Another word for woodchuck is groundhog. They are those animals that make these huge holes in the middle of your fields and all farmers would like to see them become extinct. They are also an animal that is often seen squashed on the road - all smelly with flies and vultures picking at. Well, Gordon has been talking about shooting one of them and seeing what they taste like. Yesterday, Dave happened to see one in the pasture and decided that since Gordon's birthday is tomorrow, he is going to shoot it and give it as a surprise present to our favorite son-in-law. He made a clean shot and the butcher of the family offered to skin and gut it.
We put it in salt water over night and this morning I made a sauce of olive oil, garlic powder, onions, parsley, oregano, ketchup and water and filled the woodchuck's cavity and roasted it in one of our cookers.
We were all really trying to be positive about this experience but we decided that maybe if we called it a woodchuck and not a groundhog it would help. As the morning went on the odor from the cooker really didn't smell that bad, in fact, it was smelling pretty good. Hey, just maybe we will like this cheap abundant meat, especially if we add lots of sauce! I had also put 2 chickens, potatoes and carrots in another roaster and fried up fish that Dave and boys caught yesterday.
The Bross family arrived, we sat down for lunch and Dave explained that we wanted to make an extra special treat for Gordon for his birthday and opened the lid of the woodchuck cooker. Gordon guessed right away what it was! And since it was for him, surely he would want to be the first to try it! Yes, surely!
Every one of us, except Dave, tasted it. Ben couldn't stand it (might have something to do with him butchering it?), the rest of us thought it was good the first bite and then we decided that MAYBE it was good and after awhile my mind refused for me to take another nibble! It's these mind games! Envisioning that I was actually eating one of those "roadkill" animals was just not a vision that I could "stomach" any longer. Dear Kelsey decided that she is going to take the meat off the bones and maybe Gordon would eat it in a sandwich. Or maybe he will take it to work and see if anyone can guess what it is? (BTW, only 4 (or less) more weeks till baby Bross arrives! Can't wait!)
Well, the rest of the meal was good, especially the home-made ice-cream and birthday cake......
Happy 24th birthday to Gordon! We love having you part of our family! Please be careful next year what you want for your birthday, though. Dave might decide to provide it for you!
All jokes aside . . . some day we may be only too happy to eat groundhog, oh! I mean woodchuck, and I am positive in other countries they would be very grateful for it. They are an animal that feeds off of grass and not garbage or rotten whatever that pigs eat. And did you ever think what chickens peck at? But, how we love sausage and fried chicken! Like I said, I think it comes down to the getting it past our minds and noses and what we are accustomed to. So, if a woodchuck would . . . . get roasted, would you try it?
Until next time..............
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