Eating dead stuff from the garden

[Jonny69]

This thread is not for the cringeworthy. I've mentioned in the past that I've wanted to try road-kill. Where I used to work I'd often seen road-kill during the winter and figure that, apart from the damaged side of the animal, there was nothing wrong with the rest of it, having sat out in the cold all night. I have no problem what animals I eat and, to me, wild food is basically about as ethical as meat gets. So, recently I've seen the odd dead fox and badger but either not had the balls to pick it up or I've been in her car without any plastic bags and I know she'd kill me if she found out I'd had a bleeding/oozing 'kill in the back. Also, I'm not so keen on town foxes because they've probably been eating the contents of peoples bins which will affect the taste of the meat.

Anyway, that aside, when we came home this afternoon there was a dead wood pigeon in the front garden. Slight injury underneath. It wasn't there when we left and on closer inspection its eyes were still quite bright (yes, I was scared it might start flapping about when I poked it ) so I figured it was reasonably fresh. Perfect opportunity for a bit of investigation and if it turned out to be bad I didn't actually have to eat it.

I've saved you from seeing pics of the corpse with feathers head and feet and skipped straight to jointing it up. See where I nicked the gut at the bottom of the carcass, but it basically looks ok to me:





The only visual damage to the birds was some grazing underneath behind the legs. It didn't seem to be infected at all and was dry with no smell:



Cleaned up and got rid of any remnants of feathers:



I had planned chicken pie tonight, so this is tomorrow night's dinner. I won't be eating it pink in the middle just in case but it looks fine to eat

[Pickers]

I ate dead spinach leaves from my garden for tea. Freshly dead. Just call me Bear Grylls! To be honest, whilst I can't see me ever doing that, I think it's a good idea in principle! Certainly economically and ethically!

[Tak]

I'd have to learn how to skin/gut things properly but see no problem with it and if i could do those things I'd probably do it. I think I'd prefer road kill to something just found dead though, unless it was obvious what killed it.

[Belmit]

The only thing that puts me off doing this is the faff. Nothing else. Free food is free food after all!

[LeperousDust]

Seems alright as you say, although always a niggle in the back of my mind if I was doing it myself. Not that I have the slightest clue how to skin and joint a bird (terrible I know ).

Very cool in my eyes though

[Jonny69]

I'd like to publicly admit that this was absolutely delicious. I don't know what they feed country pigeons on, but the ones that live in town are slightly more mellow in taste



I decided to cut my risks by only eating the breasts, so the legs and wings are in the freezer for later! On the plate is a nice pile of buttered spinach on the left; on the right is baby new potato sautéed with lardons from my own home-cured bacon, green beans, garlic and balsamic vinegar; the pigeon is simply pan-fried in the fat from the lardons and well seasoned. I didn't cook it too pink just in case.

If it's my last meal, I loved it

[Pickers]

*like* looks 'ansome! Sounds sublime!

[LeperousDust]

Looks superb my friend and assuming you're not dead right now a success!

[Jonny69]

I made it! I'm alive

[volospian]

lol, I'd have no problem eating road kill if it was me that killed it and I knew it was fresh. I have a pathelogical fear of "bad" food and won't eat anything if it smells even slightly funny, so to find something alreadt dead, without knowing its "providence" I'd have to pass.

However, nowt wrong with scoffing it if you're happy it's not going to give you Ngengi Fever and make your **** so watery it'll pass through the eye of a needle.