by Glenn & Judy Helgeland, with favorite recipes and light-hearted stories from outdoor people like you
Paperback, comb-bound to lay flat, 140 pages
Excerpt: Not even the woodpeckers…
A deer camp cook once, in his haste or uncertainty, or both, mixed and fried a batch of pancakes with regular flour instead of pancake flour.
“They looked beautiful,” Dad told me, many years later. “Big and reasonably thick and golden brown. I don’t know what made them rise enough to look acceptable…baking powder, maybe.” But fried flour, even with milk and egg and whatever else mixed in, defies fork, defies knife and defies tooth.
“We punched a hole in each of them with a hammer and a nail,” Dad said, “then hung them with wire in trees around the cabin. We wanted to see what the birds would do. They tried…but I don’t believe even woodpeckers dented them.”
Photo by Bill Pennell
“Good recipes, good stories, and having most ingredients on hand makes this a staple resource in the kitchen of us hunters. Plus the tips on preparation and handling are a real bonus. To Heck with Gravy and The Wild Pantry both are kept handy in my pantry.”
Carol Kindred, Whitehall, WI
THE WILD PANTRY is more than just a wild game cookbook with more than 200 mouth-watering recipes from dozens of knowledgeable wild game cooks. It’s also entertaining…with meal-time stories (some successes, some failures).
- PLUS – Dutch Oven cooking & recipes
- PLUS – How a proper diet helps you hunt better
| CHAPTERS | STORIES |
| 1. APPETIZERS | 1. DAYLIGHT IN THE SWAMP |
| 2. CHOPS / ROASTS / STEAKS | 2. GRANDPA’S STEW & BRYANT’S DUMPLINGS |
| 3. BBQ / CROCK POT / STEWS | 3. “I LIKE MINE TURNED OVER” |
| 4. STIR-FRY / STROGANOFF / KEBABS | 4. “JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT” |
| 5. GROUND MEAT & CHILI | 5. RUSTY, THE ASPARAGUS HOUND |
| 6. CASSEROLES | 6. DEER CAMP MANHATTAN |
| 7. MEXICAN & ITALIAN | 7. NOT EVEN THE WOODPECKERS |
| 8. SAUSAGES | 8. “NOT EVEN THE COWS…” |
| 9. JERKY | 9. DUTCH OVEN COOKING HOW-TO |
| 10. PICKLING & CANNING | 10. HOW A PROPER DIET HELPS YOU HUNT BETTER |
| 11. SMALL GAME & BIRDS | |
| 12. FISH & SEAFOOD | |
| 13. COMPLEMENTARY FOODS | |
| 14. DUTCH OVEN RECIPES | |
| 15. MARINADES & SALSAS |
We give a hearty “thank you” to everyone who contributed a recipe or two, or a cooking or meat preparation tip, to this book. The contributor is listed with each recipe or tip. The variety among this collection is nothing short of amazing. Our mouths watered as we edited the recipes. Yours will too as you prepare them.
SAMPLE RECIPES
| DEER FINGERS | |
| 4 venison steaks | 3 eggs |
| 2 C. flour | 1 onion, diced |
| 1 tsp. parsley flakes | 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 Tbl. cooking oil | 1 tsp. pepper |
| 1 tsp. seasoning salt | |
| Cut steaks into 1-inch strips 3-4 inches long. Mix eggs and Worcestershire sauce; put steak in egg mixture. Mix flour, onion, seasoned salt, pepper, and parsley flakes. Heat skillet with 1 Tbl oil. Put egg-covered steak strips in flour mixture, coating thoroughly. Cook on medium heat about 20 minutes. Serves 4. | |
| Diana Lynn Hatch, Johnstown, OH | |
| B.C.’S BOURBON B.B.Q. | |
| 2 Tbl. liquid smoke | 2/3 C. soy sauce |
| 1-2 lbs. venison steak | 1-1/2 C. water |
| 1/4 C. brown sugar | 1/4 C. bourbon |
| 1 Tbl. lemon juice | 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce |
| Put venison in 4-quart casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Marinate 4-6 hours. May leave in as long as 24 hours. Drain marinade off meat and reserve. Heat reserved marinade to boiling point. Turning meat every 3-4 hours, B.B.Q. on grill, basting meat with marinade. Serves 3-4. | |
| Brent Christensen, Snover, MI | |
| DEER CAMP STEW | |
| 3 lbs. venison steak, cut into 1-in. squares | 1 (16 oz.) can whole corn |
| 2 (29 oz.) cans home style mixed vegetables | 1 whole tomato, diced |
| 6 whole potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks | 2-3 garlic cloves, diced |
| 1 Tbl. dried bell pepper pieces* | 8 C. water |
| 1/2 tsp. chervil or parsley flakes | |
| Brown meat in bottom of 12-quart stew pot. Add all other ingredients and cook 2 hours. Add additional water as needed. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8-10. | |
| Gregg Sekela, Toledo, OH | |
| *Hot peppers can be substituted to impart a different taste. | |