A couple of decades ago, we knew our local
trapper well. He had a little log trappers' cabin not too far
from us, and would stop in now and then for a cup of tea.
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VIKI MATHER |
He would tell us stories from the trapline,
and admire the sleek black fur of our cats (just jokingly, of
course).
We were curious about his work, and the
animals he caught. We expressed an interest in trying the meat
from the various animals, so he brought a roast of beaver for
us to try.
It was great! Over the next several years, he
would regularly drop off a beaver or two when he was in the
neighborhood.
I learned to clean the carcasses and preserve
the meat. For a number of winters, we dined regularly on beaver
roasts and beaver stews.
We greatly appreciated the opportunity to
enjoy this wild and organic meat.
The trapper eventually retired, and we became
friends with his replacement. Allan helped him when he came to
our lake, taking him in our boat to the
various beaver houses.
Again, we were able to enjoy beaver tails at
dinner.
Once a young raccoon had found its way into a
trap set for beaver. We got the opportunity to try something
new. Raccoons are delicious! One of the finest wild meats we
have ever tasted.
Ah, but this trapper also retired. We have
yet to see the new guy, and so have not had the opportunity to
become friends.
Last week I was out and about, and stopped in
to visit another friend who happens to have a trapline some
distance from here.
This being the heart of trapping season, he
had a whole bunch of beavers in his shed.
We sat down to a cup of tea at his house and
talked at length about the goings on in the forest these days,
and the pros and cons of the new initiative to
create electricity from small hydro
development.
I told him how I missed the old trappers from
my area. I told him how much we had enjoyed the beaver
roasts.
I even dared to ask if he had a little beaver
that I might take home for dinner. He picked out a nice one for
me and wrapped it up.
As we sat down to dinner the next day, Allan
suggested I write to you with the recipe for beaver
chili.
It is made with fresh, local, organic,
Canadian beaver; cleaned and cooked until the meat falls off
the bones.
Sauté a couple of locally grown organic
onions, a handful of homegrown garlic, and some freshly picked
celery from the garden with olive oil and sea salt.
Add six organic tomatoes from the same local
farmer (Gil at 866-2527) and simmer for awhile. Add the
shredded beaver, two cups of well-cooked organic pinto beans,
and some chili powder.
I top it off with a half cup of our own maple
syrup, and let the pot simmer for a couple of hours. Enjoy with
a glass of homemade wine.
A true Canadian feast.
Viki Mather lives by a lake near Sudbury. She has been
writing her In the Bush column for Northern Life for more
than 20 years.
