Moose, it's What's for Dinner
By: Carrie Barr
Published: November 13, 2009

My father-in-law, Chuck, probably eats more sustainably and locally than the average person. He hunts, he fishes, he raises chickens and goats, and his wife grows a lively garden. When my husband and I visit we eat elk that he shot. In the morning it's the most perfect omelets made of eggs from their chickens. They serve truly delicious and nutritious food. The fact that it's all produced by their efforts makes it even better.
When my in-laws were newlyweds with a pair of twins on the way, one of them being my husband, times were tough. Chuck had a cast up to his thigh from a work accident, and the newlyweds were low on funds. So, the resourceful man that he is, Chuck took his rifle and a kitchen knife (he couldn't locate his hunting knife) and had his 6 month pregnant wife drive him to the edge of a cabbage field. A farmer there had been complaining that moose were eating his cabbages.
For awhile Chuck attempted to hunt in his usual fashion, but with a leg in a cast and unable to bend his knee, it just wasn't working. He took up watch in a dried up pond behind some saplings and waited. After a time, he heard a branch snap and caught a glimpse through the bushes—it was a bull moose! It was a difficult shot, the moose was hidden behind willows and his vitals behind a tree trunk. Through one of the luckiest shots he killed it cleanly, hitting the base of the neck and narrowly missing a nearby cow moose (which was illegal game). It's a harrowing tale, only he can give it the justice it deserves.
That moose fed his family for a long time. A bull moose can produce anywhere from 300-600+ lbs. of mild, lean meat. My husband told me that growing up he and his brothers used to joke that the moose in the freezer somehow kept reproducing. That's how long it can feed a family. Let's just hope it wasn't the same moose that their father shot before they were born.
If you can get game meat either yourself or through a friend, it would be an even better choice than buying a share of a cow. To quote Chuck, “There's nothing more sustainable and local than taking your bow and arrow and harvesting a bull moose.” And yes, he often hunts with a bow and arrow, how awesome is that?
Oh and the plural is 'moose', I checked. I always hoped it was meese.
Photo by vigour

Comments:
Trackback - Che...
November 19, 2009

,..] www.foodista.com is another interesting source on this topic,..]