How Conservative Are You?

[SS-342]

In my mother's family, two boy loved to eat biscuits. One brother liked the outside and the other the inside of the biscuit but neither would eat the other brothers left overs. Seemed to me they were not conservative.

What about you?

When you dress your catch, what do you throw away?

How conservative are you?

My wife likes to eat skinned filets. I save the back bones and ribs/stomach and eat them. I throw away the head, skin and guts. Actually it is fed to my barn/wild cats.

What do you do?

[Flint River Pirate]

Well....I voted for Romney.

[SS-342]

Well....I voted for Romney.

I like it but were are not on politics.

The question is about CONSERVATION. We've had a lot of conversation in weeks past about being conservative and taking care of our natural resources. It got me to thinking about how we use what we take home. When I was a boy, we picked our doves, cleaned the gizzard and ate everything but the head, feathers, feet and guts. Now days the only thing eaten is the breast. Same with turkeys. We ate most everything on a fish but the heads, scales and guts. We would even had catfish head stew from time to time.

I suppose it is all relative. People in some countries and situations would eat what I throw away. If we really want to use CONSERVATION as a badge of honor in our persuasion, we need to think about "How Conservative We Are" with our take home catch.

Just something to think about.

[big bend gyrene]

I'm not averse to sharing meaty cobia backbones with friends as Bman can attest.

Also save scallop guts like they're golden nuggets. Make a great addition to the chum bag.

Growing up my Dad had us save about every animal part possible. Can't lie, while I "conserve" some things haven't had squirrel brain stew in 30 years.

[fireant21]

"I suppose it is all relative. People in some countries and situations would eat what I throw away. If we really want to use CONSERVATION as a badge of honor in our persuasion, we need to think about "How Conservative We Are" with our take home catch.

Just something to think about"

Come on, we all like Nuoc Mam.

[wevans]

Everything I catch and bring home gets eat We eat the fillets, ribs and back-bone The Cats, Coons and Buzzards eat the rest

[lonesouth]

I've long thought that there should be a machine at the back of every restaurant that would puree all of the left over food, add a binding agent and bake into bricks to be distributed to hungry people. Can't be worse than soylent green and I'd be happy to eat it rather than see it thrown into a landfill.

how's that for conservation.

[SHOWBOAT]

varies greatly.

Inshore fish I rarely keep, but if I do it is just fillets we eat. My neighbor was Philapino and I always liked giving her fish, b/c she would make soup or stock with the carcasses and heads as well as eat the fillets. Grouper I take cheeks, but I can't figure out how to get throats.

Large deer I'll pick the ribs for extra meat to grind. not so for does. I usually keep the heart as well if not destroyed; although I haven't been overly successful cooking it.

I've been known to use duck feathers for flies. Sometimes I breast ducks other times pluck. We've also made pens, dog whistles and other items out of antlers. Although there are still many racks in the garage.

[Salty Gator]

For grouper and snapper I keep the throats, cheeks,ribs and backbones. For cobia, throats, ribs and backbones. Redfish, backbones and throats. I don't keep trout often. I prefer backbones and throats to fillets. My favorite is a decapitated, scaled small flounder fried whole.
showboat, it is a piece of cake to throat out a grouper. You can probably get a u tube video. Make sure to get some catfish skinning pliers to remove the skin.

[cotton]

I remember when eating fish was a social event. Folks always served bread, just in case someone swallowed a bone. You would sit around the table swapping stories for hours. At the end of the feast there would be a huge stack of bones without a morsel of meat left. Crunching fried tails was special treat.
Today, when I fry fish I always make sure to have a few small ones, just the way I remember it. Scaled and split. Of course everyone makes fun of my boney fish. I just smile and remember the good ole days.

Today people eat fish and run. No time for the good stuff.

[SS-342]

Cotton - You said a mouth full! We don't have time any more.

Big Bend Gyrine - Thanks for the good laugh! We didn't eat brains but my sister-in-law did. They would fry the squirrel heads and crack open the scull with a spoon and dig out the brains.

We ate cow stomach, (tripe), cow tongue, hog head cheese, pickled pig feet, souse and chit-lens. We even boiled chicken feet, peeled off the skin and put into our chicken & dumplings minus the toe nails.

Some of what we ate makes me sick to think about it now. Don't know if we are making progress or not.

[bman]

Grouper I take cheeks, but I can't figure out how to get throats.

Call me next time and I'll show you how... Easy!

[SS-342]

I've long thought that there should be a machine at the back of every restaurant that would puree all of the left over food, add a binding agent and bake into bricks to be distributed to hungry people. Can't be worse than soylent green and I'd be happy to eat it rather than see it thrown into a landfill.

how's that for conservation.

This is an interesting thought. What would you name it? (I'll take two baked Brick Swillies, please. The name SOS is already taken.)

Everything I catch and bring home gets eat We eat the fillets, ribs and back-bone The Cats, Coons and Buzzards eat the rest

X2

[MudDucker]

I conserve what I want and I throw away the rest. Somethings have more "conserve-able" parts than other. I won't mention specifics. I don't want a tree hugger to snatch up a tree and hit me, thereby killing a fine tree.

[Ifishtoo]

I remember when eating fish was a social event. Folks always served bread, just in case someone swallowed a bone. You would sit around the table swapping stories for hours. At the end of the feast there would be a huge stack of bones without a morsel of meat left. Crunching fried tails was special treat.
Today, when I fry fish I always make sure to have a few small ones, just the way I remember it. Scaled and split. Of course everyone makes fun of my boney fish. I just smile and remember the good ole days.

Today people eat fish and run. No time for the good stuff.

Great post. Can't add a darn thing to that.