kill the wabbit

shhhh....i am wabbit hunting....well, maybe just digging out its little hard kidneys and wondering aloud whether all lung tissue is so silken-tofu-esque. we went to a little farmer's market in one of the country village halls and this actual British farmer, wearing his three-piece, pea-green wool/tweed suit, was selling fresh rabbit and pheasant that he catches or shoots on his family farm.

of course we bought one. we brought it home (already skinned, beheaded, depawed, and disemboweled), and I took out the organs, poked at them a bit, chopped the bunny into meaty pieces, and cooked it up for dinner.

why? well i had a girl i knew from college come stay for a few days and spent the summer working on a small farm in Wisconsin. she was telling stories about milking goats, chasing raccoons out of the sweet corn, and killing chickens. i got to thinking, even though half of my family hunts and fishes and i have friends whose livelihood is farming, i have never really had much to do with the food-to-table process. i'm not particularly soft-hearted when it comes to killing Bugs and Daffy, but i get all teary when Bambi is hanging upside down in my garage. does that stop me from devouring the venison salami? no way.

after we'd been chatting about it, we came upon our little flopsy friend and i thought, what better way to begin an education than to start small? i wasn't grossed out, really (big surprise for me), but i didn't really like the smell/taste of rabbit. coincidence? not sure. maybe i'll try to "clean" a quail or chicken next, food i know i already like. or actually pay attention next time Ol' Red takes me fishing. or even grow more than basil and oregano this summer. knowledge is power. next thing you know i'll be teaching myself how to knit!

as an aside, the farm that cassie worked on is part of the "community supported agriculture" movement. if you like farm-fresh veggies, eggs, honey, and a variety of other goodness, google "YOUR CITY" and "CSA" -- for about $25 a week you get a box of fresh-off-the-farm veggies delivered to some central pick-up point (generally 22 weeks during your local growing season). although i generally have a fine time with my Tesco and market fruit and veg, i have to admit the prospect of having fresh-from-the garden tomatoes, sweet corn, and a reason to try rutabaga and fennel, is pretty tempting.

maybe this year i'll say 'yes' when the local milkman makes his annual rounds.