Epic Stew

Pinger contemplates his discovery. While driving home through an undisclosed location in Virginia, he came across this beautiful creature. She was still moving when he found her, but fatally wounded, so he decided to bring her home and share the wealth.

My personal opinion is that she was probably already dead, since turtles can continue moving for quite awhile after death, but Andrew thought othewise. He thinks that since the turtle was moving when he put it in the freezer it is "freezer kill," as opposed to "road kill."

The turtle's lower shell was surprisingly small, and demonstrated just how muscular these animals are. It looks as if Snappers have sacrificied underside protection for mobility, and apparently it's paid off.

The cleaning instructions we found suggested slicing the skin around the lower shell and cutting the thin bridges connecting it to the upper shell first, so that's what Andrew did.

As you can see, this female was loaded with eggs, which appear to be almost fully grown. There were 28 eggs overall, which took up a lot of room in the intestinal cavity. They appeared to be strung together by some kind of growing tissue. Trippy.

This turtle's shell was 10.25" long and 9.5" wide. According to the NWF field guide Snapping turtles can be from 8-18" long, making this one about medium sized. It also said their peak egg laying season is in June, although they can lay eggs from april until november. The largest recorded number of eggs is 83 (!), though 25-50 is normal. According to this guide they also travel some distance from water to lay eggs, which would explain why this one was crossing a road that wasn't near water. Strong swimmers, they have been known to travel over 2 miles in a few hours when displaced.

The turtle yeilded a surprising amount of meat as well as the 28 eggs. The leg meat was mostly dark, similar to beef or venison, while the neck meat was more like pork or poultry. Pinger located a recipe which recommended that the meat be parboiled to soften it. He cooked in a crockpot overnight, then proceeded to make a fine snapper stew, featuring standard vegetables (carrots, onions, etc.) and sherry as an important ingredient. The stew was incredibly tasty, and disappeared soon after it was made!

After seeing the turtle up close and being nourished from it, I can really see why Native Americans would have held this majestic creature in high regard. It has an ancient feel, like it was formed from the rocks and soil itself...and indeed each spring they emerge from the mud of swamps and streams. With formidable jaws, sharp claws and powerful muscles, as adults they probably know no predator other than humans. This pedatory dominance would give them a special place in lore and mythology.

2 Days at Oregon Ridge

Last month Bill, Pinger and I spent a couple days at Oregon Ridge Nature Center's Primitive Technology weekend. The nature center is located in a beautiful park just west of Baltimore, MD. This was my second time, but Bill's been coming for years.

What makes this event so special for me is that some of the best teachers, artists and experimental archaeologists in the country come together in a small setting and display their work for each other and the general public. Throughout the weekend there were hardcore skills practitioners alongside families that had never even heard of primitive skills. This blending of experiences and perspectives always makes for an interesting time.

Bill watches a demonstration by a Danish flintknapper on indirect percussion- using an antler punch struck by a mallet to remove precise flakes. Danish blade cores and axes were made this way.

There were various skill demonstrations and workshops on both days, and 15-20 vendors selling tools, craft items, or just displaying their art. Below are a few that stood out.

A display of colorful stone points made by one vendor.

Stone knives.

A large pack basket made from Tulip Poplar bark.

Pottery fired on-site the night before.

Hand dyed and woven dogbane cordage bags, masterful works of art.

Bows at the Ancestral Knowledge table.

Besides the vendors, workshops, and time spent just kicking it and flintknapping, there's also a 24 target archery course through the woods nearby. These courses are designed to loosely simulate hunting in that the terrain, distances and shooting angles vary from target to target. We only got out twice this year but it was a great time.

Piney Branch Turtle

Today around 8pm there was a medium size snapping turtle at the mouth of the piney branch creek where it flows into the Rock Creek. I was running and stopped on the bridge to check it out. The turtle was pretty active but wasn't going for a curious smallmouth bass that was swimming right in front of its face. There was a also a bottom feeding fish which could've been a small carp, large trout, sucker or something.

When I ran by there a few minutes later there was also a Great Blue Heron fishing. The great bird seemed to get nervous as I paused to watch, and flew gracefully under the bridge out into the main channel of RC.

Earlier at the corner of Newton and 17th I witnessed one of those tough sights that brings up a complex range of emotions. There were two beautiful white eggs, about the size of thimble, laying on the sidewalk, delicate shells shattered and parts of the soon to be born chicks splayed around them. I can only guess what brought them there from the nest 20 ft. above in the tree- whether a Crow, or one of the Jays that also lives on the block. I don't know whether cowbirds live here yet or not.

Since I was there on the April mornings when the birds were scouring the front lawns on Newton for loose twigs, grasses, and the occasional strip of loose plastic, seeing the eggs lying there was even more poignant. I can only imagine what this is like for a parent, but I assume that within a short period of time, these birds will again have eggs in the nest. Resilience is prized in nature.