[Sca-cooks] Tasty Exotics- Squirrels and such

[Sue Clemenger]

We have some sort of reddish-golden squirrel running rampant through 
town that I think is a type of fox squirrel.  They tend to be very 
spoiled--people feed them because they're cute.  Wouldn't be much good 
for eating--not much more than a mouthful, after you get rid of the tail 
and the attitude! They run back-and-forth across the front porch roof 
outside my bedroom window (I have a 2nd floor apartment).  I put 
unsalted peanuts out on the window ledge for them, because they'll come 
and snag them and drive my kitties nuts.  Mack, poor boy, hasn't figured 
out in over a year of slamming his little kitty nose against the glass 
pane, that he's *not* going to get the rodent on the other side, but he 
keeps trying.  Pet t.v., man, I can't recommend it highly enough.  (I 
should mention, the squirrels have figured out that they're safe, and 
will actually *tease* the cats!)
We have problems with invasive critters here in Montana (things like 
pike and zebra snails), but we have a huge problem with exotic plants. 
So my contribution to the "tasty exotics" would be...Knapweed.  Which 
was imported here to serve as a nectar source for knap honey.  And now 
infests every surface it can find, doing great damage to local 
ecosystems.  We have similar problems with dyers' woad (which you 
probably wouldn't want to eat, but which makes this great blue dye...;o)

Goats are fun to have around, and if you've got the right kind, they 
give you lovely fiber for spinning! (kid mohair....ooooh, it's so soft). 
  They also give you milk.  We had milk goats when I was younger, but 
not goats for fiber.  They were fun, but a hassle for my Dad, because 
they had a great fondness for his plum trees.  If I were in a situation 
to allow me to have livestock-critters, I think I'd stick to chickens 
and fiber bunnies.
Obligatory Period Food Content: I've cooked goat for feasts, too, and 
it's tasty.  Islamic recipes, both times, IIRC.  The first time, it was 
a stewy thing that involved chunks of meat cooked with meatballs of the 
same critter, formed around dates that were stuffed with whole almonds. 
  Very tasty and impossible to get off the bottom of the pot (because of 
the dates?) The second time, I did marinated chunkage with thyme and 
murri and olive oil and such (variation on Elizabeth Cook's redaction, I 
think).  I heard it was good--didn't actually get to eat any.

--maire, having tea this morning before she goes to work on Lainie's 
Xmas present (bwahahahahahahahahahahaha.....)

Phlip wrote:

> Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...
> 
> 
>>Here is SoCal, our native California Gray
>>Squirrels are rapidly being pushed out by the
>>Eastern Fox Squirrel, who were brought to the
>>Los Angeles area in 1904 by Civil and
>>Spanish-American war veterans who were living
>>in a large Vet hospital here in LA.  I have
>>no idea why.  However, now 100 years later, you
>>can only find a gray squirrel in wilderness areas
>>and you find millions of the fox squirrel all
>>over LA, including too many in my back yard.
>