On the first of December, we gathered—as we regularly do—for a potluck feast made up of wild-harvested foods. Every dish, a story to tell.
I hope you guys got a chance to chat with Paul Grieve, aka Farmer Paul, co-founder of Primal Pastures and PastureBird. As you likely know by now, we are working on something truly incredible with him at the moment. More on that to come.
Back to the dinner... Having partaken in these gatherings for several years now, one thing is undeniable... the quality of the dishes just continues to rise.
I don't know if it's a simple factor of the extra practice cooking and preparing wild game, or the competitive nature of the folks who regularly attend, but I've been saying "this was hands-down the best food we've ever had at one of these dinners" for like 3 straight years.
And that trend continues... sheesh, you guys continue to blow me away.
Among the things I ate that night (and I didn't even get to everything) were:
- Venison Carpaccio
- Axis Deer Chili
- Bison + Elk Gumbo
- Mahi Mahi Massaman Thai Curry
- Pronghorn Antelope Sliders
- Beer & Elk Stew
- Elk Meatloaf (which was the best meatloaf I've possibly ever had)
- A ground venison stuffed into a bread pocket from Inman—that I'm sure has a name.
- Manoomin "Wild Rice" (recipe here)
- An overflowing charcuterie board from The Gourmess
And my wife helped me pull off a Venison Meatball in a Red Curry, that I wish I could take more credit for. (Adaptation of a recipe from Sprouted Kitchen.)
Upon reflection, it occurred to me that Winter foods, while they warm the soul and fill the belly, don't photograph nearly as well as Summer foods. A table scape at a Winter Wild Fish & Game Dinner is essentially a row of crock pots. But what the table lacked in visual appeal, it more than made up for in flavor.
To round out the night, we spoke a bit about our intention behind the teased-but-not-yet-fully revealed Wild Harvest Box. And we raffled off a few prizes to continue to fuel and encourage you guys to continue the pursuit of harvesting wild foods, including some EDC tools from James Brand, a copy of Steven Rinella's The MeatEater Cook Book, and Jesse Griffith's The Hog Book.
Huge thank you to the kind folks at Gunwhale Ales for hosting us again.
Stay tuned for our next seasonal dinner, coming March 2023. If you aren't on the invite list, you can get on that email list here.
