Freezer burn

[jmarie]

I just took some squirrel out og the freezer...3 months in there....will that harm the taste when I cook them? Will they taste all right?
Thanks
jmarie

[sneezles]

OK, I cannot say that I would ever eat squirrel, either for the cuteness or the fact that it is vermin, but I can't imagine that 3 months in the freezer would be bad. Sorry, jmarie, not something I can fathom eating (that and rabbit, too). Must still be a city girl at heart! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Grace]

They'll be fine - you will see if something has freezer burn - it will have LOTS of ice crystals all over it, and will turn sort of "whitish". You can typically leave well-wrapped meats (especially vacuum sealed meats) in the freezer at LEAST six months, and I have kept stuff for a year with no problems.

I have also eaten squirrel plenty in my life - my Grandaddy was from the country (only made it to the city once or twice in his life), and they hunted and fished nearly ALL their food. I had turtle, rabbit, and squirrel, plus lots of catfish! But I remember the squirrel in particular. It was really good. My Grandad would let my sister and I watch him skin them - he'd line them up on the ground, belly up, make a long incision down the middle from their throat to their bottom, and then say (put on your heaviest southern accent here) "Watch girls, I'm gonna pull their pajamas off!" Then he'd grab one end, and pull the entire skin off in one fell swoop! We laughed and laughed and thought that was great (don't think I would think so now, though!).

Sorry, it just brought back a lot of good memories. Haven't eaten squirrel since I was young. Enjoy yours!! (It tastes like chicken! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif)

[jmarie]

Ummmm, actually, I don't eat the squirrel! My husband fixes what everyone calls a mean squirrel gravy. As it turned out, the squirrel was fine...and the folks we fed it to really liked it...all went for seconds....and all were well educated city folk. All from around Savannah GA...ME? I had a ham biscuit..there was a discussion around the table about all the different things we had eaten....alligator, dog (in Korea, while he was in the service) diamondback rattlesnake, groundhog...one mans grandaddy fixed possum, but he didn't eat it) wild turkey, bear, rabbit, deer and more I cannot remember...oh and chocolate covered ants! It was a fun time, even if I didn't partake of the gravy or any of the above....and never will!
OH! And thanks for your help with the freezer burn! We are going to get a food-saver after reading other posts to other questions!

[LGBurns]

Grace, I almost fell out of my chair laughing at your story. Thank you so much for sharing! Don't think I'll ever look at a squirrel quite the same way again.