“The Gods Must Be Hungry!”

A special occasion centered around the enjoyment of the outdoors and to celebrate the fall harvest with friends; once again we gather to tantalize our taste buds with unique dishes — all cooked with wild game. Starting with a variety of appetizers, such as Pickled Dried Venison with Home-made Wine Cheese and Pickled Northern Pike served with Pineapple Infused Vodka. Leaving our guests guessing, we sampled (for some, their first time) Dove Pate and Pheasant White Chili. The main course was Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin served over Garlic Mash Potatoes and my own steak sauce, made from reduced stock and carmelized onions.

It only goes to show that….the Gods must have been hungry when they create wild game, because it sure is good!

Chasin’Tail team competes with thick ice and snow for big bucks.

IMPORTANT! THIS MESSAGE IS TO ALL HUNTERS AND FISHERMEN.

Whether you have an upright or chest-like freezer — NOW is the time to protect its contents from melting and spoiling in the event you lose power or someone accidentally leaves the door open.

A Lesson Learned the Hard Way.

It’s was a very sad day — we just came home after a week vacation to an awful smell. We searched the house, sniffing the garbage can and refrigerator. We found some old moldy oranges. Thinking that was the odor…but as soon as I opened the door to the basement the stink grew more intense!

As I walked downstairs to the basement, I quickly found the source of the foul stench. I could see the freezer door open, as the light inside illuminated the adjacent wall. “Oh know!” I thought to myself. I opened the freezer door to find bloody venison and numerous fish fillets floating in their bags. Dripping on the floor and overflowing the drain — it was clear that the freezer door was left open for a whole week!

We had a lot of food packed into the freezer. There were days when it was hard to close the door. The door could have simply popped open allowing all the cold air to escape. Even with the freezer running constantly, it could not keep up with the warm air entering. If you find that your freezer is not working and the inside is above 40 degrees and you know it has been at that temperature more than two hours, then the food probably is not safe.

A Major Investment in Time and Money.

Here is what we lost:

• Last years venison I had cleaned and cut-up and packaged within a 2-hours of shooting it.
• Pheasants sought after in 2-feet of snow, hundreds of miles of driving and walking in -27º below temperatures.
• Grouse flushed over my dog Abby just before getting stuck by a porcupine.
• Walleye’s caught 12 miles out after traveling over a foot of water on top of the ice (scary).
• And early spring crappies after waiting months for the ice to go out.

ALL A COMPLETE WASTE!

Don’t Let This Happen to You!

There may have been several solutions I could have implemented to prevent this from happening, but who thinks that far ahead? Well today, I want every fishermen and hunter to take preventive actions so this wont happen to you!

Let’s look at a few ways this could have been prevented.

• I could have checked the freezer door before we left for vacation.
• Something inside could have fallen and popped the door open?
• Kids could have been looking inside for popsicles and forgot to close the door?
• Or as we packed for our vacation and moved food from the refrigerator to the freezer we left the door ajar? All possible scenarios for the inevitable — A freezer left to spoil.

While filling a 32-gallon garbage can with meat and fish, I spent the next 4-hours cleaning the insides, drain and the floor beneath the freezer. As I was cleaning and gagging on the smell of rotten meat, I started thinking of ways to prevent this from ever happening again.

A simple solution could be a strip of velcro that connects the door to the side of the freezer that closes. This may help prevent the door from opening by itself, but what if someone doesn’t close the door or forgets to use the velcro? Besides, we already have a lock we forget to use!

So I did some searching online and found a freezer alarm. It attaches to the outside of your freezer, along with a wire leading inside that will continually reads the temperature of your freezer. If the door is left open more than 2-minutes or if there is a problem with the freezer functions, an alert will sound with a loud streak. A perfect solution! Especially, because we don’t visit our freezer every day.

A Few Tips & Preventive Maintenance Will Save Your Bacon

The two most notable causes for freezers to quit running are power failures and dirty-clogged condenser coils. If you have a power failure or if your freezer for some reason quits running the alarm idea is a great solution. It will notify you that something is wrong and allow you plenty of time to prepare alternatives if it stops.

If you haven’t cleaned or even looked at your condenser coils — NOW’S THE TIME! Dirty coils will prevent adequate air flow across the coils, which will reduce cooling and the amount of heat removed from the freezer. Dusty coils will also add stress and reduce efficiency; possibly overheating the compressor. Use a broom or small brush to remove dust particles while vacuuming any loose debris. This should be done TWICE a year!

Here are some other tips:

Thermometer. Keep a refrigerator/freezer thermometer inside. If your freezer quits you will know exactly how warm it is and whether the food is safe to keep. A packed freezer will stay cool for two days, while a half-full freezer will only stay cold one day.

Power Source. Your freezer should have its own dedicated power source with a circuit protected by a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) device that will trip if the power surges or if the power is shut off to the freezer.

Alarm, Alarm, Alarm! Again, if the temperature inside your freezer climbs significantly, the alarm will sound warning you of the potential problem.

Lock the door. Most freezers have a lock. It’s good practice to start locking it every time you use your freezer. This will prevent the door from opening and keep small children from getting trapped inside.

Take Precautions NOW!

We all take great precautions when transporting, processing and storing game and fish. I’d hate to see others go through the same experience as I did. By simply being diligent and purchasing a freezer alarm, it’s a simple way of protecting your food and can be worth the small price, many times over, if anything should ever go wrong with your freezer.

“The God’s must be hungry!”

Friends enjoyed a four-course meal of Pheasant, Grouse and Venison. Salivating uncontrollably…I’m sure they’ll be back for more!

2009