1807, may 22.
Dear Mr. Jefferson,
To skin bear you must have a sharp knife and thats pretty much all you need. first get your bear and tie him very well by the legs. then hang from a roof or a tree. get your knife and slice around the ankles and the one little slice going down from the ankles. after this is done pull very hard on the ankle strips so the leg fur will come off along with the skin. when done slice down from the hip to the belly about 1 foot away from the heart. then do the same and just pull back as hard as you can. this will get the fur and skin off the belly. after this slice down the arms and peel again. then get your knife and get under the skin and slice down the spine. this will get all the fir and skin off again. then cur around the head very deep so the skin will some off and just pull as hard as you can. after this is done you will be able to just pull the whole pelt off. this is for getting the pelt for decoration. now for the meat you will cut off the legs with a larger knife and then carefully cut all the meat off this is very simple because the legs are pretty much all meat. then get the other knife as before and slice pieces off the abs and VERY carefully though because you do not want to burst the blatter. this will ruin the meat.... then do the same as before with the front legs. this s pretty much all the meat you can get from a bear. it may sound like not that much but trust me it is. i learned this from when i was in Virginia but some of this may not be correct because i didn't do it with a bear i did it with a deer. but its basically the same concept.
Bears are enormous creatures and will fight back if taunted! to day i will be sharing with you how to track down and kill a bear for dinner. 1: get any rifle lower than 12 gage and pretty much you will be set. 2: get at least 5 other people with the same gun. 3: set down bate about a mile from your house this way they wont come back to your house. 4: hide in the trees and just simply wait but do not make any noises. 5: when the bear comes if it does... fire not through the head but through the rib cage. this will penetrate the lungs and the heart making it almost an instant death. 6: when dead climb down your tree and check its pule to see if it is fully dead just to be sure... 7: bound the bear up with thick rope. one around the neck one around the arms and back and one around the back legs and back. 8: have all 5 men drag the bear to your grounds and then skin i might tell you how to skin in another journel entry. thanks Samuel Westing.
I have now switched from being a writer and cook for my cook book. although i will still be doing some recipes and i shall share them with you! For now I will be telling you the proper way to track down, hunt, and catch. Today i will be telling you how to fish. I wont be telling you about a certain type of fish but just the basics. in the end i will list the different types of bate you can use. 1: find a flexible and sturdy stick. 2: soak in water for 1 day. this is only necessary if your stick is not flexible. 3: find a strand of string the can stand up to 30 pounds of weight. Or more if necessary... 4: if you do not have string you can use horse hair about 3-4 strands. 5: carve a hold throw the end of your stick just big enough for your string to fit through. 6: thread your string or hair through the hole and tie 5 nots so the string wont slip out of the hole. 7: then find some meat mabey left over or evan rotten meat so the stench fills the water that will attract the fish. then every once in a wile tug or lift slowly up and down on your line so it looks like your bate is alive and fresh. i garente if you go to a good fish spot in a river lake pond! you will catch something. your gonna have a feast tonight!!!!
Frying foods in hot oil sears the outside surface, sealing flavor inside. Shallow frying, as opposed to deep-frying, uses a relatively small amount of butter or other oil product. Fish benefits from shallow frying as the hot oil imparts a deep golden color, improving the flavor and making a nice presentation to your lads who are tiered and ready eat after a long days work. this recipe that i will be sharing with you is one of my favorites. first thing you will have to know is that I am feeding 13 people so i will be telling you in that size. 1: you will need about 12-15 8 pounder catfish this fish is the best for this occasion. slice each one into pieces about wrist to to marriage finger. Keep these to the side for now, but not for long cuz the flies will get a feast before you do. 2: get about 25 table spoons of salt into the biggest bowl you got. then add 7 hand fulls of oil into the bowl. 3: add 2 sticks of butter and one average size loaf of bread this could be acorn bread if you want. but remember to crumble before adding. 4: the last step is to add 7 eggs this could be chicken eggs or any wild bird you come across. 5: heat mixture over camp fire and mix constantly will being heated. this step is for melting the butter and all the other ingredients. 6: dip your fish strips into the mixture, then lay on a hot pan over the fire. you can also pour the leftover mixture wile cooking the fish. after about 5 minutes flip the fish and lay for another 2. when fully cooked you are ready to serve and make some happy campers happier!
