Recently, I stumbled across an article by Bryan Walsh for Time. Titled "Foodies Can Eclipse (and Save) the Green Movement", it suggests that the current economic and political atmosphere is killing the "green movement," which really was an urban spin-off of the environmental movement. However, Walsh contends that the current "food movement" is starting similar social transformations – in land use, farming, and how we value our environment – from a different and possibly more effective angle.
"Even as traditional environmentalism struggles, another movement is rising in its place, aligning consumers, producers, the media and even politicians," Walsh writes. "It’s the food movement, and if it continues to grow it may be able to create just the sort of political and social transformation that environmentalists have failed to achieve in recent years."
Obviously, this shift toward environmental enlightenment is great. It begets a land ethic, which leads to true environmentalism and land stewardship. Plus, a better awareness and connection to our food helps hunters in many ways. It creates understanding, if not sympathy, for our sport among those who have not been exposed to it. It also generates new hunters, a trend that is likely to increase as foodies seek out new sources of organic protein.
However, could this trend also be changing hunters? Could a new appreciation for food be changing the way we paint ourselves and also honor the animals we kill? I know I’ve become more appreciative of venison as my food tastes have expanded. I certainly value those venison steaks in the freezer much more than I once did.
Has the foodie trend made it’s way into your household yet and has it changed the way you value (and cook) the venison you bring home?
One of this company’s best selling books of all time has been 301 Venison Recipes, a compilation of super-easy, home-cooked-type venison favorites. Recently though, readers have shown a preference for quality over quantity. We produced Venison Wisdom to offer more easy recipes, but with even more flavor.
Should we take this trend farther and produce a high-end, foodie centric wild game cookbook? Are hunters ready to throw down their cans of cream of mushroom soup?
I am new to hunting, this will be my first full deer season and I went for spring turkey last year. One of the things that drew me to hunting in the first place was a having a connection to my food. My girlfriend is a vegetarian and I only eat meat if i know where it comes from. Even with my limited experience cooking game however, I would likely not use any recipe from the "301." Not to criticize it, but cooking "high-end, foodie centric" meals is not hard. The first half of the battle is using quality ingredients and using wild venison does that. Having a cookbook that provides upscale and modern recipes, without being too "stuffy" would be a good thing.
I think so. I think learning more facts/details of what makes or breaks a venison dish and why, and more complex venison recipes is a great idea! Ive noticed a handful of cooking shows where venison is showcased as premium cut of meat, it woul dbe nice to know how to really treat it as such.
Wild game is the original and ultimate organic meat.
It depends on how much time I have. One thing I’ve learned lately is to not cook my meat so long. I eat it pink. I picked that up on a "foody" show.