The Catholic Message Board

What'll yours look like this year? I've just been watching Nigella's Christmas table but ours will be much simpler than that. Baked ham, stuffed turkey roll and salads with plum pudding and pavlova to finish.

We're having venison,

Vern Humphrey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:20 pm We're having venison,

I've heard of it but never eaten it. I'm not from a country that farms it. How do you prepare it for the day?

Stella wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:29 pm

Vern Humphrey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:20 pm We're having venison,

I've heard of it but never eaten it. I'm not from a country that farms it. How do you prepare it for the day?

In the US, it is not farmed, hunters go out and shoot the deer

There are definitely deer farms in the US

It's one of those products that's uncomfortable. I guess because of Bambi?

Delivery from friends. I have Covid.

We're cooking up a turkey my son raised this summer. He did great with them. We raised 4. Gave 1 away, ate one at Thanksgiving and I guess that means we've got one more for...uh, Fat Tuesday or something.

Obi-Wan Kenobi wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:44 pm Delivery from friends. I have Covid.

Sorry to hear that. My daughter just tested positive this morning and I'm feeling a sore throat at the moment. Nevertheless, our Christmas dinner is suddenly turned into a very small event.

gherkin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:49 pm

We're cooking up a turkey my son raised this summer. He did great with them. We raised 4. Gave 1 away, ate one at Thanksgiving and I guess that means we've got one more for...uh, Fat Tuesday or something.

I'm too city-fied to raise a creature and then kill and eat it but of course I'm grateful for those who do. I still feel squeamish though when I see bodies in my farmer brother in laws freezer that are labelled with their names.

gherkin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:49 pm

We're cooking up a turkey my son raised this summer. He did great with them. We raised 4. Gave 1 away, ate one at Thanksgiving and I guess that means we've got one more for...uh, Fat Tuesday or something.

Easter turkey can be a thing unless you're wedded to lamb or ham.

peregrinator wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 6:29 am

gherkin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:49 pm

We're cooking up a turkey my son raised this summer. He did great with them. We raised 4. Gave 1 away, ate one at Thanksgiving and I guess that means we've got one more for...uh, Fat Tuesday or something.

Easter turkey can be a thing unless you're wedded to lamb or ham.

Easter dinner is pretty hammy. We bring the hogs to the slaughterhouse on Jan 15, so we'll have plenty of ham around, God willing.

Stella wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:55 pm

gherkin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:49 pm

We're cooking up a turkey my son raised this summer. He did great with them. We raised 4. Gave 1 away, ate one at Thanksgiving and I guess that means we've got one more for...uh, Fat Tuesday or something.

I'm too city-fied to raise a creature and then kill and eat it but of course I'm grateful for those who do. I still feel squeamish though when I see bodies in my farmer brother in laws freezer that are labelled with their names.

We don't eat the goat kids. My wife won't have any of that. We can't kill our own hogs because we sell much of the meat and due to idiotic food regulations we can't sell pork unless it's been usda inspected. I would much prefer to kill and cut them ourselves. We take a great deal of trouble to raise them in as perfectly hoggy an environment as possible. Plenty of area to root in, lots of mud during the summer, lots of hardwood range for them in the fall so they can spend their days looking for acorns, space and clean air. And then on their last day I've got to drive them to a strange place where they're scared and confused before they die. And there is absolutely no doubt that I could process them much cleaner and safer, and treat them more kindly, than the slaughterhouse can. It's a truly egregious set of rules that farmers live under. On the plus side, we have a slaughterhouse only about 2 miles down the road, so it's a quick trip. And under its new management, they do as good a job as a slaughterhouse can do. I used to have to drive them 15 miles or so, and that was not pleasant for them or me.

Stella wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:29 pm

Vern Humphrey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:20 pm We're having venison,

I've heard of it but never eaten it. I'm not from a country that farms it. How do you prepare it for the day?

Much like beef, but there is less fat, so you have to be careful to not make it too dry.