I had lots of questions about our bear hunt. Yes, we ate bear meat. No, it isn't horrible. I tentatively cooked up some of the back straps when we got home. Despite what most people stated, it tasted great. I'm sure part of that is because I was careful butchering and made sure there was no fat. The meat was marinated overnight, then seared in a frying pan, and slow cooked to perfection. Bear meat must be completely cooked, so no medium rare. I can't wait to finish butchering the rest of the quarters. I am anxious to make summer sausage using casings for the first time.
Next, I followed our guides advice and rendered the fat to make a type of bear lard.
I took cleaned chunks of bear fat. I put them in a pot with 1/4 cup of water and put it on medium for several hours. It slowly became a beautiful amber liquid. I strained it through cheesecloth and after it had cooled poured it into jars.
After it had cooled more, I put it in the refrigerator and it is now a solid white. Our guide said it makes the best pie crust. I will let you know how that goes next week. I have also learned it is good for waterproofing leather, great for hand lotion, and can be used to make candles. I will also try a few of those projects later.
Bear grease wasn't all I was busy with last week. My husband and I recently acquired some land on the Belle Fourche River. We couldn't wait to see the opportunities provided on the prairie property.
Of course, the first thing I had to do was plant things. It is hard for a girl who spent most of her childhood planting trees to live in the forest. Here I was right at home. The first trees in were some little cedars for a windbreak. Next was an orchard of apricot, current, aronia, black walnut, and elderberry. Can you tell I love berries? Part of the draw of the property was the wild buffalo berries, chokecherries, and I also found a huge gooseberry bush. In the photo below the chokecherry is on the left and the buffalo berry on the right. Also if you look closely at the picture on the right, you can see hoards of ticks crawling onto my sweatshirt, while it hangs on the steel post:)
Everything is green and lush. There are several stately cottonwoods. I'm afraid there are also a plethora of ticks. Despite all caution we were inundated with them. Luckily all were found before they got anchored. I guess with everything good comes something bad.
Well, it was a busy week. I am excited about our new property and projects. It is always good to have something to keep a person busy. Is anyone else having a problem with ticks? This is the worst they have ever been, both in the hills and on the prairie.
Next, I followed our guides advice and rendered the fat to make a type of bear lard.
I took cleaned chunks of bear fat. I put them in a pot with 1/4 cup of water and put it on medium for several hours. It slowly became a beautiful amber liquid. I strained it through cheesecloth and after it had cooled poured it into jars.
After it had cooled more, I put it in the refrigerator and it is now a solid white. Our guide said it makes the best pie crust. I will let you know how that goes next week. I have also learned it is good for waterproofing leather, great for hand lotion, and can be used to make candles. I will also try a few of those projects later.
Bear grease wasn't all I was busy with last week. My husband and I recently acquired some land on the Belle Fourche River. We couldn't wait to see the opportunities provided on the prairie property.
We were greeted by a newly born lamb in the pasture next to us. It didn't take mom long to get him cleaned up and moving. The river wasn't so welcoming. All of the rains have the Belle at full capacity. She was roaring. We did manage to catch one channel catfish.
