Wednesday, August 19, 2009

A new policy on wolves. What does that have to do with food storage?

Was interested to learn that there will now be a hunting season on wolves in Idaho--as this article points out. One of my first thoughts was, if I were able to hunt down a wolf, would it have any edible value for my family? Is wolf meat edible for anybody? If we hit hard times, it might be useful to know...

One of my second thoughts was to wonder where I put a cookbook that I bought a couple of years ago---it's a collection of recipes, many of which are older, and if memory serves, there is a recipe for preparing muskrat in there somewhere. Ah, good times---not that I personally have ever even been in really close proximity to a muskrat, but it is good times when people know how to use anything and everything to provide food, etc. for their families.

I ordered that county recipe book from e-bay, and was hoping to find some really basic recipes so that I could use my really basic long-term storage supplies. I didn't start in earnest using my long-term supplies until considerably later, so the cookbook (once located) will probably be a lot more useful for me now.

After I thought about that cookbook, I remembered that you don't always have to go to all that much extra effort to get a recipe for something. This was evidenced by the fact that I was looking for something to do with my pumpkin puree last year, and should have looked to my grandmother first, who has a pumpkin bread recipe that I posted about here on my other blog. Having supplies is a necessity, as is knowing how to use them once you have purchased them and/or have managed to get your hands on them. (I'm thinking getting a hold of wolf meat is no walk in the park, for example. :)

Well, seeing as how this post seems a little disjointed, here are the points I was trying to make...

--The policy on hunting wolves has changed in Idaho. If you're interested, I believe the season starts in September, according to the linked article.

--Really basic recipes that work with food storage items can be found in older cookbooks if you are willing to look for them.

--Sometimes the best recipes you can find are within your own family, if you think about it and are willing to ask. (Unless you have relatives who have some famous, classified, top-secret recipe that nobody gets, even if they ask.... :)

So, the question remains: is wolf meat edible? And hey, if you're willing to share, food storage recipes are always welcome.... :)

9 comments:

Erin said...

I recommend "The American Frugal Housewife" as a great source of information on just about anything that would've been known back in the early 1800s. I read it mostly for fun, but greatly enjoyed learning all types of interesting information, cool recipes, etc...

Sondra said...

Don't people in other countries eat dog? Isn't it just a dog? I'd have to be pretty much starving to even thing about this. Have you googled it? :-)

Marie said...

Tuxgirl--Thanks for the recommendation--I have already checked my public library online to see if they have it, but unfortunately they don't. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Thanks for your comment!

Sondra--Nope, haven't googled it...yet.
:)As a matter of personal preference, and not as a statement about hunting for other reasons, the reason I am even thinking about it is because I don't hunt, but if I did, it would be for food. (I don't think shooting a wolf in self-defense/defense of others counts as "hunting", but that's the only other scenario I can think of where I'd be shooting a wolf.) So, hunting for me would be food-gathering, and if it's not food, it wouldn't be a consideration for me. Let's really hope it doesn't come down to hunting wolf or not eating---so many reasons to have food storage... :) Thanks for your comment!

idahobob said...

Sondra,

Yup, people in other countries do eat dog, Having spent several years in the Far East, I can attest to the fact that people (myself included) can eat the canine and also find it edible.

Now as for the wolf..... since this monstrosity has been introduced into the eco-system, they have been decimating our Deer, Elk, Moose and even Black Bear populations.

Please, don't answer with the drivel that they are a necessary part of the overall picture in the backcountry.

I am really glad that our state has gotten off of the stick and have decided to do something about this horrendous problem. I'm looking forward to helping thin out these foreign invaders.

Then maybe, just maybe, if there is enough time left for us, our animal populations will return to what they were.

Bob
III

Marie said...

Bob--I realize that there are a lot of reasons to hunt/not hunt the wolves, depending on your point of view--I just don't have livestock, etc., and am not a hunter otherwise, so can't see myself hunting them for any reason other than survival/food. Thanks for your comment--would love to hear if you get one yourself!

idahobob said...

Wolf tags go on sale, Monday, August 24.

Myself, I AM going to buy one.

I'll send pics of the successful hunt.

Bob
III

Marie said...

Bob--Thanks for the information--good luck with the hunt!

Anonymous said...

You might be interested in this:

http://chilechews.blogspot.com/2008/05/pestsand-how-to-eat-them.html

Marie said...

Anonymous--Wow, just read that and really hope I wouldn't have to eat the things mentioned. However, such knowledge would be useful to have, in case things became really dire. Anyone not convinced that having food storage is necessary might want to look at that to get some motivation--would want to avoid having to eat pests as long as possible, anyway. Thanks for the link!