Wild Game
Why Salt Matters
I used to think that all that fancy French salt was bunk, that it was all a scam. Sodium chloride is sodium chloride, right? Wrong. I now know that all salts are not created equal.
Essays and Stories
Paying Respect to the Spoonie Gods
Whether you call them spooines, spoontang or northern shovellers, these ducks are common in California - and a hunter who ignores them does so at his peril. Until Wednesday, that would be me.
Foraging
Hunting Oregon Truffles
Think you can imagine the thrill of unearthing a truffle? Sorry, but you can't. Not unless you've panned for gold. Or dug diamonds. It's the same feeling, complete with the whiff of rapacious greed...
Ducks and Geese
Ruddy Ducks, The Original Butterball
There was a time when the little ruddy duck stood next to the canvasback and the redhead as royalty among waterfowl. Now they are derided as trash ducks. It is an unjust accusation.
Essays and Stories
On the Line
Duck Duel Deux is done. More than 24 hours of prep work culminated in a return to the line after nearly 20 years - where I learned just how hard it is to do precision cooking for a crowd.
Ducks and Geese
Wild Foie Gras is Real
The foie gras debate centers on whether it's natural and humane: Do waterfowl fatten their own livers in the wild? They do. A liver from a duck I shot recently was so fatty it qualifies as wild foie gras.
Recipe
Hunting Sharptail Grouse
A year ago my friend Chris and I hunted ruffed grouse in Minnesota. Since then we've decided to chase every grouse species in North America -- this year's quarry? Sharptails in North Dakota.
Essays and Stories
Life Returns in the Garden
A week after my cat died, I sought solace in my garden. With the sun on my neck and dirt under my nails, I found life never stops in my little green world - or anywhere else.
Essays and Stories
My Best Friend is Dead
This is the hardest post I've ever had to write. Paka the Cat, my best companion for 15 years, died of heart failure Sunday. I can't stop sobbing.
French
Hunter’s Stew and the Olympics
While watching the Olympics, I was struck by our ability to celebrate both similarities and differences, seemingly without contradiction. And the same holds true in food.
Essays and Stories
Raisin Wine and Validation
Making homemade wines from raisins or other fruits instead of winegrapes can be just as satisfying as making a fine table red or a crisp white. Aged well, they can be a validation of sorts.
Salmon and Trout
Six Days of Salmon
Salmon, especially king salmon, are the pigs of the aquatic world. Large, fatty, with significant differences in flavor from cut…
