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Meat, fish & fowl are also foods that can be gleaned from nature's bounty. I fish, and am working on arrangements for permission to hunt and trap on the land of friends and family. And although harvesting fur or leather are considered by some cruel, they are by-products of the neat harvest, and should not be wasted out of respect for the food 'donor'. Feel free to join me as I explore another facet of self-reliance and living off the land...getting meat!

I haven't seen mention of it here, at least not by the name 'inavasivore', but methinks that eating invasive species would be an excellent way to supplement a forager's diet. Many of us have already tried some invasive species, be it kudzu blossom jelly, my pickled carp, or a feral hog pulled pork barbecue. Quite a few invasive species were imported with the best of intentions (nutria for fur, or carp as food, for example) but got totally out of hand and escaped to the 'wild'. Recipes can be found at 'invasivore.com' which goes out of its way to find, develop and create ways to use these food sources as a way to help control them. Some of the festivals they mention sound like fun! Every area has their own invasive species; and quite a few 'pest' species as well. I'm collecting recipes in advance of my local small game hunting seasons for several kinds of game that others don't seem to see as edible. In my old home, pigeons were everywhere, for example; I also saw woodchucks, possum, raccoons, and rabbits galore. Here, near a large river, the last year I have learned to catch, cook and eat carp, bowfin, and catfish. Yes, I know lots of folks eat catfish, but around here many think they are inedible! (Fancy that!) Invasives are much less likely to have bag limits, hunting or fishing seasons, or even require a license to collect, so they are a very inexpensive way to supplement one's larder. Branching out from eating weeds (many of which can be considered at least pests, if not invasives) has never been so much fun. So...what is your favorite pest or invasivore food and how do you serve it? Here's mine: PICKLED FISH from the Minnesota DNR 1 large pike or several smaller fish, cut into fillets (I use carp, with the mud vein cut out) 2 onions, sliced 1 tsp. whole black pepper 1 tsp. whole allspice 1 Tbsp. sugar ½ lemon, sliced white vinegar 1 Tbsp. capers Cut fillets into small pieces; barely cover with water. Add onions, pepper, allspice, sugar, and lemon. Boil until fish is nearly done, then add vinegar to double amount of liquid remaining. Boil till done; add capers and seal in hot, sterilized jars. Process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. If your rough fish has those itsy bitsy Y-bones, this recipes dissolves them, adding calcium to your diet! This is also the only recipe I have seen for canning pickled fish for longer term. GARLIC MUSTARD QUICHE (6 svg for regular folks, 4 if you're hungry) 1 cup chopped, steamed garlic mustard leaves 5 large eggs 1 pie crust 1 diced onion ½ cup diced sharp cheddar cheese ½ cup diced muenster cheese ½ cup diced Monterey cheese ½ cup 2% milk 1 clove minced garlic 1 teaspoon dried parsley ¼ teaspoon ancho chili pepper sweet paprika salt and pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease pie pan with oil. Place pie crust in the greased pan. Mix eggs, cheeses, milk, onion, chili, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Pour mixture into pie crust, and top with paprika. Cook for one hour or until firm. FRIED SQUIRREL OR RABBIT (2 svgs) 1 young squirrel or rabbit, cut in pieces ½ tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper ½ c flour 1/4 c shortening Mix salt & pepper with flour. Shake pieces of squirrel in flour mixture and brown in melted shortening in a heavy skillet. Lower heat after browning, cover the skillet tightly. Cook over low heat for 45 min to 1 hour, or until well done. Remove cover during last 10 min to crisp outer surfaces. My parents often served it this way (Mom was a crack shot!)