As a follow up to last week’s Primal Challenge, “Getting Back to Nature,” I thought I’d published a few emails I’ve received from a hardcore Primal Blueprint follower. Talk about getting Primal. This guy is trying it all.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to catch, gut and eat your own rabbits or gather your own raspberries to mimic the life of Grok, but it sure doesn’t hurt. Check out these extreme Primal anecdotes from a fellow MDA reader, and then hit me up with a comment with your own Primal stories.
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So, my wife was out of town the other weekend, and I had “caveman” day. I “harvested” a bunch of grasshoppers (about 100) and believe me, without a net, it is not fast nor easy. Gotta get me a net. And about 3/4 gallon of wild raspberries. I had my dog along (Siberian Husky) and she catches lots of varmints. She regularly eats mice and rabbits while we are on hikes or ATB rides. I took advantage of her hunting skills and got two rabbits from her. She got the guts and scraps, I cooked the meat for myself once we got home. I did cheat by cooking up the grasshoppers as a coconut curry dish. I still am sorta grossed out to eat hoppers, but do it once in a while lately as they are SOOOO abundant right now. But it was an eye opener day. I bet Grok ate alot of small game and bugs, and only rarely took out a bison or mammoth, or other large game. Oh, and around here, rattlesnakes are a real threat that coulda cut Grok’s life short with some bad luck. I’ve run into a couple while foraging out on the trails. I think I want a cable TV show! I think I’m gonna have to eat a rattlesnake!
I was just mulling over how much better off she’d be if she ate more naturally (meat). Same with our cats, so they get grasshoppers alot now. Thanks for the info, I’ll be hitting up the butcher for dog and cat food now!
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That first grasshopper I ate was a real eye opener. It got me thinking, so I figured I’d try out a day of feeding like that. Once I realized I’m pulling 8 ounces or so of protein away from my dog (mice, rabbits, etc) a lot of days that we go out in the woods behind the house, I figured it can’t be any less safe than the meat I’d buy at the grocery. You don’t read about E. Coli outbreaks in the local ‘hopper population. I am indeed trying to minimize risks with this food. The raspberries are out of reach of any pesticide/herbicides of civilized landscaping. The grasshoppers (eaten in any quantity) are harvested away from town as well, and I now cook ’em. Not that I eat grasshoppers often, only a handful of times I’d count it as a “meal”, and I freeze them, wash them and cook them now (I read somewhere they can carry parasites of sorts). But again, I don’t do this often (yet?) and I still am grossed out by eating hoppers just a bit. Wonder if I’ll get over the gag reflex?
The rabbit gutting is sorta gross, but I used to hunt a little in junior high and high school with my Dad, so I’ve processed my share of deer, elk, antelope (back home in Wyoming). Both my parents were raised on farms, and it is amazing the food processing/handling knowledge they have (looking back on it now). Of course, thoroughly grilled the meat.
My raspberry patches are depleted, and I picked up some poison ivy, bummer. So I’ll have to go looking further out for those, now. And soon enough we’ll have a frost and that will be that. Chokecherries here are coming on, but they are a bitter little berry to eat, most folks sugar the hell out of them (not me, not now, thanks to you). And getting meat is tougher than I’d thought, especially without a gun. But the dog is a bonus for rabbits. I still need to get a net for grasshopper picking.
Certainly a garden is in order next summer. Raising chickens for eggs (and meat) is not out of the question either. Lots of stuff swimming in my head, and the internet makes a lot of info available. I am impressed every day by the folks that have been living on their own food for a long time, they are actually all around you when you look. Bummer is they often augment their garden fresh salads and veggies with storebought crap dressings and ranch dips, and serve it along side a big juicy processed bratwurst on a white bun with loads of ketchup, bluch.
Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate?
The Primal Eating Plan for Dogs
Insects: Not Just for Breakfast Anymore
The Definitive Guide to Primal Eating
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