toxic!

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

Pat — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:53:20 GMT

To cheap_yankee: The dandelions that chefs use start the same way as the ones in your lawn. Isolate a few plants, water and feed them, protect them from the lawn mower and poisons and they'll be just as good. Dandelion greens will all be bitter after they flower, so keeping a fresh crop growing is the key.

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

Pat — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:51:11 GMT

"Has it really come to this?" What?? That people will eat food that's free for the gathering that is more nutritious (not to mention fresh!) than the tired produce from the grocery store?

I agree with Laundry Goddess, why buy anything when it's free for the taking? As long as you're foraging in safe areas (not on your lawn if you actually pay someone to poison it), the food is much better than you could ever buy.

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

Laundry Goddess — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:51:53 GMT

I forage all the time. I've never died from it. Why buy onions when they are growing on my back property? I only forage in cattle fields or hunting leases.

re: Fried Squirrel and Dandelion Salad

cheap_yankee — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:17:18 GMT

We were very poor growing up and pops did quite a bit of fishing and hunting. The fish was always yummy, the deer not too bad if cooked properly, the waterfowl very gamey unless marinated or disguised in some sort of stew. However, when it wasn't hunting season, he would hunt small birds, squirrels, snakes and opossum "for the cats to eat." I'm positive the mysterious "chicken stew" (or in the case of snake, "fish chowder") we frequently ate (the one with verrrrrry dark meat and a gamey taste) was shotgun-du-jour.

We also ate fiddleheads and would forage for miles during the various berry seasons (blueberries, cranberries, beach plums, blackberries, raspberries, etc.) and make jams out of them (and still do!) You can eat the small hard apples and pears from abandoned or spontaneous-growth fruit trees ... just cut around the imperfections, cut out any worm tunnels, then slice them up to make applesauce/pear butter or make yourself a nice yummy cobbler. You can can or freeze this as well.

I hope to not ever have to go back to the days of mystery stews, but if the economy tanks so bad it's a choice between feeding my hungry little ones or shooting Squirrel Nutkin, I'm glad I know how to survive. I think everyone should at least read up on this skill and maybe take a gun safety class so they know how to handle a firearm "just in case."

BTW - the dandelions that grow on your lawn are not the dandelions gourmet chefs eat ... they're very bitter. Salad dandelions are bigger and have much broader leaves. Be careful foraging by the side of the road or people's lawns ... lawn chemicals, stormwater runoff, and carbon monoxide from tailpipes can make them poisonous. Always go at least 30 feet "off road" to forage. "Edible" dandelion leaves have much bigger leaves and the root can be dried and ground into "coffee" substitute.