'Tis Hunting Time—A smallish blog

[Shelby]

Took a few pictures in the garden this morning.  I was trying to show just how tall the okra is.  They look very weird now.  The leaves have mostly fallen off but they are still producing like crazy.

 

 

 

Damn raccoons

 

 

Lots of pumpkins still coming on

 

 

 

I was talking to our farmer yesterday and told him how much I enjoyed watching the milo grow.  He said that he hoped I had gotten out and cut some to decorate with before they harvested.  Why didn't I think of that?????  There are a few stalks here and there that didn't get cut so now they are on my porch  

 

Todays pick--along with Scout's nose and ball lol.

 

 

I poked the milo around the pumpkins.

 

 

 

 

 

[Shelby]

Our friend is off to the airport pretty soon.  They went back out and worked this morning....not much exciting happened......hopefully deer season will be better.  And much colder. They were NOT happy with this heat.

 

Appetizers were easy.  Our friends favorite onion dip and sausage rolls with the last of my homemade mustard

 

 

Dinner was, of course, doves!

 

On the grill:

 

 

Finished

 

 

Sides were scalloped potatoes

 

 

Our garden jalapeños stuffed with cheese

 

 

And our garden okra, tomatoes and onions, stewed

 

 

That wraps up this visit.....see you at the end of November for deer season!

 

 

[heidih]

Considering your heat - not bad. Can you remind me of your dove prep. They appear wrapped in bacon and baked/grilled. So all bone-in and you pick eat o or? Thanks as always or a look into your world

[Shelby]

37 minutes ago, heidih said:

Considering your heat - not bad. Can you remind me of your dove prep. They appear wrapped in bacon and baked/grilled. So all bone-in and you pick eat o or? Thanks as always or a look into your world

Thanks for reading!

 

Yes, all bone in.  I make a slit on each side of the breast and stuff with a sliver of jalapeño and onion.  Wrap in bacon.  Marinate in Dale's sauce for a couple hours or so and then grill.  

[MaryIsobel]

Thanks Shelby - I always appreciate a little slice of you life which is so different than mine!

[rotuts]

@Shelby

 

thank you again,

 

I enjoyed all th scenery 

 

and pictures of the good eats.

[JeanneCake]

Thanks for sharing a little of your life with us!  It's a nice escape for me and I appreciate you bringing us along!

 

[billyhill]

Looking forward to deer season.

[ElsieD]

Thanks, @Shelby.  Enjoyable, as always.  I've never seen a dove.  How much do they weigh?

[Smithy]

40 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Thanks, @Shelby.  Enjoyable, as always.  I've never seen a dove.  How much do they weigh?

 

@ElsieD, I'll give a partial answer in case @Shelby is already collapsed asleep. I can't say how much they weigh, because birds are remarkably light for their size, but in terms of size most doves are larger than robins, blackbirds and blue jays but smaller than pigeons. Any further discussion about the birds in the wild belongs elsewhere, but I suspect Shelby will weigh in with how many mouthfuls each dove represents.

 

I remember that when I was little, Dad and his buddies would go dove hunting. I don't remember how Mom cooked the birds, but I think each one was smaller than a thigh from one of today's supermarket chickens. ( @Shelby, please correct the record if I'm wrong!)

[Shelby]

9 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

@ElsieD, I'll give a partial answer in case @Shelby is already collapsed asleep. I can't say how much they weigh, because birds are remarkably light for their size, but in terms of size most doves are larger than robins, blackbirds and blue jays but smaller than pigeons. Any further discussion about the birds in the wild belongs elsewhere, but I suspect Shelby will weigh in with how many mouthfuls each dove represents.

 

I remember that when I was little, Dad and his buddies would go dove hunting. I don't remember how Mom cooked the birds, but I think each one was smaller than a thigh from one of today's supermarket chickens. ( @Shelby, please correct the record if I'm wrong!)

I couldn't have answered better myself    I probably get about 6 bites of meat from a dove breast?

[C. sapidus]

Thanks for doing this, Shelby!

 

I was in your general part of the world last week and can confirm that it was quite warm out. 🙄

[Shelby]

Deer day is upon us tomorrow!

 

 Our hunter friend gets here around noon which is a few hours later than usual.  Thank you Delta Airlines sigh.  The plan is to pick him up from the airport and then they are going straight to the shootin' house.  So, I have tomorrow to get the house looking better-- although he just called to insist that I don't clean.  But, I will do a bit.  Due to the snow (we still have quite a bit) and Scout and the humans it's very difficult to keep the floors even halfway clean. Christmas decorations are up so I figure that covers a multitude of sins lol.

 

I'll start this round with a story about the pumpkins that we grew and that I posted in the last installment.  I'll digress for a second though.  When I lived in Colorado and still to this day, there are deer that migrate into town and stay there during winter.  Easier to get food etc.  They LOVED pumpkins that were leftover from decorating.  When we moved here I was floored when I put ours out and the deer completely ignored them.  I was lamenting that fact once again this year when it struck me "HEY!  The cows are here!!"  Some of you know our farmers are wintering their cattle at our place--they keep some, sell some, some go to get processed into meat--burger, steaks etc. that you will find in the grocery store.  I asked permission to feed the pumpkins and got told for sure it won't hurt them but we doubt they will eat them.  Well.  They were a HUGE hit.  I had the best time everyday splitting them and watching them eat.  A couple of the girls RAN to see me when I was spotted.  SO CUTE.  Just an example of growing things...feeding them to cattle...circle of life and all that.

 

 

 

 

That was a few days ago and now it's to this:

 

 

After morning cat meeting I go out and break the ice in their water tub.  Can I add rancher to my CV 🤣?

 

We loaded up and went to the big city store today.  As per me I have a sketchy plan for meals but who knows lol.

 

Got some wings.  The only brand they had were Heritage Farm.  I don't know much about them but somewhere in my brain I think I've read derogatory things.  But beggars can't be choosers.

 

 

 

Picked up a pork loin that I think I'll SV for tomorrows dinner

 

 

The rest of what I bought....

 

 

 

 

I always think of @rotutswhen I buy mortadella

 

 

I'm off to cut up the wings, make some broth out of the ends and figure out dinner.  Nights like this I wish for DoorDash lol.

 

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I remember ordering dove in Paris.    The waiter warned me that it was "sauvage", "forte".    I acknowledged that I understood that it was game and might be strong..   He picked up my finished plate that contained only a pile of bones and the head.    He shook his head in disappointment.    I had not sucked the head.   

 

I'll never be French.

[weinoo]

Or...Nathan's!!

[Smithy]

It looks like a great food haul, and I love the story about the cattle living pumpkins! That's a very nice closed food cycle.

 

I'm especially eager to see what you do with the pork loin.

 

 

I always have to buy it on the sly, because my DH thinks pork must be ribs, ham or shoulder. While I agree that those are all worthy cuts, I like doing things with the tenderloin too. (Or other cuts, like the loin.) I hope I'll get some new ideas from you!

[rotuts]

pork loin is relatively tough and fat free , ie dry

 

if you SV the loin  in pieces , along the grain

 

( so you can then later slice across the grain )

 

as rare as you can stand if not more so 

 

 until pasteurized , rapid chill // freeze

 

bring back to refrigerator temp if Fz

 

the slice thin , 

 

makes a very fine tasty sandwich.

Edited November 29, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[lemniscate]

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

It looks like a great food haul, and I love the story about the cattle living pumpkins! That's a very nice closed food cycle.

 

I'm especially eager to see what you do with the pork loin.

 

 

I always have to buy it on the sly, because my DH thinks pork must be ribs, ham or shoulder. While I agree that those are all worthy cuts, I like doing things with the tenderloin too. (Or other cuts, like the loin.) I hope I'll get some new ideas from you!

 

I cure it and make my version of "Canadian" bacon out of it.   Other than that, one way I can get a decent prep for it is sous vide.   

 

Another way I have liked pork loin is slice it thinnish raw, pound it thinner,  sear it on a hot grill, squeeze some lime on it and put it between two tortillas with some Mexican white cheese and flip it on the grill again to warm the tortillas and melt the cheese.   Serve with avocado salsa/tomatillo salsa.  These are called chuleta suizas, but I can't find an English version of the recipe to post at the moment.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by lemniscate (log)

[weinoo]

Cook's Illustrated, many years ago, showed another way to use the tenderloins, which is kinda fun...wish I could find it.

 

This is close, but I don't think the original recipe used the reverse sear...

 

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/americas-test-kitchen-from-cooks-illustrated/recipe-perfect-pan-seared-pork-tenderloin-steaks

 

 

[gfweb]

I use pork tenderloin as I'd use chicken white meat.  Schnitzel...parmigiana...anything that cooks fast.

[Duvel]

Dry cure with nitrate and make Lachsschinken …

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Pork Marsala or Pork Stroganoff; certainly schnitzel (with white gravy).

[gfweb]

39 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Pork Marsala or Pork Stroganoff; certainly schnitzel (with white gravy).

And pork picata 

[liuzhou]

Pork tenderloin (里肌肉 - lǐ jī ròu) is my go-to pork cut for almost everything. Stir fried dishes, as steaks, sino-schnitzels, Greek style kebabs, my favourite coriander pork dish and more.

 

The only other cut I regularly use is pork belly, 五花肉 （wǔ huā ròu)  'fiver flower pork' , but that's a different kettle of pig.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

23 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Pork tenderloin (里肌肉 - lǐ jī ròu) is my go-to pork cut for almost everything. Stir fried dishes, as steaks, sino-schnitzels, Greek style kebabs, my favourite coriander pork dish and more.

 

The only other cut I regularly use is pork belly, 五花肉 （wǔ huā ròu)  'fiver flower pork' , but that's a different kettle of pig.

The

Indeed, the only really reliable cuts.