Jim Casada Outdoors January 2017 Newsletter
Click here to view this newsletter in a .pdf with a white background for easy printing. This Month’s Special Offers As is likely all too obvious to those who have read my newsletters for some time, I’m an avid reader with wide-ranging tastes. I enjoy mysteries (especially by British masters of the genre), biography and autobiography, history, about anything connected with my native Appalachia, books by explorers and about exploration, works on virtually any type of hunting and fishing, those related to nature or living close to the earth, and tales of adventure. In the latter context I have long been a fan of the prolific South African writer, Wilbur Smith, and just as is the case with Louis L’Amour’s works on the American West, I’ve read everything Smith has written. A couple of years back I discovered the works of an Australian writer, Tony Park, who bids fair to be the “new” Wilbur Smith. Like Smith his books are set in Africa, and they are also similar when it comes to impeccable historical accuracy even though they are works of fiction. I’ve gone through all Park has produced to this point, and my shelves simply don’t have room to hold what I’ve read. Accordingly, I’m going to offer these books (they are all in paperback form) at a price of $5 apiece. That really just pays my shipping costs, for the packaging, and maybe leaves $.50 to a dollar clear. Here are the titles, and it will be first-come, first-served.
Look for a similar offer in my February newsletter featuring paperbound volumes by Wilbur Smith. The March specials will focus on books on turkey hunting, and don’t forget that you can always visit my website and click on the “BOOKS” tab to access a whole bunch of lists of works on the outdoors. Four Special Turkey Hunting Volumes I’ve been doing a lot of housecleaning, study reorganizing, and book collection rearranging. One think that has come out of this flurry of house work has been the discovery of a good many book duplicates, and four of those in my personal turkey collection were sort of special simply because they were signed and inscribed to me. Since I had two copies so signed and inscribed, I decided to sell one of them. In a sense you’ll have something from the author and a connection to me (what booksellers call “association copies”). They are listed below and are obviously one of a kind, first-come, first-purchased. I will, if the buyer desires, sign and inscribe the book as well or, alternatively, provide a letter of its provenance. The books will require $5 shipping and handling in addition to the listed cost.
To purchase or for more information contact : Jim
Casada Tel.: 803-329-4354 Jim's Doin's I’ve got precious little of note to report from my personal life of late (and in truth much the same could be said of the almost 75 years leading up to now). I’m beavering away on book projects and have spent considerable time going through my personal library trying to bring something approaching a semblance of order to near chaos. The special offers above are one tiny aspect of this as I try to clear some shelf space, dispose of books that are duplicates or that I do not need for research purposes, and the like.
Otherwise I’ll have a profile of a mountain personality, one of an ongoing series, in the upcoming issue of Smoky Mountain Living, and look for a piece on the lure and lore of turkey calls in an upcoming issue of South Carolina Wildlife. Another current effort involves writing a foreword for a reprint of Sam Hunnicutt’s classic work Twenty Years Hunting & Fishing in the Great Smokies, which is to be published by Western Carolina University (WCU). That effort will also include a talk to the institution’s Friends of the Library group, the first-ever presentation in what is intended to be an annual event, on April 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Hunter Library’s Reading Room. The Reading Room is presently being renovated and my talk will do double duty as dedication of the space. Somewhat parallel, inasmuch as it is also associated with WCU, is a contribution on Horace Kephart as a writer on firearms to a planned anthology of his work. The co-editors of the work are a WCU professor, Mae Claxton, and recently retired WCU archivist, George Frizzell. I have launched initial research for an anthology of great whitetail stories similar to the one I recently edited on classic quail tales. Efforts of this sort, along with daily visits to my dear wife and mundane things such as cooking (which I greatly enjoy) and house cleaning (which I greatly disfavor), keep me plenty busy. In idle hours, as has ever been my practice, I read. In an average week I’ll go through four or five books.
Fading Features of Yesteryear
Mind you, some of the loss for me personally is nothing more than the dictates of advancing years and geographical location, but much of it is truly a reflection of a changing and not necessarily better world. With that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to share some memories of activities or parts of life that seem to have vanished, at least from my existence, like thistle down caught in a strong wind storm. Depending on your age, where you live, and life’s experiences, I suspect you will look longingly back, as I am doing, on these fast fading features of a world that may not have been as technologically advanced as ours is. Yet I would argue that a goodly portion of those simpler days and simpler ways belong to what I would describe as a better time. At any rate, let’s ramble down memory lane, and if you are a bit younger and find some of these things as alien as rotary dial telephones and party lines, a bit of indulgence in history assuredly won’t hurt you any.
Meanwhile, if while reading you have taken even a tiny step down memory lane, whether in one of the areas noted above or in others, I’m happy and you should be as well. With that in mind, it’s time to head to the kitchen to prepare something tasty and filling. This time of year, for me, that means soup, stew, or a hearty dish of some type of wild game. SIMPLE VENISON SPAGHETTI
Jar of Prego spaghetti sauce Brown venison in a large skillet using just enough olive oil to keep it from sticking (may not be needed if you have suet added to your venison when it is processed). In a separate skillet, with a bit of olive oil, sauté onion, carrots, and celery (all of which should be chopped into fairly small pieces) along with minced garlic clove. Once venison is browned and vegetables are sautéed, combine with venison in a large pot and add tomatoes and Prego sauce. Allow to simmer on very low heat, checking occasionally to make sure there is no sticking, until carrots are tender and flavors have married nicely. I prefer a very thick sauce and more simmering is the way to achieve this. Once the sauce is ready (or you are ready to eat), prepare spaghetti noodles, drain, and immediately top with sauce and sprinkle liberally with grated Parmesan cheese. This makes a substantial amount of sauce but it freezes beautifully and can be taken from the freezer, thawed, heated, and added to just-cooked noodles for a quickly prepared meal. NOTE: This sauce is excellent for really hearty (and really sloppy) Sloppy Joes. WILD TURKEY AND RICE SOUP
Dark meat from a wild turkey—legs, thighs, medallions on lower back,
wings, neck, and if you wish, the giblets Prepare turkey by cooking the dark meat in a stew pot, simmering for several hours. Then remove the meat from bones and chop into small pieces with a knife or ulu (one of my favorite kitchen tools). Discard the bones and save stock, adding canned chicken stock if you wish or using store-bought stock only. Place stock, turkey, carrots cut into small slices, and diced celery in the stew pot and add salt and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Prepare rice separately and when it is ready add to the stew pot. Allow to simmer 15 minutes longer, adding additional water if needed (the rice, even after having been cooked and drained, will absorb moisture). Serve with saltines, garlic toast, or a toasted cheese sandwich if you want a soup-and-sandwich meal. SQUIRREL AND HASH BROWNS
2 cups cooked squirrel, chopped Stew or parboil squirrel (whole or quartered) until meat is easily removed from the bones and then chop into pieces. Peel and coarse grate potatoes (you can buy prepared hash brown but I think doing it from scratch is tastier). Put bacon drippings in large skillet and heat, then slide potatoes into the Pan. Sprinkle onion, squirrel, and seasonings over potatoes. Cover and cook moderately fast until potatoes are nicely browned on one side. Stir to blend, turn over, and brown on other side. Serve immediately. Rabbit can be prepared the same way. BACON SQUIRREL It’s hard to go wrong with bacon, and it blends wonderfully well with lots of game. The drippings impart flavor to the recipe above as well as this one, and dove breasts or duck breast nuggets, not to mention venison backstrap, nicely wrapped in bacon, make for mighty fine grilling options.
Bacon drippings Cook bacon and strain drippings, setting aside the meat to crumble and use atop a salad (a spinach salad is an ideal accompaniment for this dish). Pat squirrel dry with paper towels and then roll in flour mixed with garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika. Dip in bacon drippings and completely moisten. Dredge in bread crumbs (seasoned with basil if you wish). Place squirrel in a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes on one side; turn and bake on other side for 30-45 minutes more or until well browned and tender. APRICOT DUCK APPETIZERS
1 cup flour Place flour, salt, and pepper in a bag or zip-loc. Add duck pieces and shake thoroughly to coast with the seasoned flour. Lightly brown duck in olive oil and butter at medium high heat. Do not overcook; The bites should be pink on the inside. Serve immediately with apricot sauce (see below). Apricot Sauce
1 cup apricot preserves Place apricot preserves, lemon juice, water, cornstarch, lemon peel, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add brandy. Place is a chafing dish flanked by duck bites. Thank you for subscribing to the
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I’m going to make a practice, as I have noticed many public figures do
(mind you, I’m anything but a “public figure”), of listing my calendar
for the entire year. Here’s what lies ahead in 2017 that is now on my
schedule.
Periodically my mind is prone to go wandering down rabbit trails that
lead nowhere in particular other than to have an association with the
past in some way or other. Yesterday, while bustling around the house
trying to do some long overdue organizing of books, I got to thinking
about things I took for granted as a boy and now miss mightily. That was
all started by dusting off a book by the former Georgia politician, Zell
Miller, entitled Purt Nigh Gone. It’s no secret I have about as
much use for politicians in general as I do for ticks, cottonmouths,
welfare baby breeders, any type of laziness, and most university
professors (keep in mind I was one of those), but I always admired Zell
as a man of the people. His book is a delightful excursion into a world
we are rapidly losing.