Marmot sauté, à la Audubon
It’s February 2nd, time to monitor Marmota monax and dream of winter’s end. Whether or not you believe in woodchuck weathermen, one thing is certain: you can’t have groundhogs if you want fresh garden veggies.
Groundhogs (aka woodchucks, whistlepigs, and marmots) are insecto-vegetarians and confirmed locavores. If you plan to plant this spring, harvest those hairy beasts now. Celebrate Groundhog Day with with critter cuisine.
Serving suggestions:
Woodchuck Recipes from Michigan (Oriental Groundhog,Waco Groundhog in Sour Cream,Woodchuck Stew, Woodchuck Meat Loaf)
More groundhog lore and recipes here and here.
In his book Groundhog Day, Don Yoder reprints a classic groundhog recipe from Cooking with the Groundhog, published as a fundraiser by a hospital auxiliary — in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the “official” Groundhog’s Day Festival (there are more than a few others).
Dessert: This morning, whilst stalking the picturebook Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather through the wilds of the Web, we espied an ad for the Range Kleen Preseasoned Cast Iron 10 Inch Fry Pan on the book’s Amazon.com page.
So much for a “storybook ending.”
Update: Georgia Groundhog Uses Twitter.
Image by Mike Licht (after John James Audubon). Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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NotionsCapital 
February 2, 2009 at 9:33 am
[…] recipes. After a quick staff meeting, we decided we’d take the easy way out, and point you to NotionsCapital where Mike Licht has a very good post today, “Groundhog à la Audubon.” That way we can […]
February 2, 2009 at 10:44 am
Note: meatblog points us to Richard Thompson’s comic strip.
February 2, 2009 at 11:53 pm
[…] These symbolic “spring cleaning” customs are derived from earlier Japanese lunar calendar ceremonies. These rituals seem exotic to many Americans, perhaps because Japanese spring traditions involve absolutely no weather-prognosticating rodents whatsoever. […]
February 2, 2012 at 11:10 am
[…] recipes. After a quick staff meeting, we decided we’d take the easy way out, and point you to NotionsCapital where Mike Licht has a very good post today, “Groundhog à la Audubon.” That way we can […]