Mmmm...yummy SPARROW!

[froggirl]

Hi all,
Just got back from Gramma's house and she mentioned when she was a girl on her parent's farm in N.D. they would go into the barn at night, climb into the rafters, catch the sparrows while in their nests, killed 'em and eat them. Anyone else ever done this? At first I thought she was pulling my leg but she says it's the God honest truth.
Thanks!
--f.g.

[Pony]

Never heard of it, but... Well, that's one way to get rid of a non-indigenous species...

Four and twenty sparrows baked in a pie?

Pony!

[Bearfootfarm]

Ive heard it was common during the Depression to eat songbirds. I dont see why they wouldnt be good since so many other birds are edible. Id avoid vultures though LOL

[patarini]

Sure she didnt mean pigeons or squab? Thats some good eats there boy espicially fried in some bare greez!

[dezeeuwgoats]

Sure wouldn't seem worth the effort - hardly even a mouthful to the sparrows around here! Sure they weren't pigeons? lol

Niki

[Old John]

Well, I ate SPARROW, only once.
I was down at my cousins' house, messing around. I about always had a box of .22 Short cartridges, on me. I always loved to shoot.
He went to the house & got hid Dad's .22 pump rifle. And........
we shot sparrows, around the barn. We got about a dozen.

I really didn't know his Dad had a rule: "What you kill is what you Eat."
And, when, his Dad found out about the Sparrows, he made us clean
the durn things.
My Aunt rolled them in flour, salt & pepper & She Fried those little
suckers, all of them. Fricaseed Sparrow.
That's what we had to eat for supper, that night.
They were okay. Not much meat on them. Not my favorite.

On the other hand, though, we use to climb around the tobacco barns,
at night, to catch pigeons. That was at the request of my Aunts.
They would clean the pigeons. And, they'd fry them up like game birds.
We'd have a couple Families get together for a Pigeon dinner. And, we'd
have about 25 or 30 served up on the table. Good old farm fare.

I'll tell you........you can't tell much difference in Pigeons and Bobwhite-
quail. I've eaten both a buncha times. Doves too. Not much different.
Good eating.

At my age I'm too old to be climbing around barns, for pigeons.
A good pumpgun will get you a mess of Doves or quail, in Season, though.
Most of my SiL's are too sorry to clean them, nowadays.
DSW & I can skin & "breast" a buncha doves or quail, ina hurry.
Younger son can always be counted on to get some each year.
He'll clean them too. Game Birds, Yummmmmm...
A few months 'til Season.

[froggirl]

Yep, she definitely meant sparrow. Enen described the size of their little hearts and guts.
Funny thing is she said they had plenty of food on the farm for all *16* of them and the sparrows were just a treat they'd fry up when her mom and dad would go into town and leave the kids at home.
--f.g.

[wilderness1989]

A lot of Sparrows, called Sputzies around Chicago and Joliet, during the depression and other times as well.

[southrngardngal]

I remember when I was little we had a big snow. Daddy had some sparrows he caught and he cleaned them and we roasted them over the fire in the fireplace. I was so young I don't remember what they tasted like though.

I thought I was the only one who had ever eaten those little birds. LOL

Jan

I never have eaten them, but I know if you kill one and cut it in half and hang half of it on a big hook, catfish LOVE them. More meat on the catfish.

[big rockpile]

Pickled Sparrow Breast isn't bad.

Here is what I had for Supper.



big rockpile

[big rockpile]

Oh I forgot before you couldn't hunt them I knew people that ate Hawks.

big rockpile

[susieM]

Originally Posted by big rockpile

Pickled Sparrow Breast isn't bad.

Here is what I had for Supper.



big rockpile

Would you PLEASE tell me how you cook and eat those things? I have always said that carp should be spelled 'crap'. I have tried everything I know, and they still taste like crap.

PS I know someone here that shoots and eats sparrows, but it seems a waste of ammo and time, as there'e not much meat on them.

[primal1]

Originally Posted by susieM

Would you PLEASE tell me how you cook and eat those things? I have always said that carp should be spelled 'crap'. I have tried everything I know, and they still taste like crap.

You gotta catch em as early as you can in the spring... I love em just thrown on the bbq.

[DixyDoodle]

Carp are full of tiny bones too, aren't they? We used to throw them back in if we accidentally caught one when bullheading. And we caught some big ones, some of them in the St. Lawrence River musta been three feet long! Now I'm thinking maybe I shoulda cleaned them up instead? LOL I had a habit of hooking them in the back when trolling, so I maybe missed a few good opportunities.

I was always told that carp were very popular with the Oriental population, I think they were preferred over some of the more 'usual' eating varieties. We often saw a few people that owned the oriental restaurants out fishing for them.

I always thought it was funny, though, that people consider the carp a 'garbage fish' since it was a bottom-feeder.....and yet bullhead (mudpout/black catfish) were considered a prize. And the difference is?

I could eat a grown sparrow, but I don't know, there is something icky about eating a baby one that has not feathered out yet. Not really sure why that creeps me out. What the heck, I've already eaten a lot of 'weird' food (according to my city acquaintances)....squirrel, muskrat, eel, turtle, and snake.

DD

[vicki in NW OH]

Originally Posted by poppy

I never have eaten them, but I know if you kill one and cut it in half and hang half of it on a big hook, catfish LOVE them. More meat on the catfish.

Good snappin' turtle bait, too. Turtles are good eats!

[primal1]

Originally Posted by DixyDoodle

Carp are full of tiny bones too, aren't they? We used to throw them back in if we accidentally caught one when bullheading. And we caught some big ones, some of them in the St. Lawrence River musta been three feet long! Now I'm thinking maybe I shoulda cleaned them up instead? LOL I had a habit of hooking them in the back when trolling, so I maybe missed a few good opportunities.

I was always told that carp were very popular with the Oriental population, I think they were preferred over some of the more 'usual' eating varieties. We often saw a few people that owned the oriental restaurants out fishing for them.

I always thought it was funny, though, that people consider the carp a 'garbage fish' since it was a bottom-feeder.....and yet bullhead (mudpout/black catfish) were considered a prize. And the difference is?

I could eat a grown sparrow, but I don't know, there is something icky about eating a baby one that has not feathered out yet. Not really sure why that creeps me out. What the heck, I've already eaten a lot of 'weird' food (according to my city acquaintances)....squirrel, muskrat, eel, turtle, and snake.

DD

Yup lots of bones, but like Sardines on the bbq after it's cooked you just eat it like corn on the cob
I've only ever had smaller sized carp so big rockpile will have to tell you how bigger ones taste.
I have a coupe of pigeons messing up i my barn now... might give em a try hehe

[Bink]

Originally Posted by froggirl

Yep, she definitely meant sparrow. Enen described the size of their little hearts and guts.
Funny thing is she said they had plenty of food on the farm for all *16* of them and the sparrows were just a treat they'd fry up when her mom and dad would go into town and leave the kids at home.
--f.g.

Oh, good--because when you first described it, it sounded as though they'd kill them and eat them on the spot. Like a cat would.

I could just imagine the kids trying to wipe the feathers from their mouths before the folks got home.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by Bink

Oh, good--because when you first described it, it sounded as though they'd kill them and eat them on the spot. Like a cat would.

I could just imagine the kids trying to wipe the feathers from their mouths before the folks got home.

Bink, you make me LOL!! I pictured a bunch of little kids, like the Our Gang bunch, with feathers on their faces!

Good thing I didn't have coffee in my mouth -- I would have had to clean the keyboard AND screen!

Pony!

[Lynne]

Originally Posted by DixyDoodle

:


I always thought it was funny, though, that people consider the carp a 'garbage fish' since it was a bottom-feeder.....and yet bullhead (mudpout/black catfish) were considered a prize. And the difference is?



DD

Just look at the price of crabs! They eat all the garbage on the bottom too.

As far as sparrows go, not hungry enough to eat them yet... shoot I have a fit when my husband hunts for dove.