Today we culled one of our loud female guinea fowl to have for dinner. Culling is an important part of herd management and while some think it is unkind — we think it is necessary to the health of the herd or flock. Our flock rejected this particular female guinea fowl. You can well imagine the stress on a bird whose instincts tell it to flock for safety yet it is forced to stay separate. She spent the entire day and well into the night calling to the other five guineas who ignored her until she got too close at which point they drove her away with deafening shrieks.
Guinea fowl, as with any game bird, is a delicacy and there is only 5% fat in its very digestible meat. Epicures and foodies alike thrill to the delicate buttery-sweet flavors of the moist and tender guinea meat. It was even served on the Concord!
I prepared our guinea with safflower oil, lime juice, cranberry-orange vinegar, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, fresh sage, rosemary leaves, and tarragon. We’ll roast the guinea for about 40 minutes at about 375°F [190°C] and add dressing/stuffing of homemade sourdough bread, dried cranberries, golden raisins, wild mushrooms, pecans, and sun dried tomatoes. We’ll also serve our game bird with Gewürztraminer and grilled red potatoes, onion, and zucchini.
I sewed a patch onto Josh’s hat with his new rank the other day and meant to post about it. The ceremony is on the fifth! Congratulations, Josh!
Sue Massey - I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.
– Sue.
The Camper - Hi Lacy! :::waves::: Yes, we had a really wonderful time. I can’t wait to see how the pictures turned out – especially the pics of the Athabasca Glacier… Honestly, it was like being on another planet, the way the weather was there…
Holly - Hiya Lacy! Glad you enjoyed today’s Manic Monday. *grin* I do try to serve up healthy portions of humor each week. I hope Hump Day will be as entertaining! LOL
jayedee - i’m interested to know about the flavor of your guinea hen. i’ve heard guinea tends toward the gamey side. did this hold true for yours? tia!
Andrew - Hi, I found your blog via Google while searching for ROSEMARY LEAF and your post regarding ink, and be Merry: an Epicurean Delight | Razor Family Farms looks very interesting for me.
Caroline in NH - Wondering if you butchered the guinea yourself. I need to do one this Thursday; up til now we’ve paid to have them done, but I used to help my grandparents butcher the chickens when I was young (like 9) and really don’t want to pay for it if I don’t need to.
Found your blog on a link from down-to-earth, and it’s now in my bloglines! Love it! Thank you!
Fishing Guy - Lacy: You certainly have a wonderful site and I’m happy that you visited. I consider Tipper a friend and your sight certainly has merit. I wish Josh the best in the military and hope all goes well. The meal looked delicious and I’m sure it was enjoyed. I will try to stop back.