The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-12-18


oleomargarines lis added until the meat
is nearly swimming in hot gravy. A
sprinkling Of pepper and a pinch of
sage are added for favoring, and the
meat is ready to eat. 49,"
Men who have eaten at the most
famous restaurants in the world say
there is nothing so wholly toothsc me
and satisfying as venison steak IRE
pared by Maine guide who knows his
business. ~.r s,.s
The other way of cooking venivon
known to the guides is to make it up
into what the sporting camps advertise
as mutton stew, so called to Disguise
the fact that deer meat has been Used
In close time. This is no more than
thick soup holding squares of lean
meat, with cruSts of bread spoiled in
the baking, and with light dumplings
and possibly a few slices of potato
added to vary the monotony of so
much meat.
The latter method of cooking re-
quires small art, and as the dish is
more filing than satisfying, the cooks
seldom stew their venison so long as
there are pieces thick enough to fry.
In the preparation of fish and small
game very little formality is used. In
case a brace of cartridges have. be,n
shot for supper the birds are beheaded
and drawn, and when the blood has
been removed by repeated washings I'M
the lake, the interior cavity is filed
with scraps Of salt pork, bread crumbs
and liberal sprinkling Of salt, pepper
and sage
Then the body, with the feathers in
tact, is plastered over with a. thick
coating of clean clay from a muddy
bank, and the ball of earth is bSried
deep in glowing Goals and permitted to.
cook for an hour When removed the
mud has turned to baked clay, which is
broken open with a blow from the ak.
The coating of clay is taken off, remov-
ing skin, feathers, down and every
trace of impurity, and leaving the
steaming bird ready to be eaten.
.,., Tender fish are drawn and wrapped
in thin coating of fallen leaves be-
fore the clay is applied.
Except in rare cases when the food
is getting very low, rabbits are not
used by the travelling hunters AS all
rabbits are very lean, they are skinned
and dressed after the manner in vogue
In the towns, after which the body is
cut in fragments and stewed with fat
pork or in butter. No matter how the
animal is prepared, the meat is dry,
tough and tasteless, and nobody
who has corn meal and bacon in stock
will try the preparation a second time.
A hunter from New York who has
been to the Maine woods for nearly 20
seasons noticed that whenever he
killed a deer in the woods and had
eaten all the tender parts the guide In
variably begged for the neck and bris-
ket pieces, which are too tough and
stringy for consumption in camp.
This habit continued for so long that
one day he asked his guide what use
he made of such un2romising flesh.
He was told that the very dark and
coarse grained meat filled with ten
dons and powerful muscles made the
very best mincemeat that. could be pro-
cured, the rank and gamy flavor of the
deer giving very fine taste to the
mince pies made from such bits.
"Out of curiosity I tried it." said the
hunter, "and since then I have had
mince pies made with venison filling
every year. No man knows what a
good mfnce pie is until he has eaten
one filled with deer meat. The taste
of such a pie is something to remem-
Der for q lifetime.". a-7