I know for many of you winter's hard grip continues, and for some it won't ease up until early May. But here in NorCal, we are full-on into early spring. Nettles are everywhere, and the wild chicories, dandelions, wild mustards and radishes, mallow, and wild onions are all ready for the picking. And just this week, the first asparagus of the year popped up. Alas, no mushrooms. California is about to enter our third straight year of drought, and who knows what havoc that will wreak on us in high summer. 

Mushrooms -- hedgehogs, oysters, black trumpets, yellowfoot chanterelles -- are still being picked in the Pacific Northwest and Deep South, and morels are not far away; we start picking orchard morels in our Central Valley this month, as do the lucky folks in the Deep South. 

March is an in-between month for a lot of things. Snow goose seasons are running full bore in the eastern and central parts of the country, and turkeys are about to come into season. But for the most part, the hunting season is over, and it's time to lay into our freezers. 

Fishing is my wildcard in March. It's going great guns offshore in the Gulf, they're getting into catfish in the Mississippi (as always, right?), smelt runs and herring runs are coming and going in the West, the sturgeon are biting in the rivers in California and under the ice in Wisconsin. March is really the last good month for ice fishing up north and in the mountains -- and yes, we ice fish in California, only we do it at 7,000 feet. 

A Busy Year Ahead

This year will be one of travel for me. I just got back from Iowa, where I spoke for three days at Pheasants and Quail Forever's annual convention. I met all kinds of cool people, and picked up a few new ideas, not the least of which is for a new sandwich that ranks up there with the best in America, iowa's pork tenderloin sandwich. (I did one with pheasant here.) 

In March I am headed to Columbia, MO, for that state's annual Quail Forever conference. I will be speaking there, and the event is open to the public if you're interested in coming. In April I'll be at Washington College in Maryland for a series of talks and cooking demos, too. (You can see my public schedule here.)

After that, I'll be in Vacaville, CA; Bay City, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; Taos, New Mexico; Calgary; and who-knows-where-else. Hell, I will even be on the South Island of New Zealand at the beginning of June. More on that trip later. 

What I've Been Writing

Not sure if you know, but I've recently become a columnist for Petersen's Magazine, one of the largest hunting and fishing magazines in America. My column covers food (obviously) and it's called "Fare Game." You can read it in every issue; look for a piece on turkey and bear soon. (You can read my first few columns on Petersen's here.)

I am also writing regularly for Delta Waterfowl Magazine, if you are a member you get that publication automatically. If you're not a member, you might consider joining. My latest piece was on making Swedish meatballs with snow goose. It should appear in their next issue. 

But the biggest writing news is that yes, I am working on another book. There is no official name for it yet, and I am still working on exactly how it will be published, but the working title is Buck, Buck, Moose. Yep, it's intended as a sequel to Duck, Duck, Goose, and will follow that book's structure, only covering all forms of North American venison, from whitetail, blacktail and mule deer to antelope (the second "buck" in the title), as well as elk, moose and caribou. Who knows if that title will stand, but can't you just envision the T-shirt? Rest assured I will keep you updated on the book's progress here. 

And here's what I've been up to on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook lately:

• Playing in the kitchen is infinitely more fun than slavishly following a recipe. But it can be dangerous if you don't know some rules. I offer a few pointers on how to freestyle in the kitchen, as well as give you a recipe for venison steaks with a nifty wild rice pilaf here. 
• Pasta is my first love, the second thing I learned how to do well (cooking fish is the first). I've tinkered with this recipe for duck ragu for years, and while I can't say I'm done tinkering, I really do love this recipe. 
• Vietnamese pho is one of the great soups of the world, largely because of a surpassing broth --- and because it is interactive. Why not translate that concept into another culture? I tried it with goose and Scandinavian cuisine, and it worked really well. 
• Sometimes you want easy and good. And while Thai green curry with pheasant might not sound easy, it is if you are armed with a premade curry paste. Yep, premade pastes are almost as good as homemade, and a lot easier to work with. 

Something to Eat 

Below you'll see two recipes that I think are perfect for March. One for colder weather places, one for warmer ones. I hope you give them a try. 

So. This is my first newsletter. Going forward, my hope is to provide you with information that's a) useful to you, and b) at least a little entertaining. I welcome your comments: What do you want to see more of? And less?