I'm back. And you have no idea how happy I am to be able to write that. You might have noticed I did not do a newsletter in April. There was a reason: I was in the hospital with serious pneumonia. It didn't quite get to life-threatening,
but it was damn well close. I'd never even spent a night in hospital, let alone a whole week. Was a slightly scary and certainly unpleasant experience. But the doctors patched me up really well, and here I am, three weeks out, feeling good. See the picture at the top? That's me with a California halibut I caught in the San Francisco Bay last week; it's one of the first fish I've caught since my illness, and as you can see, I was pretty stoked. After a month's break from the road, I will be back at it May 17, where I will be speaking and signing books at the Filson sporting goods store in San Francisco. This is a free event, but they'd like you to RSVP so they know how much beer to buy! You can RSVP here. After that, it's on to the South! Every book I write, I can't wait to get myself down South
-- everyone's been so nice, and the food and the fishing and the hunting have all been amazing. It's always a highlight of the tour. I start on May 23 at Tin Roof
Brewing in Baton Rouge. This is a casual event, so come in, grab a beer, get a signed book and some pub grub inspired by Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail. The next night (May 24) I move over to Violet, which is just east of New Orleans, for a gumbo party at Charlie's. Why there? Well, Chef Chad Blanchard has won several state competitions for his wild game gumbo. Need I say more? Call the restaurant at 504 682 9057 to reserve your spot. After that I spend some time fishing in the Gulf, then we're throwing a book party at The Noble South in Mobile, Alabama on May 31. This will be a party, with lots of small plates, a full bar, and everyone who buys a ticket gets a signed copy of the book. You can get your tickets here. From there things get busy. On June 4, I'll be doing a full-on book dinner at Acre in Auburn, which is guaranteed to be memorable. Chef David Bancroft is whipping up a serious small game feast. Cost is TBD, but you can call the restaurant at 334 246 3763
to reserve your spot. Everyone who comes gets a signed book. Next comes Atlanta on June 5, where I will return to Holeman & Finch, one of my all-time
favorite places to eat in the South, or really anywhere. This book dinner has sold out every tour I've done, so book your reservations ASAP. Everyone who comes gets a signed book. June 6 takes me to Columbia, South Carolina, where I will be signing books and doing a cooking demo at The Market demonstration kitchen. There will be refreshments served at this event, and I'll have plenty of books on hand. There will be tickets for this event, but the link isn't live yet. Keep an eye on my book tour schedule page for details. I finish out my Southern swing June 7 in Raleigh for a book dinner at Royale. Details for
this dinner are in the works, so, as with Columbia, keep an eye on my book tour schedule page for up the minute details. Live in the South and didn't see an event close to you? Fear not. I will be in Texas in August, Arkansas in September, and Virginia in November. Many of you have received your copy of Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail by now. If you haven't, you can buy one on Amazon or order it at your
local bookstore anywhere in the US or Canada. 100,000 thank yous for your support! My request: I'd be super grateful if, once you've read the book, you could post a review to Amazon. Believe it or not, reviews really do drive sales on Amazon -- the more a book gets, the more Amazon's computer bots say, "hey, this is a great book,
we're going to feature it!" Thanks in advance for doing this -- it really helps me out!
May is when spring starts thinking about summer. Here in Sacramento, we start getting days topping 90 degrees, and it's definitely getting to be steamy in the South. Up north things are just beginning, with fishing opening up and ramps and morels still in
swing.
It's a fantastic foraging month. Morels are out in force in many states, wild onions of all sorts are popping, as are fiddleheads and, up north, wild asparagus is still sprouting. Down South, the first fruits of the year are ripening: loquats and dewberries and mayhaw and, if you are very lucky, wild strawberries.
Turkey hunting is still going on in many states, and in a few there's even a spring squirrel season.
Most of the action is on the water though. May is the first real month where everyone's fishing. Here in NorCal, it's all about rockfish, lingcod, California halibut and yellowtail. Spring salmon are running in the Pacific Northwest. Walleye
and northerns are hungry up north. Snapper season is on in the Gulf, and amberjacks, sheepshead and even tuna are biting. Back East, seabass, porgies and the first bluefish of the year are showing up.
It's a great month. Get out there so you can enjoy the fruits of the earth!
And when you get home, here are a few late spring dishes to make at home: |
I am on the road a lot, often in wild places in search of fish, game or wild edible plants and mushrooms. If you want to keep up with what I am chasing at the moment -- and this will give you a good,
real-time indicator of what's in season where I happen to be -- follow me on Instagram. My handle there is @huntgathercook Instagram is
often the only social media account I update when I am out and about. I am of course also on Twitter as @hank_shaw and Facebook as /huntgathercook as well. Day in and day out, however, most of my online interaction is on Hunter Angler
Gardener Cook, or in a Facebook forum I run called Hunt Gather Cook. It's a closed site, so I have to let you in, but just let me know you are a newsletter subscriber when you answer the entry questions and yer in. Hope to see you
there! |
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Italian Puttanesca style fish
Puttanesca is a classic Italian pasta sauce that uses pantry staples as its base: canned tomatoes, capers, olives. Add a little onion and garlic and olive oil and presto! You have a great sauce. Well, it is every bit as good with fish. Any firm fish will work here. I use halibut, but bass, catfish, walleye, snapper, seabass and
cod are all great choices. |
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As ramp season winds down, the bulbs of these wild onions are perfect for pickling, so you can enjoy them 'year round. Just remember to pick responsibly, and leave lots of bulbs for next year! |
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Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail is the most comprehensive, lushly photographed and illustrated cookbook covering upland birds and small game ever produced. At 336 pages, with more than 100 color photos and 125 recipes for everything from pheasants, quail, rabbits and grouse to woodcock, hares, squirrels, partridges - you name
it! What's more, every purchase helps habitat: I am donating a portion of the proceeds of every book sold to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to restore, maintain and expand habitat for all upland birds. |
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