squirrel extermination

Grey Squirrels for Lunch, Anyone?

Squirrel meat is selling hot. Squirrel butchers are quickly running out of squirrels right after they get some. According to those who have tasted squirrel meat, it is sweet and tastes like a combination of lamb and duck meat. They also say that it is very low in fat and thus is a perfect protein source for those who love meat are prohibited to eat some because of fat issues. Some even say that it is ethical to eat squirrel meat; at least there bodies do not remain useless after they are hunted because of their insanely increasing population.

Well, Grey squirrels are indeed very abundant in the United States and in many European countries. They might be related to the endangered squirrel species found in Britain but these are certainly not endangered themselves. In fact, hunters are allowed to just shoot them dead for mere fun and sports. Dozens of squirrels are shot but hunters brutally because they do not care about ruining their meat. But since the meat of squirrels became in demand, hunter became more humane in their killing methods. They use guns which can kill squirrels immediately, without causing too much pain. They want that because they need to use such guns to keep the squirrels' meat beautiful and ideal for butchering.

Some shopping centres in the United States are already selling squirrel meat in the grocery while some restaurants are already serving squirrel-based food. Some grocery owners say that they have sold as much as a thousand squirrels already since the day that they have started selling ones. Each squirrel costs about 3.5 pounds. Like all new products, it was also not clear whether squirrel meat will be marketable, but after a couple of months in grocery shelves, the owner of these groceries attested that people do buy squirrel meat.

People are mixed when it comes to describing the taste of squirrel meat. Some say it tastes like wild boar, some say lamb while others say duck. But this confusion is because of the fact that squirrel meat does have its own unique taste that can't be compared to other meats. Say, would you liken beef to pork or to chicken? Or would you say that fish tastes like lamb or game? Of course not! That is because we acknowledge that all these meats have their own tastes, the same is true with squirrel meat. But if there is definite about the taste of grey squirrel meat, it is the fact that it is sweet because grey squirrels mostly feed on sweet berried and nuts.

Many people also think that eating grey squirrels is a good form of helping the red squirrels to thrive. Red squirrels are losing their place in the wild because grey squirrels are rapidly taking over. If there is a high demand for grey squirrel meat, then more grey squirrels will also be killed. Of course, legislations are needed to not cause the extinction of grey squirrels in the wild. Maybe, they can be bred domestically just like pigs, cows and chickens if the time will come when their population in the wild is threatened.

The popularity of squirrel meat grew even more after Hollywood celebrities started to make noise about it. They have invited intrigue over the celebrated meat, luring more people to want to try it. Once they have tried it, many became hooked to its taste and thus, a new squirrel-meat buyer is born. In all actuality, most of the people who buy squirrel meat are plain curious ones who are driven by the novelty of the squirrel meat's cost. But, no matter what drives people to try eating a squirrel, the end result is almost very obvious: they would love the meat and buy some more.

Because of the estimated number of squirrels around the world (5 million in Britain alone), there is a high possibility that the craze for squirrel meat will continue for some time and that its market will eventually expand to a point that domestication would be necessary. Squirrel is small so a single squirrel should not be enough to satisfy a hungry person. Most of its meat is found in the rear legs just like a rabbit (which is also killed for meat). Squirrels also require a short cooking time because its loins are thin.

Squirrels are cooked in many different ways. For example, some restaurants serve fried squirrels which are the usual best sellers. But there are other cooking styles too like squirrels in Cornish cream, squirrel on a bed of walnuts, tandoori squirrels, etc. Some also make pasties out of squirrels, here's an example of the recipe:

Ingredients:

Squirrel meat (cubed 1cmx1cmx1cm, 140 grams)
Potato (slices, 100 grams)
Onions (diced, 50 grams)
Bacon (smoked, 30 grams)
Swede (sliced, 100 grams)
Hazelnuts (chopped, 15 grams)
Butter (75 grams)
Parsley (chopped, 5 grams)
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Egg-wash the edges of the pastry circles that you are to use.
2. Mix the potatoes with hazelnuts, swede and parsley. Season to taste.
3. Place mixture in each circle and top with bacon, followed by the squirrel meat and then onions.
4. Put some butter on each pastry. Fold the pastry and crimp its edges to secure your mixture.
5. Place you pasties in a grease-proof baking tray. Make sure that both pasties are properly egg washed.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius before putting it the tray into the oven.
7. Baking time is about 45 to 50 minutes.

Well, you might not be able to try this at home if you are not able to find a grocery store that sells squirrel meat. But you can hunt for your meat yourself if you are really that interested. You can use squirrel traps to catch them. Just make sure that you will only kill a grey squirrel or you will be liable to the law for killing animals which are supposed to be protected, i.e. red squirrels. But I suggest that you unburden yourself of all these troubles and simply go to a restaurant that serves squirrel meat.
squirrel extermination

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