HARD TIMES KNOW HOW: VINTAGE GAME RECIPES

In tough times meat is in short supply.

Meal makers must get quite creative when selecting their next cuisine delight.

Check out these wild game recipes from hard times long ago.

In these uncertain times many people are looking into the old ways of their ancestors to get by. The Great Depression is one time in American history among others that caused great shortages of food to the public. This caused our relatives of long ago to think outside of the box and look at all things edible. When you’re hungry meat is meat.

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With the above in mind I decided to dig into my library of century old knowledge. While the internet is great for quick reference old school books give you better research material from the old time sources themselves. What I found was a treasure trove of recipes for wild game animals that normally would not be considered by most folks as proper meat providers.

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Here are some culinary delights that can be cooked when the grocery stores and your freezer runs low on meat supplies. These were contained in the small pamphlet book “HOW TO DRESS, SHIP AND COOK WILD GAME” published by Remington Peters in 1945.

ROASTED OPOSSUM

1 opossum

1 chopped onion

1 tablespoon fat

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 hardboiled egg

1 tablespoon salt water

Rub opossum with salt and pepper. Brown onion in fat. Add opossum liver and cook until tender. Add bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and water. Mix thoroughly and stuff opossum. Truss like a fowl. Put in roasting pan with bacon across back and pour one quart water into pan. Roast uncovered in moderate oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit until tender (about 2.5 hours). Baste every fifteen minutes. Serve with sweet potatoes.

WOODCHUCK, RACOON OR OPPOSUM PATTIES

Clean animal of your choice from above, remove glands under forelegs and small of back. Remove meat from bones and grind. Add bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper, egg and fat nd mix thoroughly. Form into patties, dip into egg and then in bead crumbs. Fry until brown in hot fat. Cover with currant jelly sauce and bake in a slow oven for one hour.

In times of need there should be no reason to pass up the above and go hungry. Practice your cooking skills with other game meats before it is a necessity. Who knows, you might just find a whole new dining delight.

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