Wild Foods

By: Crystal Cockman

Growing up, we had a lot of wild foods, which I never really realized were in their own special category as such, things like persimmon pudding and blackberry pie. For the past several years I have been an avid hunter of deer, doves, squirrel and turkey, but this year have I expanded my interests into hunting rabbit, grouse, and quail, as well. As a result, I have picked up on some new and tasty wild game dishes myself. Barbequed rabbit is one of my new favorites, and grouse wrapped in bacon is exceptional.

I found a recipe for squirrel in a crockpot that was particularly different and delicious. This included brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, ginger, and water as ingredients, cooked on low heat for 6 to 8 hours, and served over rice. Though wild game may require a bit longer cooking, I often find it to be more flavorful and moist than other meats. Another recent favorite has been Brunswick stew, with no less than three wild game meats, usually venison, squirrel and quail or dove.

On March 27th, the Sandhills Rod and Gun Club, Martha Faye Crafters Club, and Richmond County Cooperative Extension sponsored the fifteenth annual Wild Foods Cookery Contest. This was my first time attending the event, as I was asked to give the presentation on outdoor recreation opportunities in the Piedmont, while the judges sampled the dishes and made their top choices for awards.

At this wild game cooking contest there were five categories: 1) Big game, small game, and other mammals (deer, rabbit, squirrel, beaver, etc), 2) Wild fowl and fish (turkey, dove, fish, etc), 3) Foods prepared with wild fruits, nuts and vegetation, 4) Youth, and 5) Most authentic (using the most natural ingredients and cooking methods).

The first place winners were Chris Stewart with deer chili, John Allen with catfish dip, Carolyn Quinn with Jerusalem artichoke cake, and Terry Sharpe with woodland salad. All the youth received awards, and their dishes included such yummy offerings as duck and dumplings, beaver pot roast, and longleaf pine nuts. I have to say the catfish dip and the wild blueberry muffins were some of my favorites. It was my first time trying bear, in a bear and wild hog sausage chili, and beaver, which was a pot roast, and both were very tasty.

One other popular wild food that I’ve been seeing pictures of in my Facebook feed this past week is morel mushrooms. It seems several of my friends have been out recently collecting them. One article online described that this may be the biggest year ever for morels in northwestern Canada. A brush fire last year created ideal conditions for the mushrooms to pop up, and it is expected that foragers will be coming from near and far and making big bucks off this year’s bumper crop there. I’ve heard from a few of my friends that they do find them around here in a general sense, but the exact locations they keep close to their chest.

I’m just glad for the warmer weather and the bounty it brings, and look forward to blackberries and muscadines as snacks on the field work I finally get to enjoy now that the long cold winter has left us for certain. Maybe next year I’ll bring a few of my own creations to the Wild Foods cook-off, but for now I’ll just enjoy sharing them with family and friends.