"Beaver chili & black fly Muffins" Today 6pmTravel Channel (Ellsworth: fit in, houses)

[AnnapolisSailor]

I must watch this, learn something new everyday, never knew about "beaver chili".
Do Maine folks eat beaver meat? I knew about trapping beaver ( I had heard it was to free up the dams they built) , or using beaver furs, but did not know about beaver for meat consumption. How common is this? Please don't tell me "it tastes like chicken" LOL If its relatively low in cholesterol we are willing to give it a try. Is there a "peak season" for beaver meat availability?

"Maine
Andrew travels to Maine where many residents find most of the food they eat right in their own backyards -- literally. There's even a culinary challenge featuring some bizarre recipes made only with ingredients found in Maine."

Maine : Bizarre Foods : Travel Channel

[Submariner]

There is a beaver lodge in a creek on my land. One year they tried to convert a large area of my land into a pond, so I asked a trapper to get rid of them for me. The lodge is still there, and they maintain a couple dams. So long as they contain themselves to the creek,I do not mind their presence.

I think he ate them.

Though I have not eaten beaver yet.

I suspect the "peak season" should be November to January since that is about when they can be trapped.

[stevo6]

Some of the beaver trappers may be eating their catch, but probably not the majority. Thats about the only way to get them- trap them. Season generally runs from mid fall thru early spring. Check the Maine gamelaws for dates and allowable methods. There are a lot of youtube videos out there on how to trap beavers.
BTW i've heard it tastes more like beef.

[AnnapolisSailor]

Originally Posted by Submariner

There is a beaver lodge in a creek on my land. One year they tried to convert a large area of my land into a pond, so I asked a trapper to get rid of them for me. The lodge is still there, and they maintain a couple dams. So long as they contain themselves to the creek,I do not mind their presence.

I think he ate them.

Though I have not eaten beaver yet.

I suspect the "peak season" should be November to January since that is about when they can be trapped.

Thank you Submariner- so our good fortune when we come up next weekend for hopefully our 3rd and final round of home shopping, we could find some beaver delicacies. We will mostly be in the Jonesport, Hancock, Ellsworth areas.

So when you write "beaver lodge" you are referring to the beaver animals' home (like a den?) I assume, not a human lodge called the Beaver Lodge", right? Forgive my naiveté. Anyone know if beavers hibernate?
I am guessing not actually if folks trap beaver in the winter.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by AnnapolisSailor

Thank you Submariner- so our good fortune when we come up next weekend for hopefully our 3rd and final round of home shopping, we could find some beaver delicacies. We will mostly be in the Jonesport, Hancock, Ellsworth areas.

So when you write "beaver lodge" you are referring to the beaver animals' home (like a den?) I assume, not a human lodge called the Beaver Lodge", right? Forgive my naiveté. Anyone know if beavers hibernate?
I am guessing not actually if folks trap beaver in the winter.

Maybe this will help you with beaver education. Beavers, Beaver Pictures, Beaver Facts - National Geographic Personally, I can't imagine wanting to eat a large rodent....to each his own. Have you ever watched the Angry Beavers? http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....1.x7qoH9Vp6fk

[stevo6]

Originally Posted by AnnapolisSailor

Thank you Submariner- so our good fortune when we come up next weekend for hopefully our 3rd and final round of home shopping, we could find some beaver delicacies. We will mostly be in the Jonesport, Hancock, Ellsworth areas.

So when you write "beaver lodge" you are referring to the beaver animals' home (like a den?) I assume, not a human lodge called the Beaver Lodge", right? Forgive my naiveté. Anyone know if beavers hibernate?
I am guessing not actually if folks trap beaver in the winter.

The lodge is the beaver's den- usually a large mound of sticks, within which the beavers live. A lodge usually houses several beavers. In winter they stay active, swimming under the ice from the lodge to their feeding piles, which are usually collections of sticks and reeds. They follow a specific paths away from the den which can be detected by looking for bubbles in the ice. This is where trappers often set their traps in the winter- from a hole in the ice above.

[Maine Writer]

Beaver is comparable to grass fed beef, definitely not to chicken. I tried it last April at the Sportman's Wild Game Dinner (along with havelina, wild boar). It was good. DH couldn't get past the idea of what it is and made up his mind he didn't like it before he gave it a chance. I'm teaching a wild game cooking class next month and hoping someone will donate one or two.

[arctichomesteader]

The backstraps of a beaver taste like steak (but on big beavers it can get tough so needs some proper prep). All the meat can be ground up and used to make chili, burgers, sausage, etc., if the beaver is carefully skinned and cleaned. Some beavers weigh over 60 pounds, some have hit over 90 pounds, there can be a lot of meat on them. The fat has a strong flavor and needs to be completely removed from the meat.

Beaver meat also makes some of the best bait for predators, it brings fishers, coyotes, foxes, etc., right in. And that's not all the beaver can be used for: the castor glands (scent glands with which it marks its territory with a sweet flavored substance) are used not only in perfumes but in making artificial vanilla flavor.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Beaver is comparable to grass fed beef, definitely not to chicken. I tried it last April at the Sportman's Wild Game Dinner (along with havelina, wild boar). It was good. DH couldn't get past the idea of what it is and made up his mind he didn't like it before he gave it a chance. I'm teaching a wild game cooking class next month and hoping someone will donate one or two.

where's the cooking class? I'd like to try your beaver

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

where's the cooking class? I'd like to try your beaver

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman's Winter Skills weekend. How do you feel about wearing a skirt? mmm...no, definitely not a skirt, too cold for that (though I'm cooking in a nice warm kitchen). Mascara and perfume? mmm...no, won't be much of those there. Hmmm...you might fit in after all.

I'm bringing moose and yellow perch roe. The rest will come from donations. We're going to cook enough for everyone there to taste test.