Wild Bites #58: a 5-minute read that makes you smarter about wild food and tells you what's to come on the website, YouTube, or To The Bone. ~
Hank Smoked venison backstrap. Here's what's trending on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: Moving up the list: It's getting to be that time of year again, so people
are brushing up on their venison cooking skills with my Venison 101 article. It gives you everything you need to be a better venison cook. Love these or any of my recipes? Please rate them while you're there so people searching for recipes know they're worth clicking on! My first pheasants of the 2024 season. It's finally pheasant season in the Midwest, and so far everyone looks to be doing pretty well. Pheasant numbers are good in Minnesota, and great in the Dakotas. I managed to get my two birds in southwestern Minnesota last weekend, and I am planning on chasing them in South Dakota this weekend. Want some ideas for your disco chickens? I got lots. Let's start with prep. Here's how to hang a pheasant before cleaning it, and here's how to master the tricky art of plucking a pheasant. Practice this and you shall become a very pleasant pheasant plucker... (Here's a video tutorial.) OK, now here's how to break down a pheasant, or any other game bird. Now, some recipes: We are doing our annual Alaskan salmon sale! I am teaming up again with Yakobi Fisheries, a collective of small, family-run fishing operations -- one of which, the F/V Heather Anne, I worked on for several years -- for a special "Hank Box" of coho, sockeye and keta salmon. You get 20 pounds of the best salmon there is, all pressure-bled and blast frozen, so no "salmon smell" when you thaw and cook it! Retail cost is $300 and includes shipping, but since you're signed up for this newsletter, you get 15% off that price by using the code HANKFISH at checkout. Click here for full details of the box. If you want an even bigger discount, become a paid subscriber to To the Bone, where I first released details about this sale. If you've been on the fence about becoming a paid member, this is just
one of the benefits. (Here are others.) 4. Spring 2025 Pig Hunt Open I am doing a culinary pig hunt in springtime with the folks over at Harvesting Nature. The hunt will be April 24-27, 2025 near Jaxboro, Texas. I'll be a guest instructor there, helping everyone with buchering and cooking the wild hogs you (hopefully) bring home. Harvesting Nature is managing this hunt, and you can read more details on the hunt here. There are only a few spots open for this hunt, so I'd get on it if I were you... 5. Rewilding, Adapting, Hunting the Great PlainsA baby Tarahumara bean, never to become a mature, dry bean... Fall is here in force. We've had a light frost, hunting seasons are in full swing, and my garden is fading. I did manage to harvest four big Hubbard squashes, one of which I named L. Ron Hubbard because, well, kinda had to. Funny thing
is, those I never planted. They volunteered from a squash I left out in a corner of my yard for the squirrels. Not only are volunteer plants stronger than those you plant, but this was a season I learned that I need to fully embrace the Midwest, the Great Plains, and our climate, which is harsh compared
to Sacramento. My Mexican garden plants won't cut it. They need a growing season a month or longer than what's possible here. I wrote about my search for Midwestern native seeds over at To the Bone, and I'd love to hear if you have some
suggestions. I also wrote about how rewilding starts at home. I nuked my front yard and replaced it
with native wildflowers and many, many edible native plants. I couldn't be happier. Even after a frost, it is a joy to look out on from my home office. If you've been thinking about doing this, just go for it. Even if it's only a portion of your property, Nature will repay you double for your efforts. Been happily hunting the Great Plains this fall, for partridges and grouse and pheasants. My freezer is starting to fill, so stay tuned for new recipes! Up next is a quick trip to Chicago, where I'll have a couple private events at the swankalicious Chicago Club, and then the
McGraw Wildlife Foundation. Looking forward to seeing Chicago again, especially after starting to watch "The Bear," which, to be honest, kinda feels like a combat vet watching "Saving Private Ryan;" it's not easy for me to watch, but it's a good show. Thank you all for reading this newsletter, and thank
you for all your support in all the ways -- without you, my dear reader, I can't do what I do. I am grateful for all of it. Until next time, eat wild, wander well, and be kind to each other. ~ Hank Comments?Let us know what you think about Wild Bites by using our anonymous comment form - we love to hear from you, and we read
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