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1.11.12

Hunting Season and I Scored Some Pheasant

It is nice to have friends who hunt. Kim and her husband actually raise pheasant to be released into the wild.  Her husband is also a hunting guide. As a result of the guiding, they often have more pheasant than they can eat before freezer burn sets in. So lucky me! I put in my offer to help them eat their pheasant and today when the phone rang it was the farthest thing from my mind.

It was lucky because I was home today and I was also caught up in getting ready for the market on Saturday. I was so happy that I had made my Saskatoon Berry and White Chocolate scones and I sent Ron home with a dozen.

These are wild pheasant and not ones that were released. You can tell because the farm raised and released are banded on their leg.


I have never cleaned a bird before but Ron gave me a quick lesson. Don't look too closely at the wings! I can hardly wait to make these lovely birds into something extraordinary. I kept the livers and hearts, too. I was amazed to hear that most hunters simply 'breast' the bird and discard the legs and thighs. I believe in utilizing as much as possible.

I have dreams of crystal clear pheasant consommé, braised pheasant with madeira, a lovely pheasant stew with risotto, pheasant pot pie and a wild pheasant terrine. Hmmmm....what should I make first?

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6 comments:

  1. MarjieNovember 2, 2012 at 12:59 PM

    You could go with my favorite standby, roasted pheasant with wild rice stuffing. It's always a winner. I'm hoping my dentist, Kevin, will offer me some venison this year. That would be fun, too.

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  2. MichelleNovember 2, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    I can't wait to see what you do with them! My husband goes pheasant hunting every year with his Grandpa, Dad & cousins. I'm stymied about just what to do with them though. I bought some lapsang souchong tea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong) with the thought of trying a tea-smoked sort of treatment, but I dunno.

    I need to use these bad boys before they end up freezer-burned and only fit for the dogs!

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  3. AnonymousNovember 6, 2012 at 4:55 PM

    And soon you will be able to do something awesome with moose meat!

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  4. SarahNovember 6, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    That sounds like an offer to me, Gloria!

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  5. AnonymousNovember 6, 2012 at 6:49 PM

    I'm an artist and I would love to have pheasant feathers to work with. I have no hunter friends. Can I buy them from you?

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  6. Pheasant Hunting NebraskaNovember 15, 2012 at 11:05 PM

    Hey Sarah! It's nice to hear that you're able to have some good catch. Hope I'll be able to have some too when the our next pheasant hunting trip kicks.

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