We have a ground hog in our freezer. I processed it the way we did it in the Congo. When you burn the hair off it instead of skinning it, you can eat the skin, a valuable protein source. Despite my meticulous care and washing of the carcass, the chairman of the board says it is giving a burnt smell to everything in the freezer.
I use the word groundhog instead of woodchuck because I want to talk the way locals here in TN talk. Up through 2023 we averaged 1 a year in the garden, but this year we had 4. We caught 2 in a live trap (the other 2 were dealt with in a different way). The Havahart live trap people suggest releasing what you catch at least 5 miles away (that is, release it into someone else’s garden at least 5 miles away).
Many consider groundhog not fit to eat. Out of the 4 I dispatched this year, I processed 2 for the freezer. One delighted the palates of me and 2 grandchildren. I saved a chunk for the chairman of the board, but threw it away after it sat a while in the refrigerator untouched.
I learned to eat this taste treat when living in the Congo. Our local version was called Sibilik, but elsewhere in Africa they are called, Cutting grass, Grass cutters or the Greater Cane rat. They are raised for meat in some places. I recommend that the trade association ditch the name “Cane Rat” in order to increase sales. If you think about it, the North American version and the African version should be considered table fare because they only eat grasses and other vegetation. It is a delicacy in West Africa and often sells for more than chicken or beef. I don’t know why so many in the US do not consider them fit for the table.
We have one left in our freezer. The chairman of the board is lobbying for its removal. I say, “Let’s keep it in case of hard times.” I did make a big concession. I am building an outdoor wood fired cooking area and that is where we transformed the first ground hog into a culinary delight. I want to be prepared for when civilization as we know it collapses. I am building a place outside the house to cook roadkill and invasive Asian Carp. In the area of the Congo where we lived, fish and game is always cooked outside the house.
Adventures in Suburbia 