Here’s a great chance to improve your wild game cooking skills

Wild Maine Recipes by Kate K Gooding               Linda doesn’t let me anywhere near the kitchen to cook, unless it’s time to grill some wild game meat, so I’m looking forward to attending one of the wild game cooking workshops that Maine’s community colleges are offering in partnership with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

And you can be sure I’ll carry with me a couple of Kate Krukowski Gooding’s wild game cookbooks, as a reference. I love reading Kate’s books, but I’ve yet to master anything but grilling, so this should be interesting!

Actually, I got inspired when Kate appeared on our Wildfire TV show a couple months ago, and cooked up a special Wildlife Black Fly Stew with bear, beaver, and moose meat. It was incredibly delicious! You can watch that show online at VStv.net. Just click back through the Wildfire shows until you get to it. I guarantee, it will make you hungry!

As DIF&W noted in a recent press release: “Each workshop will offer the opportunity to participants to learn how to prepare wild game meat and sample the completed recipes.” Now the sampling I am really looking forward to!

DIF&W also reported that the workshops will be led by professionally trained chefs and DIF&W staff will be available to help answer questions. Sure. And help with the sampling, I’ll bet!

As DIF&W’s Director of Information, Bonnie Holding, told me, “Locavore is gaining in popularity here in Maine, and knowing where your meat or veggies are coming from is important.  And what could be more healthy and organic than game meat?  Being able to share recipes that folks can use at home just makes sense.  The instructors are from the Community Colleges. The meat is from donations and/or road kill.  The colleges charge a fee to cover their costs.”

Schedule of Workshops

September 17, 2016 – Bear
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

September 17, 2016 – Bear
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

September 27, 2016 – Bear
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register: TBD

October 15, 2016 – Venison (deer)
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

October 22, 2016 – Upland birds
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

October 25, 2016 – Upland birds
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register call 207-453-5134

November 19, 2016 – Upland birds
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

November 19, 2016 – Venison (deer)
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

November 29, 2016 – Turkey, Venison (deer) and Moose
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register call 207-453-5134

January 14, 2017 – Waterfowl
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

January 21, 2017 – Waterfowl
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

January 24, 2017 – Waterfowl
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register call 207-453-5134

February 11, 2017 – Fish
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

February 18, 2017
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

February 21, 2017 – Fish
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register call 207-453-5134

March 18, 2017 – Hare
Southern Maine Community College
9am-12pm
$40 per person
To register, contact Marti Cox 207-741-5862

March 18, 2017 – Hare
Washington County Community College
9am-12pm
$35 per person
To register, contact Nichole Cote  207-454-1012

March 28, 2017 – Hare
Kennebec Valley Community College
6:30-8:30pm
Cost: $35 per person
To register call 207-453-5134

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.