Comments on: Skin

Skin

Miko — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:05:32 -0800

"In a close-knit Chesapeake Bay community, the world's fastest muskrat skinners face off in a truly cutthroat competition at the National Outdoor Show. One lucky young lady gets to be their queen." [Warning: Fiddle tunes!] Muskrat Lovely, a documentary about the conflation of the world muskrat-skinning championships with the Miss Outdoors beauty competition. The film will air soon on the PBS program Independent Lens. Catch some of the brackish flavor of the Chesapeake Bay's traditional regional culture, including some muskrat recipes and skinning tips.. And don't miss the link to Everything Muskrat.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:14:38 -0800

Suddenly I feel like nibblin' on bacon and chewin' on some cheese.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:14:54 -0800

This might be the most perfectly constructed FPP of the year.

By: illovich

illovich — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:15:32 -0800

Cutthroat, indeed. In all seriousness, they might begin with a cut right down the center of the belly, starting at the throat.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:24:48 -0800

muskrat love

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:37:59 -0800

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a geographically huge chunk of wetland/swamp on Maryland's Eastern Shore - very few people live there or visit. It doesn't even have a Wikipedia article. It's my home state and I've only been there once - it's like another country.

By: fet

fet — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:39:20 -0800

Heh... my folks live about 15 minutes from Dorchester, though they prefer the Maryland Sheep + Wool Festival to muskrat skinning. Ahh, Maryland, my Maryland!

By: Chrischris

Chrischris — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:39:28 -0800

I've skinned muskrats before. Not much to it--you make a few cuts (taking care to cut out the musk glands) and yank the whole pelt off, just like skinning a rabbit. As a boy, my grandfather trapped muskrat to supplement his farm family's income during the Depression. He continued on with it until the late '80's, when his arthritis made it too difficult to check his trap-line every day. I've also eaten muskrat stew. it was disgusting.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 09:52:17 -0800

Muskrat Lovely, a documentary about the conflation of the world muskrat-skinning championships with the Miss Outdoors beauty competition. The film will air soon on the PBS program Independent Lens. *sound of MeFite heads asploding all around the world*

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:01:38 -0800

All Hail Queen Muskrat Skin!

By: sarahnade

sarahnade — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:02:58 -0800

This makes me miss my home state of Maryland terribly. I've never been to Dorchester county except to drive through it on the way to Ocean City, although I have spent some time just across the Bay in Calvert County. Southern Maryland is one of those places, as stbalbach said, that's kind of like another country, but it's still awesome because we all share the usefulness and beauty of the Cheapeake Bay.

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:22:32 -0800

MetaFilter: Warning: Fiddle tunes!

By: Megafly

Megafly — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:38:34 -0800

And they shimmy And Sammy's so skinny

By: zoinks

zoinks — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:01:45 -0800

Since regulations say each hide must have at least one eye and a nose attached, you start with the delicate face work first.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:33:08 -0800

Skinner Bill: "It rubs the musk on it's skin." Muskrat Sam (down in basement): "Look Mister, my girlfriend, Suzy, is back in the burrow waiting for me" Skinner Bill: "It does this when ever it is told." Muskrat Sam: "Look, Suzy and I, we whirl and we twirl and we tango, some... sometimes we sing and jingin the jango... Floatin like the heavens above... I wanna see my Suzy!" Skinner Bill: "Now it places the musk in the basket... PUT THE FUCKING MUSK IN THE BASKET!"

By: dead_

dead_ — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 13:40:19 -0800

Great.fucking.post.

By: cgc373

cgc373 — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:32:34 -0800

Heh. "Cutthroat."

By: exogenous

exogenous — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:03:01 -0800

From the Everything Muskrat site:

If you have too many muskrats, you may need to control them. If you don't have enough, you need to conserve what you have and encourage growth in the population. In the middle is the happy medium where you just enough muskrats and can just enjoy them.

By: spock

spock — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:40:51 -0800

It doesn't even have a Wikipedia article. — The new definition of Hicksville.

By: spock

spock — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:41:37 -0800

Muskrat. The other white meat.

By: spock

spock — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:54:32 -0800

"Nellie Flowers, a seventy-five-year-old Cambridge native is known locally as the queen of this event. "My grandma fixed muskrat with the head and teeth still on the animal, but I don't do that," she says. While Flowers doesn't follow an exact recipe, she says the following instructions should be a close approximation." Nellie Flowers' Stewed Muskrat Serves 4-6 1 muskrat, skinned and cut into pieces water to cover 2 teaspoons sage 2 onions, coarsely chopped salt and pepper to taste Place ingredients in large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook for an hour or until meat is tender. Cut into pieces and serve in a bowl with some of the broth. Serve with bread to mop up the juices. Note: Nellie's son and grandson provide her with the main ingredient, which is difficult to find without going into the woods on a muskrat hunt.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:43:41 -0800

This is an awesome post. For some reason, I was afraid "Muskrat Lovely" was going to be a sequel to "Coyote Ugly." Thank god I was wrong.