Welcome to the Hunt Gather Talk podcast!
If you’re interested in wild food, whether it’s venison, wild mushrooms, freshwater or saltwater fish, upland game birds, waterfowl, wild edible plants or small game, you’ll hear about it here. I’ve spent a lifetime gathering wild edible plants and fishing the waters of North America, and have become one of the better-known wild game cooks out there.
This podcast is a chance for me to talk directly to you about current events in the wild food world, to answer listener and reader questions, to discuss tips, tricks and techniques for acquiring, prepping and cooking all varieties of game, fish and wild plants — and shoot the breeze with fellow outdoor experts.
Ultimately I hope to include the occasional audio adventure a la Freakonomics or This American Life. I don’t have that kind of skill just yet, but I am working on it.
Why a podcast? Because as much of a writer as I am, there is an immediacy in the spoken word that excites me. A podcast is raw, real and allows me to be a bit more of, well, me. And besides, you can’t really read one of my essays while driving to the office or working out.
I plan on rolling out a new episode every few weeks, and most episodes will be an hour or so. I reckon that’s as long as I want to listen to someone else’s radio show, so I’ll apply the same rule to my own ramblings.
I take requests, both for topics to talk about and people to interview. If you have a suggestion, drop me a line at scrbblr AT hotmail DOT com.
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Episode 1: Hanging Birds, Seaweed, Stock and Fish Care
Episode 1 covers how to properly hang game birds, forage for seaweed, make venison stock and care for fish as soon as they come over the rail.
Episode 2: How to Get Started as a Mushroom Hunter
Always wanted to get started hunting for edible mushrooms? I talk you through what you need to know to get started without poisoning yourself.
Episode 3: First, Catch Your Woodchuck. Exotic Proteins with Joe Keough
My friend Joe Keough, an Ohio trapper, hunter, angler and cook and I talk about loving the unloved, from turtles and frogs, to woodchucks, muskrats, beavers, pigeons — you name it.
Episode 4: Early Spring and Transition
Spring comes early here in NorCal, and in this episode, I recorded in one fell swoop my ruminations on what it means to have spring in February, what happens to be out there to forage right now — and what transition means in our lives.
Episode 5: All About Rabbits
Chef Randy King of Idaho and I talk about hunting, prepping and cooking all sorts of wild rabbits and hares that live here in North America, from the cottontail to the giant antelope jackrabbit.
Like the Recipe? Buy the Book!
You'll find everything you need to know to master upland game in Hank Shaw's cookbook Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail.
Episode 6: Salami Basics
My friend Christian Spinillo, one of the best home salami-makers I know, talks with me about getting into making salami and other dry cured sausages. We touch on everything from cures to cultures to casings, meat choice, curing chambers, fat choices and everything in between.
Episode 7: Basic Curing of Whole Muscles
I talk with meat maven and Drexel University professor Bob del Grosso about curing whole cuts, like duck prosciutto, venison backstrap or pork loin, boneless hams and that sort of thing.
Episode 8: Jerky, Venison Ribs, Gear Guide
I answer listener questions and talk about making whole muscle jerky, cooking venison ribs, and I offer you a selection of kitchen gear I use almost every day.
Episode 9: Hunting the Northeast
I talk with New Yorker Tony Caggiano of World Slam Adventures about hunting and eating turkeys, hunting and fishing in the Northeast, chasing ducks in the Atlantic and more.
Episode 10: Basic Herbal Medicine
I talk with herbalist Rebecca Altman of Kings Road Apothecary about real-deal herbal healing with plants that most likely grow near you.
Episode 11: Mexican Cuisine
I talk with Chef Patricio Wise of Monterrey, Mexico about the intricacies of Mexican cooking, how to get started learning a cuisine and about the place of wild game in Mexico.
Episode 12: On Scouting
Scouting, whether it is for foraging, fishing or hunting, is a vital part of the process of gathering wild food. The more you can scout, the wiser you will be in the woods, on the water or in the field.
Episode 13: Wild Beer
I talk with former professional brewer and well-known beer writer Rick Sellers about “wild” beers, both in terms of using foraged ingredients in your beers and experimenting with wild yeasts and bacteria for fermentation.
Episode 14: Enjoy the Silence
Tune out to tune into Nature. Part of what makes our connection to Nature so vital is our ability to be in the now, without electronic distractions. So when you’re out there, turn off the cell phone.
Episode 15: Fish Fry
A solo episode where I walk you through the classic fish fry in all its variations. If you love fried fish like I do, listen to this one.
Episode 16: The Wobbly Bits
I team up with the great New York Chef Brad Farmerie of Public and Saxon + Parole to talk about why we love the “fifth quarter,” the offal of animals. Brad is an expert at cooking them, and he shares his expertise.
Episode 17: Geeking Out with Pascal Baudar
My fellow wild foods expert Pascal Baudar and I geek out on pushing the boundaries of wild foods. Pascal is an expert forager and we compare notes on making wonderful things to eat from unusual plants.
Episode 18: Indigenous Foods
I sit down with Chef Sean Sherman, whose nickname is the Sioux Chef, and talk about indigenous cooking, from wild rice to bison, old school cooking techniques, heirloom seeds and more.