Johnsfolly

I find that the last few years that I have hunted squirrrels back in MO, I targeted the smaller and younger ones early in the year. Those I would treat as you would a tender squeal (squirrel/veal). Then any killed in the fall or winter I treat as the older ones with braising first. I never killed enough to label them as you suggest, but will keep that in mind for the future.

I agree that the size would be indicative of a larger and older squirrel. Pressure cooker could make that tender but might not have a good mouth feel. Someone need to try this state side 😉

We just watched a new episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike was working on one of the boats in GA that fishes for those cannonball jellyfish. I wouldn't mind trying them.

Here's the menu of Miya's that was highlighted in your article. THE INVASIVE SPECIES MENU THE INVASIVE SPECIES DINNER You―a member of the most destructive invasive predator species ever―will devour over a decade and a half of original Miya’s invasive species recipes as a first step toward eating in a way that helps regenerate ecosystems. MISO WILD This soup—which Momma calls delicious medicine—features medicinal wild plants that are despised by farmers and lawn owners alike. Garlic mustard, nettle, purslane, dandelion, clover, plantain, amaranth, chickweed, chicory, and Japanese knotweed make this the healthiest and tastiest soup you’ll ever put in your mouth. This miso, which features invasive plants and weeds, is the healthiest and tastiest soup you’ll ever put in your mouth and features a dozen wild plants, including Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, nettle, purslane, dandelion, clover, plantain, amaranth, chicory, and chickweed. There are three very good reasons to be eating invasive plants and weeds: 1) Over 16,000 years of farming, humans have been able to cultivate plants for greater flavor, size, and physical appeal but never for increased nutritional value. In fact, farmed food has become less nutritious over time. As a result, conventional crops are much less nutritious than the edible weeds that grow among them. In a world where malnutrition has led to global epidemics of hunger and obesity, humans must expand their palates to include a wider variety of unconventional healthier-to-eat food species. Invasive plants and weeds fit the bill; they contain loads of fiber to boost gut health and a wide range of phytonutrients that prevent damage from free radicals that cause many chronic health problems, including inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. 2) As the world warms, unpredictable weather patterns have become commonplace, causing crop failures and increasing global hunger. Invasive plants and weeds are more resilient to extreme weather patterns and therefore could be cultivated in regions where they already exist and where climate change will decrease the production of staple crops. 3) By foraging/cultivating edible weeds, we do not contribute to the poisoning of our planet with pesticides. Five billion pounds of dangerous pesticides are used worldwide each year, affecting every living thing, from beneficial microbes in the soil that plants depend upon to the community of gut bacteria that live within us and are the bedrock of human health. DREAMCATCHER ROLL Mugwort-steamed rice with sweet potato, pine nuts, and cranberry crab apple butter. Mugwort is used worldwide by traditional peoples as a medicinal herb that inspires dreams and visions. This recipe combines a prolific herbaceous invasive species with native ingredients that would never have been encountered one another over a half-millennia ago before Columbus crossed the continental divide. The combination of these flavors from different lands harmonizes in our Dreamcatcher sushi recipe, symbolizing healing and renewed life. MUGGU MOCHI Toasted mugwort mochi stuffed with sweet red bean. CATFISH BLUES ROLL Chesapeake Bay invasive blue catfish fried in Old Bay Seasoning and beer tempura. Blue catfish can weigh up to a hundred pounds and have become a threat to the biodiversity of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. This recipe, which incorporates Southern-style fried catfish and okra, tips its hat to the African origins of all people and is a reminder that, despite our differences, we are all one, yo. MY JELLY BELLY Thinly sliced invasive cannonball jellyfish, trawled off the coast of Georgia, seasoned with roasted sesame and Miya’s farm-grown Szechuan peppers. Jellyfish populations have been exploding because of human-caused climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution. Yet few cultures utilize jellyfish as a food source despite the fact that jellyfish is an endlessly abundant food source that is low in calories and high in protein and collagen. The crown jewel of Miya’s invasive species menu features the first invasive species we ever caught and ate—back in 2001—the Asian shore crab. Chesapeake Bay blue crab meat in potato skin, Cato Corner Farm (Colchester, CT), Old Bay-fermented shore crab. Asian shore crabs are an invasive crab species that migrated to North America in the ballasts of ships in the 1980s. They have infested craggy intertidal habitats along the East Coast from Maine to Florida. They are able to thrive in a wide range of temperatures and compete with native crabs and fish for microalgae and other smaller edible animals and plants. This recipe was created with Dr. Yancey Orr, Yale College 2001, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland. NINE-SPICE INVASIVE ASIAN CARP SASHIMI Thin-sliced Kentucky silver carp prepared fugu-style with spicy sesame citron soy sauce. The introduction of Asian silver carp has led to the precipitous decline of native fish species in seventeen states. These giant plankton eaters are netted by Kentucky fisherman who have been fishing as a way of life for over a century. IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS Staghorn sumac-seared salmon, avocado, pickles, and flying fish roe wrapped in pickled bog rhubarb leaves. As described by Tanizaki in his 1933 essay “In Praise of Shadows,” this is our twist on a recipe of sushi that was eaten by the ancient mountain people of Yoshino, Japan. Instead of persimmon leaves, our recipe uses invasive bog rhubarb. A ROMP IN DA SWAMP Minty and bitter invasive bog rhubarb stem simmered in kelp stock and sake. Bog rhubarb, which shades out native plants with its giant lily-like leaves, has been used medicinally for pain relief for over two thousand years in China. Bog rhubarb inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 activity, thereby acting as an anti-inflammatory. KIRIBATI SASHIMI Thin-sliced Florida lionfish with Kiribati sea salt and spices. This recipe, which combines two ingredients that originate in the Pacific Ocean, help tell a complex story that interweaves the proliferation of invasive species, climate change, and the destruction of coastal cultures. Climate change helps invasive species spread. Lionfish have been spotted as far North as Long Island Sound. After being released from aquariums, lionfish established themselves in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast of the United States and throughout the Caribbean. Protected by venomous spines, lionfish is a voracious apex predator that has decimated native fish populations of coral reefs that have already been suffering from the impact of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. The island nation of Kiribati is one of the world’s poorest countries, with few natural resources other than the salt from the ocean around it. At only 8 to 12 feet above sea level, Kiribati may become the first nation to be completely swallowed by the ocean due to climate change. PIGYOZA Momma’s dumpling recipe—with ground Texas invasive boar butt and wild onions. HILL COUNTRY BLUEFIN Seared boar heart is dark and meaty like bluefin tuna but tastier and healthier to eat. Feral hogs, introduced by European explorers in the 1500s, are voracious eaters that consume native and endangered species. Unlike factory-produced meats, wild meats such as boar contain high levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Unlike most bluefin tuna, a threatened species that is high in contaminants, wild hogs are abundant and free of mercury and PCBs. INVASIVE OFFERINGS FROM THE MIYA’S GENERAL STORE: DREAMCATCHER SMUDGE STICK In ancient cultures, from Asia to Europe, mugwort smoke was used to inspire dreams and visions, and to purify the spirit too. Mugwort is one of the most widespread in sine plants in North America that is despised by farmers and lawn owners alike. PICKLED KNOTWEED SHOOTS Spicy, sweet, tart, and crunchy. One of the best pickles you’ll ever have! KNOTWEED TEA Tea made from young sun-dried knotweed leaves is pleasantly tart and tannic and verdant like green tea. One of the most popular antioxidants is the polyphenol, resveratrol, for it’s suppressive effect on oxidative and inflammatory stress. Japanese knotweed, one of the most destructive invasive species, contains exponentially more resveratrol than red grapes. WILD WEED HERB VINEGAR The secret to Miya’s salad is Chef Bun’s herb vinegar made from spring ramps, edible weeds, and homegrown herbs. Drink it straight up as a delicious digestif. WEED & GUTS PESTO Chef Bun’s pesto of edible weeds and fish sauce made from Kentucky invasive silver carp guts and carcasses is tastier and exponentially more delicious than your Italian grandmother’s. Made by a nut but contains no nuts. FLAMING COCK Chef Bun’s spicy sake-based liqueur is a recipe that was given to him in a dream by a mythical Japanese fire-breathing rooster to help him spread the gospel of invasive species and food waste. Flaming Cock features invasive autumn olive berries, weedy sumac berries, fiery home- grown peppers, and a hoppy distillate made from beer waste at Continuum Distilling in Wallingford, Connecticut. Enjoyed by ancient First Nations peoples as a scurvy-preventing lemony beverage with berries that are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, sumac is a shrub that is both a weed and invasive species in some regions. Native to Asia, autumn olives that were planted to combat soil erosion have become disruptive to native ecosystems. Nutritionally, autumn olives are high in vitamin C,E, A, and the antioxidant, Lycopene. One third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted globally each year—which is more than enough food to feed nearly a billion of the world’s people who suffer from hunger, four times over. FLAMING COCK HOT SAUCE Chef Bun’s furiously spicy hot sauce made from homegrown peppers (reused from sake- making), tasty foraged weeds, and fish sauce made from guts and carcasses of invasive Kentucky silver carp. FLAMING COCK BONE BROTH Chef Bun’s spicy Texas invasive boar bone broth broth seasoned with roasted sesame and homegrown Szechuan peppers. This is the tastiest and healthiest bone broth you will ever put in your mouth; and it’s perfect straight up, or with tofu and vegetables, or ramen. Lots of this looks really appetizing. We had hoped to catch and eat some lionfish in FL last spring but didn't see or catch any. We have eaten snakehead and it is really a good eating fish. Just need to catch more. The squirrel racks sound interesting. Wonder what temperature they cook them. I wouldn't think that they would serve them medium rare.

Looks great Rick! We Really love braised short ribs. May have to try and get some soon😉

Livie prefers it when we add vinegar to heart and then grill it. She likes that tangy taste. May try tartar with the heart(s) from next year's deer.

Looks great Marty! Our season goes to the 28th. We have all new neighbors now and need their permission for us to gun hunt those bushytails. May or May not get that before the end of the season.

Nice variety @FishnDave! Congrats on landing that CP and those stonerollers! They can be a fickle bunch as well.

They were all over Kansas in the creeks we fished last year as well. I also have a few spots in Columbia that are go to if I want to catch them.

Here I was expecting a Fire Marshall Bill reference 😉

As an FYI you and I only caught one fish that Ham did not and that was the common shiner.

Good catch on the Smallmouth bass - added. Must have overlooked due to your smallmouth buffalo 😅 Spotted and kentucky spotted are the same species.

Not sure how I lost the duskystripe shiner since it is on the listings I used to tabulate this ultimate listing and you and I both caught them. I have added it to the spot with the second white perch.

i know that @snagged in outlet 3 was hoping to see some trout photos 😄

We had a neighbor that would walk their dog across the street to our yard for it to take a dump. They didn't use bags and it was a rottweiler so it left logs in the yard. We talked to the deputy sheriff. He wnet over and said that we could charge them if they continued to not pick up the crap. After that they did pick it up. At least until their kitchen burned up with a grease fire and they sold the house.

So not to beat a dead horse, but I thought at one point @Ham had asked if we could get a total species count for @FishnDave, Ham and myself for 2021. Here is what I came up with for 2021. 170 total species. American (White) Shad Goldeye River Chub Atlantic Silverside Goldfish Rosyside Dace Atlantic Stingray Grass carp Round goby Atlantic thread Herring (greenies) Grass pickerel Sailor's Choice Grunt Autumn darter Green sunfish Sargent Major Ballyhoo Greenside darter Satinfin Shiner Banded Killifish Hardhead catfish Sauger Banded sculpin Hornyhead Chub Saugeye Bantam Sunfish Houndfish Scup (Porgy) Bermuda Chub Hybrid striped bass Shadow bass Bigeye shiner Inshore Lizardfish Sheepshead Black buffalo Irish Pompano Sheepshead Minnow Black bullhead Knobfin sculpin Shortnose gar Black Crappie Koi Silver Perch Black drum Largemouth bass Silver redhorse Black Sea Bass Lined Topminnow Skilletfish Blackspotted Topminnow Logperch Skipjack herring Blackstripe Topminnow Longear Sunfish Slender Mojarra Bleeding shiner Longnose gar Slippery Dick Blue catfish Mayan Cichlid Smallmouth buffalo Bluegill McCloud rainbow trout Southern Kingfish Bluehead Chub Meanmouth bass Southern redbelly dace Bluespotted sunfish Mud Sunfish Spanish Mackerel Bluntnose Minnow Mummichog Spiny Dogfish Bowfin Naked Goby Spot (Norfolk Spot) Brook silverside Northern hog sucker Spottail Pinfish Brook trout Northern pike Spotted bass Brown bullhead Northern Puffer Spotted gar Brown trout Northern rock bass Spotted Seatrout Buffalo Trunkfish Northern Searobin Spotted Tilapia Cardinal shiner Northern starhead Topminnow Steel color shiner Carmine shiner Northern Studfish Striped Bass Chain pickerel Oscar Striped Blenny Channel catfish Ozark bass Striped Killifish Checkered Puffer Ozark chub Striped Searobin Cocoa Damselfish Ozark Darter Striped shiner Common Carp Ozark minnow Summer Flounder (Fluke) Common Shiner Ozark sculpin Swallowtail Shiner Coppernose Bluegill Peacock Bass Tautog Creek chub Pealip redhorse Telescope shiner Crested Blenny Pigfish Tiger trout Cunner (Bergall) Plains Orangethroat Darter Walleye Dollar Sunfish Plains stoneroller Warmouth Dusky Damselfish Pumpkinseed sunfish Wedgespot shiner Eastern Blacknose Dace Rainbow darter Weed shiner Eastern mosquitofish Rainbow trout Western Mosquitofish Eastern Mudminnow Red Hake White Bass Fallfish Redbreast sunfish White crappie Fantail Darter Redear sunfish White Grunt Flier Redear x bluegill White Perch French Grunt Redfin Pickerel Duskystripe shiner Freshwater drum Redfish White sucker Gafftop sail catfish Redspot chub Whitetail shiner Gizzard shad Redspotted Sunfish Winter Flounder Golden redhorse Redtail Parrotfish Yellow bullhead Golden shiner Reef Croaker Yellow perch Golden topminnow Smallmouth Bass Dave and Ham you'll have to let me know if I missed any. There were only 22 species (in bold) that all three of us caught. It could have been more, but I didn't hold up my end by not catching species like white crappie, golden shiner, brook or brown trout in 2021 🙄. Not all of them were common species, like we all caught hornyhead chubs, bleeding shiners, dollar, bantam and redspotted sunfish. We all caught black bullheads from the same pound and likely the bantams from within 25 feet of each others and on different trips. I know that Dave and I caught the redspotted sunfish on different trips from the same pond.

A couple of gizzard shad that bit a 1/8 oz white/red shad dart. A hickory on a green/chartreuse dart and spoon tandem set-up. Lots of fun for sure!

I use similar sizes to what you used in NJ for the same fish. At least when I can. MD only allows 2 hooks per line. So I don't use sabiki's in MD waters. We had a great time catching atlantic thread herring or greenies down in FL last spring with sabikis. Cast them out, get one on, and let it sit to see if you can load up the other five hooks 😁. The guy next to us caught a giant snook on a greenie, but we dind't have any luck that day using them as bait.

A woman is in the kitchen getting ready to make some eggs for breakfast. After she cracks the eggs into the hot skillet her husband comes into the kitchen and stands next to her. "Is the pan too hot?!? Is it too hot?!? Shouldn't you turn it down? The edges are getting brown. I told you it was too hot! Did you salt the eggs yet? No. Then salt them! SALT THEM! SALT! WHERE'S THE SALT! You better turn them. TURN THEM BEFORE THE YOLK OVERCOOKS! Aren't they done yet?!?" His wife is really upset and shouts "Why are to treating me this way?!? Do you think that I don't know how to cook a couple of eggs?!? The husband replied, "I know you can cook eggs. I wanted you to feel what it is like everytime I drive us anywhere!"🤣

I use a sabiki rig out in the bays and ocean. Haven't tried for bait in lakes with one. How small a dart are you using? I fish darts for larger shad like hickory and american shad, but we have runs of those species out here in MD.

Was tasty though some Bob chocolate would have been a good addition. Though sounds like a pornstar name🙄

Made a stuffed pork loin. I sliced the loin six times and seasoned it all over including in the cuts with a salt, pepper, basil, and oregano mixture. Then put in onion slices and a piece of applewood smoked bacon in each cut. I made a mixture of vegetable oil, heaping tablespoon of smoked paprika and two minced cloves of garlic. I brushed that mixture all over the meat. Added sauerkraut to the pan and cooked the roast at 375 for 50 mins. Sliced and served with yellow rice.

A husband and wife after 15 years of marriage go to a therapist. The therapist asks the couple what is the problem with their marriage. The wife goes on to mention a littany of issues, neglect, unattetentiveness to her needs, lack of support, overwhelmed keeping the house on her own,... After 15 mins of listening to her issues the therapist gets up and comes around the desk to the woman. He gets her to stand and then he embraces her and kisses her passionately. When he is done he turns to the husband and tells him that his wife needs this at least three times a week and asks if he could do that. The husband replies hesitantly, "Well I can bring her over on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays I go fishing."🤣

A woman is having a bad day at the roulette table. She is down to her last $50. Exasperated she cries, "what am I going to do now?!?" The man next to her says, "I don't know... Why not play your age?" and he walks away. Soon after he hears a great commotion back at the roulette table. Thinking that the woman may have won big, he heads back and pushes through the crowd. As he gets to the table he sees the woman unconscious on the floor with the table operator over her. "What happened? Is she alright?", asked the man. The operator responds, "I don't know. She placed all of her money on 29 and it came up 36. Then she just fainted."🤣