These past few weeks have been a challenge for us as Mississippians. The cold weather not so much but the snow, or the lack of it, has been so unfair as the big fluffy white snow flurries hit our gulf coast with the least of five inches and mainly ten inches of the beautiful snow fall.
We took one of the “preparing” days of the forecast and cut, split, and hauled wood to our front porch to fill our fireplace, and chimney corner in anticipation of the big chill and excitement of the snow. Well, you know what we got. Snow flurries, snow flurries, snow falling from the skies, blowing in the wind, never sticking to our ground. Then of all things, the state got up to ten inches on the gulf coast area. We have a beach house directly across the road from the beach and it was beautiful sitting there in the beautiful while snow almost to be mistaken for the white Gulfport sands. Now that is a mistake and a crying shame for the weather to have sent the snowstorm so far south. We talked about going down to our house the day before the snow was due to fall but then wondered if we would be happy to be snowed in for the several days without food or able to get down those fourteen feet of front steps. So, we hibernated here on the farm.
Of course, my grandsons that live across the road here in Sallis loved the cold frigid weather because it is GREAT DUCK HUNDING WEATHER!! They leave nice warm beds before daylight, pull on so many layers of clothes their arms stick straight out and hit the water holes where the ducks will land in the early hours, guns ready and begin the duck calls with the bizarre little mouth pieces that sound like a duck and wait. Of course, they travel with a little butane heater. They took a trip this past weekend up in the northern part of Arkansas to a duck game reserve and brought back so many of the feathered birds that I believe the limit was surely reached. All the beautiful mergansers, mallards, snow geese, pintails and Canadian geese have been feather-plucked, skinned and some cooked and some frozen to be used in several “out-of-the-ordinary” meals in the days to come. I understand that you can make Chipotle Duck Pasta, Duck Chili, Quesadillas, Gumbo, Southern Style Barbeque, Pan Seared Duck Breasts, and you can boil, broil, or fry them and even make jerky.
I believe that these two boys could be a modern-day Daniel Boone as they also know so many ways to prepare deer meat and have a freezer full of this delicacy also. I guess this will be useful if ever we have a shortage of protein in our lives.
Now if we could just figure out who or what might want to hunt and find ‘something’ to dispose of all the coyotes, skunks, and raccoons we have here on the land.
ROASTED DUCK – 1 Whole duck, 2 t. paprika, 2 t. salt, 1 t. black pepper, ½ cup of butter melted and divided. Preheat oven to 375*. Combine paprika, salt, pepper and rub onto the skin of the duck. Place duck in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Spoon ¼ cup of melted butter over duck and cook 45 minutes more. Spoon remaining butter on duck and leave for 15 minutes more in oven. Rest for 10 minutes.
