Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 30/52 | Summer
Jul 18, 2021Field notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 29 of 52
Bullfrog hunt ~ Field to table
I recently experienced an epic feast in which the main course was the biggest most delicious elk meatloaf that has ever been made in the history of all dinners thanks to a very talented woman Sarah Turner who not only harvested this bull elk but masterly prepared it. She single handedly fed a dinner party of 8 consisting of archers and film/production crew Sicmanta ~ who had just wrapped up a long day in the field (can’t wait to share more about this commercial)
The discussion at my end of the table was preparing frog legs due to the bellowing, foghorn-like sounds coming from the pond behind their house. This family, including Joel Turner with Shot IQ and their son Bodie embodies the outdoor lifestyle. They live on a beautiful property and harvesting Bullfrogs is a family norm.
The American Bullfrog is believed to have contributed to the drastic decline of native amphibians and reptiles according to the WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. They are considered an invasive species and interesting fact from the WDFW website, “Bullfrogs were introduced into Washington during the Great Depression to provide opportunities for frog hunting, for food”.
Given my rewilding mission, I asked if they would take me out for a hunt. Harvesting backyard food is a passion of mine. Two months later, I find myself in a kayak with a headlamp, a blowgun and attached spear. It was a thrill to be out after dark paddling around the marsh and adjusting my eyes to these amphibious, nocturnal hunters, that eat anything smaller than themselves.
It didn’t take long to successfully target and reel in a big one. After field-dressing, I drove home with this delicatessen to soak overnight in a brine of salt water. I used cassava flour as a breading and pan fried the frog legs in cast iron with copious butter. It looks like chicken and has a mild taste, but the texture was challenging for me, kind of fishy/chewy. Would I eat this again? Naw…. (I mean if I had to )
Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A & potassium ~ cheers to healthy wild food!
Thank you to the Turner family for this unique rewilding experience…my first hunt!
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