Wild Bites #51: a 5-minute read that makes you smarter about wild food and tells you what's to come on the website, podcast, YouTube, or To The Bone.

 ~ Hank

1. What's Hot Now

I love these Thai meatballs, which can be made with any ground meat.

2. Summertime Venison

Smoked venison backstrap is epic.

It's hot, but if you still have venison in your freezer, I gotchu. Here are some excellent summertime venison recipes to try, using cuts from all over the animal.

• Salpicon is a cooling, shredded meat salad from Mexico. I love dish, because you can crockpot the meat, then toss with good things and serve chilled at a potluck. I also have a version from Yucatan called dzik. 
• Can't go wrong with a simple grilled venison steak, can ya?
• Even better in my opnion are grilled venison tacos! Bring all the fixins', and flour tortillas are just as good if not better than corn for this one. Got deer shoulder or neck? Slow cook some venison barbacoa, then make tacos or burritos with it. 
• Smoked venison backstrap makes for a wonderful summer meal, and then even better sandwiches after. Smoked venison roast is great for larger gatherings. 
• If you know how to make sausage, venison brats are excellent eaten on a bun with kraut and mustard. 

3. Wha? Chanterelles Already? 

Chanterelles are out in many parts of the country already, much earlier than normal. I found a few here in Minnesota last weekend, and it is looking to be a fantastic season here. So, to whet your appetite for chanties, here are some of my favorite recipes:

• Here's a general overview on how to cook chanterelle mushrooms, no matter the species. 
• A fun and easy way to serve chanties is tossed in a chanterelle pasta. Want to go a little fancier? Make a chanterelle risotto. 
• Chanterelle sauce works very well with both fish and meats. I like it over walleye or pheasant or wild turkey, but you do you. It's creamy, tasty and easy.
• This chanterelle soup is just downright sexy. It's an old French recipe that's smooth, like a bisque, and oh so worth it. 
• Finally, got too many chanterelles? Well, they're not good dried. So I recommend making a jar or three of pickled chanterelles instead.

4. How to Choose a Knife

5. A Minnesota Summer

Summer in Minnesota is, well... busy. 

The long daylight spurs everyone to Do All The Things, from hiking and biking to fishing, foraging and just hanging out. It can get overwhelming. I wrote about the vital need to slow yourself down in summer over at To the Bone. I call it summer hygge. 

On the heels of that, I had some friends over for a Scandinavian solstice party (that's the spread you see above), and ran full into the face of Midwestern Potluck Culture. It's a fascinating thing that I am learning to love, and I wrote about that, too. What are your thoughts on potlucks? The comment section on this piece is pretty lively! 

Mostly I am settling into summer, and starting work on my cookbook. It's going to be a process, but one I am looking forward to. Stay tuned! 

A word on AI and where I am at in terms of my livelihood. Things have stabilized, but I've still seen a huge drop in revenue. If you want to help, read this, and think about whether you're in a position to chip in as a paid subscriber to To the Bone, where I am slowly shifting my energies so I can keep making a living. If you're not in a position right now, I totally understand. Thanks for even considering it! 

It's high summer, folks! Get outside, do stuff, have fun -- but don't forget those summertime naps! They're get you back out there refreshed and ready. 

~ Hank

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