Hi, My boys got a load of squirrels this year. Anyone have a good recipe to share? Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), October 18, 2000

Answers

Don't eat the brains. Squirrels can have the squirrel equivalent of mad cow disease.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 18, 2000.

This comes from that vegetarain again!ha Skin that sucker, & dress it out. If it is a young one--they are good fried just like a chicken in a cast iron skillet. I roll it in a little flour & sreasoning & fry it. If it is an oldier one put it in a brown-in-bag with a can of cream of mushroom soup in a slow oven & (bake it just like you would a wild turkey until it falls off the bones). Then have lots of mashed potatoes & you can spoon that soup type gravey & squirel on those potatoes. Fried pototoes are good, also. Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), October 18, 2000.

I put the skinned/cleaned squirrels into my crockpot with red wine, peeled/crushed garlic, and freshly ground black pepper. Sometimes some chicken broth, too. I put it on low for the day, and cook it 'til the meat is very tender. Remove the meat from the bones (watch out for those tiny bones), and use the meat in soups/stews. Excellent in lentil soup!

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), October 18, 2000.

Mary, Be sure to soak the squirrels in salty water overnight to help get rid of any stray hairs and bloody spots before cooking or freezing. I roll the pieces in seasoned flour and brown in a skillet like you would chicken. Then add water to the skillet, cover and steam until tender. If they are old squirrels you may have to add more water. You can also brown them well in a skillet and then put the pieces in a crock pot, cooking until tender. Sometimes I put them back in the oven for a little while to let the breading firm back up again. My husband likes for me to boil old squirrels in chicken broth until tender, take the meat off the bones, put the meat back in the broth, and add homemade roll-out type dumplings-sort of like egg noodles- and cook for 20 more minutes or so. Thicken the broth with a flour and milk mixture and serve with mashed potatoes. Be sure to use plenty of black pepper in the broth. Mona Lea

-- Mona Lea (monalea@hotmail.com), October 19, 2000.

I remember going to oklahoma for a long weekend with one of my fellow sailors. Then squirrel hunting dressing it out then his mom fried it, served with fried potatoes and onions, fried okra she also made gravey to put over everything and sliced tomatoes. Must have been good as I still remember it almost 30 years later. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), October 19, 2000.

Thank you very much, everyone! Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), October 20, 2000.

My only memories of eating squirrel were greasy meat. Can't you get rabies from squirrels?

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), October 24, 2000.

I asked my dad about the rabies and he laughed at me, what I remembered that was greasy was the rabbit meat. Oh, well, I thought it was squirrel, shows what I know.

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), October 26, 2000.