Innovative Intensive Farming for the Humid Tropics

     I really enjoy this diagram for a self-sufficient farm in the semi-tropics. This particular plan calls for a large crop of sugar cane, which is processed into juice to feed the ducks and pigs. Perennial nitrogen-fixing forage trees are chopped to feed sheep, and azolla is cultivated to feed fish, sheep, ducks, and pigs.
     All the wastes are managed and recycled into the system to fertilize and prevent erosion. When done on a large enough scale, the meat and vegetable production could be great enough to take to market.
     This particular system could easily be modified for Florida by not changing a thing. Sugar cane grows well in most parts of the state, as does azolla and duckweed. The system might slow down in our cool winter, but should restart without any troubles in our warm spring. The daily chores would involve collecting food for the animals and managing livestock and manures. Like on any farm or homestead, the family's vegetable garden would need periodic tending. Overall, it looks like a balanced system with minimal outside inputs.
     The full description can be found here.
   

Spring is Coming

     With the weather finally warming, I have high hopes that we will get no more cold weather this winter. It has been the wettest winter that I can remember, with rain coming almost every week. Most of the neighborhood's plants have not really achieved dormancy, including the grasses and weeds.

     In celebration of the upcoming warmth I have planted some more banana trees. These were soon-to-be homeless plants that were rescued from some property renovation my mother was performing at her place at Myakka River. With any luck, these small trees will root and thrive along my path to the rabbit cages. Even if the trees bear no fruit, the leaves are a welcome change from the rabbits' usual diet of grass clippings and alfalfa pellets.

     My plans for this spring's plantings are minimal. We are six months pregnant with our second child as I'm posting this, resting from planting those bare-root bananas with some hibiscus flower and strawberry leaf tisane. It was surprisingly tiring! For the most part, we will be focusing on family and readying the household for the baby. Perhaps I will get some more chances during naptime to slip out and divide some of my favorite perennials, the cannas, and propagate. This spring I most likely will not be doing much with seeds, even the cowpeas. Kind of a shame, but it's not as much of a priority right now as it was last year. Distributing the parrot and rabbit manures, plus a layer of mulch, will be more than enough outside work to keep us busy this spring.

     There are a few events we will probably be attending... please join us!

• Bay Area Renaissance Fair - It looks like the bloodmobile will be there, giving away free tickets for donations. Also discounts by city/date seem to be new this year. Tickets available at Walgreens and Circle K. Coupons available from Subway?
• Nature Coast Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - Does not yet have the date posted on their site.
• USF Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - April 12th and 13th.

Survival Gardening in Florida, Part 2

     As far as growing carbohydrates, nothing really jumps out at me beyond sweet potatoes, cassava, sugarcane, the safe yams, and coontie, which are all very nutritious and pack a good deal of fiber as well. Also, kids like them. The leaves of all but coontie can be eaten or used as fodder. White potatoes are great too, if you are really good at growing them. Some grains that do well in Florida include amaranth and sorghum. Sorghum can be made into a tasty molasses if a person desired it. There are a ton of fruits that grow very well in Florida, the most well-loved being citrus, which can, with choosing proper varieties, be available for picking fresh about half the year. Canna, carrots, lilies, and cassava roots are all loaded with vitamins and nutrition. Sugarcane grows very well through most of the state. Bees love it here too.
     As far as growing fats, that's going to be a tough one. This might be a good time to mention micro-livestock like rabbits, guinea pigs, or chickens. Quail are great, but need an extremely high-protein feed as they naturally eat insects. Rabbits can live almost completely on grass and weeds. Chickens can live on almost completely grains and bugs. Fish can be raised in ponds or containers and fed things like azolla, duckweed, or garden worms.
     If I had to choose just three plants to grow to survive on, it would be cowpeas, cannas, and sweet potatoes. Cowpeas are a nitrogen-fixing legume that grow very well in poor soil and can be grown twice a year. The beans are high in protein and fiber, while the plant is high in protein for the rabbits. Cannas, aside from being beautiful and able to handle our hot, humid weather, can yield a starchy root and the leaves are high in vitamins for the rabbits. Sweet potatoes are a nutrient-dense starch, with very excellent tasting leaves which are high in protein. The leaves from all three plants can be eaten raw or cooked.
     Areas of the property which are not actively gardened can be, over time, landscaped with perennials that produce nutrition, fodder, or both. My favorite useful perennial is probably the wild rose bush. They don't have much of a smell, but make large, beautiful flowers that turn into rose hips - very nutritious. The leaves are good fodder and the thorns make the plant valuable for fencing. Thorned or thornless prickly pears are also a wonderful perennial, as the leaves are edible and the fruit is delicious. Plant those with an asiatic lily in between each bush and you will have created lush, flowery nutrition.
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Actual Survival Gardening, Part 1

    Survival gardening is a phrase that has been thrown about and equated with permaculture, which it is not. Permaculture is lasting plantings of perennials which give abundantly year after year, while survival gardening is active gardening with a care to provide all of a person's nutritional needs.
     All nutritional needs. Fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, trace minerals, and vitamins.
     There is a lot of debate as to how much land it would take to provide for all nutritional needs. Some people might say one acre per person, others more. Would all nutritional needs include meat and fish? what about the healthy fats that are in avocado and olives? So everyone is going to have their own opinion on land consumption, particularly in regards to climate and use, for example, like bio-intensive agriculture.
     I think as far as growing protein the first thing that jumps to mind is nut trees, and the first one that really jumps to mind is pecans. They grow really well in most parts of Florida, where other nuts fail. The rumors of a pecan blight exist, though I have not seen it for myself yet. Then there are bean plants, which are low-growing, sun-loving herbaceous protein factories. Peanuts, cowpeas, and green beans all do well here. Probably the best part about growing beans is that the plant stalk and leaves make great fodder for livestock once the beans are harvested. Sprouted grains are reputedly high in protein and vitamins.
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Unsweetened Kool Aid

     There have to be dozens of off label uses for Kool-Aid and other food additives, one of the most well known being a temporary hair color. I suspect it could easily be used to color handmade lye soap, particularly the hot process variety. I would rather have Kool-Aid in my soap than crayons or other non-food-grade additives, since what goes on your skin readily gets absorbed in.

     I'm going to have to make a test bar on the next small batch I create. In the meantime, Lowes has discontinued carrying the Roebics 100 percent sodium hydroxide crystals, so I would have to purchase future supplies online. I will check the Tractor Supply here in Polk County, but since the area is known for its high domestic consumption of some of the other off label uses for sodium hydroxide, there's some low expectations.

     After dyeing the kids hair, and your hair, and the cat's fur, why not try hand-dyeing some white yarn with Kool-Aid for the kids and the cat to enjoy? Or tie-dyed clothing using Kool-Aid and alum? That plain white shirt from the blood donation place could surely use a face-lift.

Crock Pot Hot Process Salt Soap Bar Recipe

     According to this site, historically lye was made from washing rainwater through wood ashes (potash). This is clearly a survival project for another day. The resulting soap was liquid, which was fine for home use, but when bar soap became more popular, salt was added to solidify the bars, making them more marketable than bottles of soap. Salt soap, now made with sodium instead of potassium, is in bar form and the salt is used as a gentle exfoliant, giving it the name Salt Spa Soap. It is known to be good for acne and dry skin, so I figured it might be a good holiday gift for the men in the family.

     It would be really interesting to solar distill ocean water at home and use the salt for soap making. The water would be probably safer than some tap waters, too.

     I used 'hot process' method of preparing this soap. Most soapers use cold process with salt, because the salt makes the soap 'seize'. This is only my second time using crock pot hot process, but I love it because the lye visibly saponifies and the soap cures almost instantly. Just before the soap was at the "mashed potato" stage, I dumped all the salt in at once and stirred furiously. The salt tried settling to the bottom. Once I had it all mixed in, I glopped it into the mold. It cooled enough to turn out and cut in about half an hour. This method might not have worked well for a larger batch, and I have a huge crock pot, so be aware.

     Before you start, remember what Mother always said; "Never throw salt in your eyes."

Here's the recipe.

Detergent-Free, Natural, Unscented Handmade Vegan Salt Lye Soap.
80% Coconut
10% Olive
10% Soybean
Water as a percent of oil weight 35%
Superfat 15%
Salt 80% of oil weight


For 880g of oils
Lye - 137g
Water - 334g
Coconut Oil - 704g
Olive Oil - 88g
Soybean Oil - 88g
Salt - 660g

Hibiscus and Lemongrass Soap

     This unscented soap was my first attempt at using the technique of soaping known as 'crockpot hot process', which I have decided is so easy it is the method that I want to use for all future batches. Not only does it help me actually visualize the ephemeral 'trace' which other soapers discuss, but the batch is ready for use shortly after slicing, usually the same day.

     The hibiscus and lemongrass came from perennials in the garden, and I have cooked them into a tea-like fluid after observing the advice of the lady soapers over at Homesteading Today. In short, they advised that fresh herbs tend to brown and look unsightly if put directly into the soap. The tea, however, lacks the pungent lemongrass scent. Both hibiscus and lemongrass are known to have healing properties, and at the very least, the tea has more vitamins in it than regular, filtered water.

     Here is the recipe:

Detergent free, Natural, Unscented Lemongrass and Hibiscus Handmade Castile-Mix Vegan Lye Soap.
Water 38%, Superfat 5%, for 1100g of oils.

Water/Tea - 418g
Lye - 151g
Olive Oil - 715g
Coconut Oil - 220g
Soybean Oil - 165g

     One chunk had a large glob of undissolved oil, which I was not pleased to find. Other than that, they came out very well, and smell like the castile base with a faint herbal scent.

     Here they are decorated and labeled for the ladies in the family for gifts for the holidays.

Yucca gloriosa, Spanish Dagger

Uses : Fencing, Edible, Forage, Fiber, Wildlife. Native to : Southeastern US.
     There seems to be a lot of confusion over Spanish Bayonet and Spanish Dagger on the internet, and if you search for images of one or the other you will get both plants, some of which are improperly labeled. Here is what IFAS has to say on the subject:

"Spanish bayonet is often confused with Spanish Dagger. Leaf margins on Spanish Dagger (Yucca gloriosa) are smooth, whereas those on Yucca aloifolia (Spanish bayonet) are rough. The outer halves of the leaves on Spanish dagger also bend toward the ground, whereas those on Spanish bayonet do not."

     Finally, we have a clear ruling. I had thought my plants were Spanish Bayonet for the last few years in error, they were actually the less painful Spanish Dagger - although still quite painful! The leaves are rigid and spiky, and because the leaves point in every single direction it makes that plants as difficult to handle as a porcupine rolled in peanut oil. The spiky painfulness is probably why this plant is almost never commercially propagated, sad because it is a disease-free, sun-and-sand-loving, pest-resistant plant.
     It is a native in the yucca/agave family, and the flowers and fruit are edible. The white flowers attract bees. It is very easy to propagate, just dig any runners from the base of the plant and move to a sunny spot of the landscape. Very attractive and easy to care for in containers. The leaves are edible to rabbits. Can tolerate beach conditions. The roots contain saponins, but can be cooked to become edible. Or, perhaps, to yield soap? Like Century Plant, the leaves can be made into fibers for ropes, basketry, and clothing.
     It may get 15-20 feet high, then break off during a violent storm, as happened here. These leaves are going to become rabbit manure over the next few weeks.

Spanish Bayonet, Highways and Byways of Florida,  1918.

Perennial Vegetables for the South

     Ever since I found this list I have been returning to it whenever I might be going to a plant sale or nursery. There are many plant sales in the spring and fall, so here's a great list of plants that produce food and grow well here in Florida.
     Most, if not all, of these plants can also be fed to the rabbits, except for maybe taro.                                        

Perennial in all of the Hot and Humid zone:

Allium ampeloprasum perennial sweet leek

Allium cepa aggregatum shallot

Allium cepa aggregatum potato onion

Allium cepa proliferum walking onion

Allium fistulosum Welsh onion

Allium tuberosum garlic chives

Apios americana groundnut

Aralia cordata udo

Arundinaria gigantean canebrake bamboo

Asparagus officinalis asparagus

Asphodeline lutea yellow asphodel

Atriplex halimus saltbush

Bambusa spp. clumping bamboos

Brassica oleracea acephala tropical tree kale

Bunias orientalis Turkish rocket

Camassia scillioides wild hyacinth

Canna edulis achira

Cedrella sinensis fragrant spring tree

Cnidoscolus spp. bull nettles

Colocasia esculenta ‘Celery Stem’ taro

Colocasia esculenta taro, cocoyam, eddo, dasheen

Cynara cardunculus cardoon

Cynara scolymus ‘Purple Sicilian’ globe artichoke

Cyperus esculentus sativa chufa

Dioscorea bulbifera air potato

Dioscorea japonica jinenjo

Dioscorea opposita Chinese yam

Diplotaxis spp. sylvetta arugula

Helianthus tuberosa sunchoke

Hemerocallis daylily

Malva moschata musk mallow

Nasturtium officinale watercress

Nelumbo nucifera water lotus

Oenanthe javanica water celery

Opuntia spp. spineless nopale cactus

Petasites japonicus fuki

Phyllostachys spp. running bamboos

Phytolacca americana pokeweed

Polygonatum biflorum canaliculatum giant Solomon’s seal

Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda running bamboo

Rumex acetosa French sorrel

Rumex acetosa ‘Profusion’ sorrel

Rumex acetosella sheep sorrel

Rumex scutatus silver shield sorrel

Sagittaria latifolia arrowhead

Sagittaria sinensis Chinese arrowhead

Sasa kurilensis chishima-zasa bamboo

Scorzonera hispanica scorzonera

Semiarundinaria fastuosa temple bamboo

Stachys sieboldii Chinese artichoke

Taraxacum officinale dandelion

Tilia spp. linden

Perennial in colder parts of the Hot and Humid zone:

Allium tricoccum ramps

Chenopodium bonus-henricus good king Henry

Cicorium intybus chicory

Crambe maritima sea kale

Laportaea canadensis wood nettle

Levisticum officinale lovage

Matteuccia struthiopteris ostrich fern

Urtica dioica nettles

Perennial in warmer parts of the Hot and Humid zone, or perennial with protection. Most of these species can also be grown as annuals in the colder parts of this zone.

Abelmoschus manihot edible hibiscus (as dieback perennial)

Alternanthera sissoo sissoo spinach

Arracacia xanthorhiza arracacha

Basella alba Malabar spinach

Brassica oleracea wild cabbage

Brassica oleracea acephala ‘Western Front’ perennial kale

Brassica oleracea acephala ‘Tree Collards’, ‘Walking Stick Kale’

Brassica oleracea alboglabra gai lon

Brassica oleracea botrytis perennial broccoli, including ‘9 Star’

Brassica oleracea ramosa branching bush kale, including ‘Dorbentons’

Capsicum annum ‘Perennial Capsicum’ sweet pepper

Carica papaya papaya

Coccinia grandis ‘Sterile’ perennial cucumber (probably as dieback perennial in colder parts)

Cnodoscilus chayamansa chaya (as dieback perennial)

Cucurbita ficifolia Malabar gourd

Dendrocalamus spp. clumping bamboos (probably as dieback perennial even in warmest parts)

Dioscorea alata white yam

Dioscorea esculenta asiatic lesser yam

Dioscorea trifida cush cush yam

Dolichos lablab hyacinth bean

Eleocharis dulcis water chestnut

Gigantochloa spp. clumping bamboos (probably as dieback perennial in bad winters)

Gynura crepioides Okinawa spinach

Hibiscus acetosella cranberry hibiscus

Ipomoea aquatica water spinach

Ipomoea batatas sweet potato

Momordica charantia bitter gourd

Manihot esculenta cassava

Moringa spp. moringa (as dieback perennial)

Musa x paradisica ‘Rajapuri’ banana (warmest parts, with long season protection)

Nastus elatus clumping bamboo

Oxalis tuberosa oca

Phaseolus coccineus runner bean

Phaseolus lunatus Lima bean

Phaseolus polysantus cache bean

Physalis pruinosa ground cherry

Psophocarpus tetragonobolus ‘Day Length Neutral’ winged bean

Psophocarpus tetragonobolus winged bean

Saccharum edule pitpit

Sauropus androgynous katuk (as dieback perennial)

Sechium edule chayote

Smallianthus sonchifolia yacon

Solanum tuberosum & spp. potato

Tetragonia tetragonioides New Zealand spinach

Trichostigma octandrum basket vine (as dieback perennial)

Xanthosoma brasiliense belembe

Xanthosoma saggitifolium tannier, yautia, malanga (roots need long season)

Xanthosoma violaceum violet-stem taro (roots need long season)

Big List of Rabbit Recipes

Stuffed Rabbit
1 rabbit
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups stock
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 large onion, chopped
2 large apples, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons butter
1 egg
Pepper to taste

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Wash and dry rabbit. Fry onions gently in 4 tablespoons butter. Add apple to onions and fry until soft. Mix onions, apple and 1 tablespoon butter with all other stuffing ingredients, and brown quickly. Place rabbit in a casserole dish, stuff, surround with excess stuffing, add well-seasoned stock, and cook in oven for 1 3/4 hours, or until tender.

Hasenpfeffer
6 - 8 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 rabbits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 bay leaf

     Heat the roaster or casserole over moderate heat and cook the bacon, stirring and turning it frequently, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Set the pan with bacon fat aside for a few moments. Cut the rabbit into serving pieces. Cut away and discard the belly meat. Add the salt, pepper, and flour to a brown paper bag. Add a few rabbit pieces to the bag and shake to coat with flour mixture; repeat with remaining rabbit pieces. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the reserved bacon fat in the pan over high heat until it sputters. Brown the rabbit pieces on all sides, in batches; this should take about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a serving plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoon of fat and cook the onions in it until they are soft and translucent. Pour in the vinegar and chicken stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the rabbit with juices to the roaster or casserole. Add the drained bacon. Cover the vessel tightly, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the rabbits are tender but not falling apart. Serve the rabbit directly from the roaster or casserole, or arrange the pieces attractively on a heated platter.

Braised Rabbit with Prunes

One 3 to 3 1/2 pound rabbit, cut into six to eight serving parts

Salt

Olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

3-4 large shallots, sliced, about 1 cup

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock with a tablespoon of vinegar)

Freshly ground black pepper

7 ounces (200 grams) pitted prunes (dried plums)

Several sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 rabbit liver (optional, should be sold with the rabbit)

1 Tbsp vinegar (optional)

     Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large thick-bottomed Dutch oven (I used a 5 quart) on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter. Pat dry the rabbit pieces, sprinkle all over with salt, and working in batches, brown on all sides in the pan. Remove the rabbit pieces from the pan. Add the sliced shallots, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic clove and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the white wine and increase the heat to high. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine boil, until reduced by at least a half.Lower the heat to low (you may want to move the pot to the smallest burner on your stove). Arrange the rabbit pieces, prunes, thyme, and bay leaf in the pan. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Cover tightly and let cook for 45 minutes. (Cooking time assumes you are starting with a rabbit that has been brought to near room temp before cooking. If you are using a rabbit straight from the fridge, it may take a few more minutes to cook through. Also, if you keep lifting up the lid to check on the rabbit, it will increase the needed cooking time.) After the rabbit is cooked through, if you want, you can intensify the flavor of the sauce using the rabbit's liver. The liver should have been included with the rabbit from your butcher, just like whole chickens come with the giblets. (Don't worry, the liver won't make your dish taste like liver. You can even try just a little amount to taste to make sure. The liver acts as a "liaison", thickening the sauce and making it richer.) Purée the rabbit liver with 1 Tbsp of vinegar (I used wine vinegar, but cider or white vinegar will do). Remove the rabbit pieces, prunes, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf from the pot (discard thyme and bay leaves) to a serving dish. Whisk the puréed liver vinegar mixture into the sauce in the pot and cook for another 10 minutes. (If the sauce is still too thin, you can thicken further with corn starch or flour.) Then drizzle the sauce over and around the rabbit and prunes.

Rabbit in Wine (Lapin au Vin)
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 -3 lb fryer rabbit, cut up
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 cup (10 3/4 oz) condensed chicken broth
1 T ketchup
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup filtered cold water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 jar (16 oz) whole onions, drained
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained

     Fry bacon until crisp. Remove from frying pan, drain and crumble. Cook lapin (rabbit pieces) in the bacon fat on medium heat until light brown - 5 minutes each side. Move lapin into a 4 quart dutch oven. Stir in crumbled bacon, wine, chicken broth, ketchup, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the thickest pieces are done, approximately 40-45 minutes. Remove lapin pieces; skim fat, if there is any. Shake water and flour in a tightly covered container; gradually stir into broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in onions and mushrooms. Return lapin to sauce. Heat to boiling - approximately 2 minutes. Serve over a bed of rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

Rabbit Cobbler
3 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, well washed and chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 c quartered button mushrooms
1 ½ c or more chicken stock or, if you have the foresight, rabbit stock
1 sprig fresh, chopped rosemary, plus more to mix into the cobbler batter
2 medium carrots, cut into coins
1 butchered rabbit
1 c peas, frozen or fresh
2 tbsp assorted fresh herbs (e.g., chives, lemon thyme, etc.)
1 c corn, frozen or fresh
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 c flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

     Heat oven to 375°F. Put oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the leek, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid has released and evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add stock and rosemary; bring to a boil, and let bubble for a minute or two, then add carrots and rabbit and reduce heat so the liquid simmers. Cook until carrots are almost tender and rabbit is cooked through — 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the type of rabbit. Pull out the rabbit parts and pull the meat from the bone. Chop up the meat and add it back into the pot. Add peas, herbs, and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are brightly colored and just tender, another minute or so. Whisk cornstarch with a few tablespoons of broth to make a slurry. Add slurry to pot and stir until liquid thickens slightly. Transfer everything to an ovenproof dish and set aside.
Put flour in a food processor with rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter and process until mixture resembles small peas, no more than 30 seconds. (You can also do this by hand, using two knives, a fork, your fingers, or a pastry cutter). Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in buttermilk and eggs until it just comes together; it should be sticky. Drop spoonfuls of batter on top of vegetables and rabbit and smooth with a knife, covering as much surface area as possible but leaving a few gaps for steam to escape. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until golden on top and bubbly underneath. Scoop into bowls and serve immediately.



Rabbit Ragout
2 pounds rabbit, cut into small serving pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced yellow onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
1 small fennel bulb, diced
1-½ teaspoons fennel seed, toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant, then crushed
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Pernod
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
¼ heaping teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or seasoned homemade chicken stock
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes in juice

     Season the rabbit all over with salt and pepper. Reserve the rabbit liver, if available, in the refrigerator. In a large braising pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the rabbit pieces, about 2 minutes on each side. (Do not crowd the pan; brown the rabbit in batches, if necessary.) As rabbit is browned, transfer to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrot and fennel to the pan, and sauté for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the fennel seed, garlic and tomato paste, and sauté 1 minute. Add the Pernod and wine and reduce for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the browned bits up. Add the bay leaves, thyme, saffron and broth, and using clean hands, crush the tomatoes and add them to the mixture with their juice. Return the rabbit and any accumulated juices to the pan. Poke rabbit down into liquid to make sure it is covered. Bring to a simmer and braise, uncovered, keeping the sauce at a constant low simmer for about 50 to 60 minutes or until meat is very tender. Remove the sauce from the heat and transfer the rabbit meat from the sauce to a baking sheet. Discard the bay leaves. Return the sauce to very low heat. Very finely chop the reserved liver and stir into the hot sauce. When the meat is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones. Discard the bones, chop the meat into rustic pieces and mix it back into the sauce. (Be careful of small bones.) Taste the sauce for salt and season to taste. Enough for 1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta.

Bigos, Hunter's Stew
1 3/4 lb sauerkraut
4 strips bacon, diced
1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
Small handful of dried mushrooms
1/2 lb boneless venison, leg, or a stewing cut (not the loin), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 lb boneless stew beef, such as chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 lb pork or veal shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 lb smoked kielbasa, thickly sliced
1 cup pitted prunes, quartered
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bread for serving, preferably rustic and dark, such as a Russian loaf


     Drain the sauerkraut, place it in a medium saucepan, and add 2 cups water and bacon pieces. Cover and boil over medium heat for 20 minutes or longer, until the sauerkraut is very tender and the bacon is cooked. Meanwhile, put the fresh cabbage and dried mushrooms in a separate saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the cabbage is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Rinse all the meat and pat dry. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and toss the meat to coat. Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil over medium heat in a stew pot large enough to hold all the meat and vegetables. Cook the onion until softened, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the pot and lightly brown the meat, in batches, over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, transferring the meat to a plate when finished.When all the meat has been browned, raise the heat to high, pour in the wine, and boil briefly, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Return the meat and all its resting juices back to the pot, and add the onion, kielbasa, prunes, cabbage, and the sauerkraut and bacon mixture, along with its cooking water. Salt generously, add several grinds of pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover the pot with the lid slightly askew, and simmer on very low heat for a good 2 to 3 hours, until the meat falls apart and the broth is rich and brown. Stir the stew occasionally, and ensure that the liquid isn’t evaporating too quickly (add a small amount of water when necessary). Serve with bread.