50 in '11: #13
Sep. 20th, 2011 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76Title: Hunt, Gather, Cook
Author: Hank Shaw
Length: 324 pages
I read the author's blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook and rather enjoy it, so when his book came out, I bought it. And it sat unread for a few months while my mind concentrated on other things. And then, finally, I pulled it out of the stack and started turning the pages.
To begin with, this isn't simply editing and stitching together his blog posts! No, this is part memoir, part philosophical musings, part cookbook, and part hands-on guide. It takes you first through gathering wild flora (leaves, flowers, berries, nuts, etc) and cooking them. It doesn't cover mushrooms (not even morels!); that is a whole 'nother book, and going from his blog postings I think Shaw knows he doesn't know enough about it yet not to lead to people killing themselves. But his knowledge on the greenery is pretty solid, and the section is only marred for me by the lack of color pictures. Black and white pictures and textual discriptions just don't quite cut it for identifying wild greens. For me, anyway. But the recipe for dandelion wine intrigues me. I've never asked for my father's old brewing equipment because, frankly, I don't like beer. I wonder if any of it would be adaptable to mead or floral/herbal/berry wines, though...?
The book then turns to the sea, covering shellfish, crustaceans, and those things that swim. It also dips into lake and river fishing, but he admits that his body of experience is with the sea. This part is of particular interest to me as it breaks down what one needs to fish in either medium. Unfortunately then it gets into the "check with your local authorities for regulations and licensing requirements." Which I suppose I couldn't expect him to exhaustively cover in this book, as they vary from state to state and change over time. Later, happily, I found in the index listings of where to look online for this information.
And then, finally, the book gets into its meat (forgive the pun): hunting. Shaw covers big game (deer, elk, pigs) and small (rabbits!) as well as fowl (geese all the way down to quail). I'm not sure hunting is something I'll ever take up, but reading about the different habits of different animals, what colors they can or can't see, and how to dress them, was certainly fascinating. (And inspired fanfic.) Although I admit, when he gets to the desciptions of plucking the birds, my first thought was "But what happens to all those gorgeous feathers?"
So, in the end, this was a good book, but if you want to dip your toes into its contents before buying, take a look at his blog first to see if you like Shaw's voice and philosophy. I do.
Verdict: recommended.
Author: Hank Shaw
Length: 324 pages
I read the author's blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook and rather enjoy it, so when his book came out, I bought it. And it sat unread for a few months while my mind concentrated on other things. And then, finally, I pulled it out of the stack and started turning the pages.
To begin with, this isn't simply editing and stitching together his blog posts! No, this is part memoir, part philosophical musings, part cookbook, and part hands-on guide. It takes you first through gathering wild flora (leaves, flowers, berries, nuts, etc) and cooking them. It doesn't cover mushrooms (not even morels!); that is a whole 'nother book, and going from his blog postings I think Shaw knows he doesn't know enough about it yet not to lead to people killing themselves. But his knowledge on the greenery is pretty solid, and the section is only marred for me by the lack of color pictures. Black and white pictures and textual discriptions just don't quite cut it for identifying wild greens. For me, anyway. But the recipe for dandelion wine intrigues me. I've never asked for my father's old brewing equipment because, frankly, I don't like beer. I wonder if any of it would be adaptable to mead or floral/herbal/berry wines, though...?
The book then turns to the sea, covering shellfish, crustaceans, and those things that swim. It also dips into lake and river fishing, but he admits that his body of experience is with the sea. This part is of particular interest to me as it breaks down what one needs to fish in either medium. Unfortunately then it gets into the "check with your local authorities for regulations and licensing requirements." Which I suppose I couldn't expect him to exhaustively cover in this book, as they vary from state to state and change over time. Later, happily, I found in the index listings of where to look online for this information.
And then, finally, the book gets into its meat (forgive the pun): hunting. Shaw covers big game (deer, elk, pigs) and small (rabbits!) as well as fowl (geese all the way down to quail). I'm not sure hunting is something I'll ever take up, but reading about the different habits of different animals, what colors they can or can't see, and how to dress them, was certainly fascinating. (And inspired fanfic.) Although I admit, when he gets to the desciptions of plucking the birds, my first thought was "But what happens to all those gorgeous feathers?"
So, in the end, this was a good book, but if you want to dip your toes into its contents before buying, take a look at his blog first to see if you like Shaw's voice and philosophy. I do.
Verdict: recommended.
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Date: 2011-09-20 11:48 pm (UTC)