Hunters and Gatherers

I have been listening to a podcast about Davy Crockett.  So interesting!  The podcast is one that my uncle shared with me.  It's called "Bear Grease."  I'm hooked.  It's some fellas from Arkansas that are talking all things country - from squirrel dogs to catfishing on trot lines.  But my favorite, so far, a series on Davy Crockett!  It's an in-depth look at his life and the time that he grew up in, back when men were men.  The series, up to the latest posted, talk about his childhood, and his bear hunting exploits and it will get into his political career and the Alamo in upcoming segments.  

Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, Greenest state in the land of the free,
Raised in the woods so he knew every tree
Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier

In thinking about Davy Crockett, I remember being a kid and me (or my brother) getting a coonskin cap as a souvenir on family vacation.  I tell you what, when I put that thing on my head, I felt like I was a woodsman.  Who needed grocery stores or clean clothes, or baths, for that matter?  With a coonskin cap on my head, I was King of the wild frontier.  As it turns out, stores are mighty helpful (and I think my wife decrees that baths are mandatory).

I will say this, though.  Last month, our grocery bill was only $150.  The Good Lord has blessed us with a productive garden.  We've been eating lots of fresh stuff from the "Farmacy" out back.  It is warming up and I want to share a refreshing, cool salad we gather and throw together for lunch.  Come with me and we'll do a little hunting and gathering.

The blueberry bushes are yielding berries, and if we can beat the mockingbirds and blue jays to them, we can pick a couple of pints each day.

They are big, plump and sweet!

Now, let's meander by the herb garden and pick a handful of fresh dill.

Let's grab a basket and head out to the garden and pick some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

We'll chop up the cukes and dill, crumble some feta cheese, sprinkle some blueberries, and sea salt and black pepper and then drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil and toss it up.

That's a cool, refreshing, crisp salad, right there.  Right from the back yard.  I'm not so sure Davy Crockett would have enjoyed this, though.  He'd have bear backstrap and taters for lunch instead, I'm sure, but he would still approve of trying to live off the land.