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Fins, Feather & Fungi Series (Part 3 - Fungi/Forging)

6/11/2022

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As I have aged and evolved in my outdoors experiences, I have really grown fond of what may be one of the most overlooked gifts from God when it comes to harvesting food from the wild. Foraging…..whether it be for mushrooms, berries, greens, shoots, tubulars, nuts, saps/syrups and so on. I absolutely love to forage at this point in my outdoors career. I don't know, there's just something very satisfying about going out and just by walking God’s earth, finding delicious food to eat. A wide range of it too in most areas. When I slated this series originally, I was going to run this segment solely on mushroom hunting but decided to broaden it some. That being said, mushrooms are my favorite thing to forage. Unlike most hunting or fishing these days, foraging requires very little equipment or cost. Armed with a few handy low cost tools and accurate identification ability, a person can find very tasty (and nutritious) fare for the table in every season in most regions of the US. The best part is, it really doesn’t take much more effort than a simple walk in the woods.  
    This time of year is probably my favorite when it comes to foraging. Early spring is the most popular with most people due to the short season of the coveted Morel mushroom. It grows in every state I believe, but for a very short period of time. Usually just a matter of weeks.Thus creating much interest in hunting for them when the time gets right. I agree with most, morels are delicious and something to get excited about. However, I’ve learned there are many other varieties of mushrooms that are equally as good (if not better) that grow for months and in mass numbers if the conditions are right. My number one pick by far would be Chanterelle mushrooms. There are several varieties of Chanterelles and all are easily identified as well as delicious. These tasty little morsels are usually a pale yellow all the way to a orangish color and have a slight peppery taste with a hint of apricot some say. I love to put them with pasta, eggs or in sauces for meats. One main perk about the chanterelle is there is really only one look alike (in my area) that is poisonous and it is not fatal. It can cause mild to severe abdominal pain. In my experience, mushrooms that are easily identifiable with few or no fatal imposters are the ones most enjoyable. That goes for anything I forage honestly. 
    The absolute most important thing when it comes to foraging for anything in the wild in my opinion is, if you are not 1000% sure of what you are harvesting/eating….DO NOT do so. There are certain very common mushrooms here in the midwest that one cap eaten can kill a grown man. It is definitely not something to take lightly. However, with some proper education and experienced friends/teachers, a person can really take their harvests from the wild to a new level. The second biggest rule for me in my foraging is to not introduce more than 1 maybe 2 new species per year into my repertoire. In my experience, it can be very easy to misidentify something when my whole basket is full of things I have not positively identified and personally eaten in the past. I realize this makes it much slower of a process in learning what mother nature has to offer but for me, its the safest and only way to go. We certainly do not stop at mushrooms in our family either. We love to forage for gooseberries, blackberries, wild asparagus and watercress to name just a few. So regardless of your preference on what to forage, with a little knowledge and some good walking shoes….you could be taking your vittles from great to EPIC! 

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Fins, Feather & Fungi Series (Part 2 - Feather)

5/14/2022

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Spring is a very special time of year. First and foremost, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While I try my best to have a daily relationship with Christ, it certainly intensifies throughout this season. Along with such, comes the opportunity to get out and connect with Christ in His creation. Some of my most spiritual, direct moments with the Holy Spirit occur out in the wilderness as I’m hunting, fishing or just taking in the beauty of God's creation. One specific opportunity in the spring that stands out among the rest when out in the woods during spring is spring turkey season. An unmatched, unique and heart pounding experience. There’s just something about getting into the woods while it’s still asleep, tucking up against a tree and watching your surroundings come alive. The cricket choir begins to fade, the birds awake with their song and the dark transitions to light while waiting to hear the first turkey of the morning.  I can't help but get a little anxious as I sit, listening and anticipating hearing the first gobble of the morning. 
    I have to confess though, I’m certainly not the most avid turkey hunter there is. I have harvested many over the years, but very few have been as a direct result of me locating and calling a bird into range right off the roost. Lots of my encounters have been of the right place, right time variety. That said, there is something very special about hearing a mature tom’s fist gobble upon waking and then proceeding to call him within range.. If you’re really lucky, it will happen in a manner that you’re able to watch the bird strut and strum into your setup from a distance. That is truly an incredible display of God's splendor and if it all works as planned, the bird will stroll within range. Achieving this can be an intimidating task though, no doubt. There's so many calls, set ups, decoys, and so on to choose from as well as mastering the calls and equipment you choose. 

    I’ve found that the more simple I keep it the better off I am. As I stated already, I’m not an expert so I tend to keep it pretty basic. One mouth call, and maybe one box call. A decoy, proper clothing for the current weather and my crossbow. That's about it besides my pack gear. If I’m being honest, it has been a few seasons since I harvested a spring turkey. I’ve had many close encounters but haven’t sealed the deal. When I am blessed to harvest a bird, I like to skin it like a deer (with different cuts of course) rather than pluck it. I’ve found this much easier and just as effective. I love fried wild turkey breast and morels! It’s truly a luxury in my opinion! The dark meat sections I like to marinate and slow cook then shred or dice up once off the bone. It’s great for soup, casseroles, stir fries or pastas and can be frozen and pulled out for a quick meal starter. 

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Fins, Feather & Fungi Series (Part 1 - Fins)

4/9/2022

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Few things can match that of a crisp cool morning atop a foliage shedding white oak, tucked away in my camo and ladder stand….bow in hand. However, a cool brisk morning, birds chirping, sunny blue skies, my favorite spinning real and a river stacked full of pre-spawn white bass is one of those things. Pound for pound, white bass are one of the hardest fighting and most fun fish to catch in my opinion. These little boogers hit hard and then run like they stole it! Also, more times than not, if you catch one…..there are many more to follow. This is one of my favorite times of the year to share the sport of fishing with my daughter and other young fishermen. It is a relatively predictable season of fishing along with great potential for catching large amounts of fish. Couple that with the intense fight these little guys put up and the need to primarily cast and retrieve to catch said fish and you have yourself the makings of some very memorable outings with the littles. 
    
    I think it can be important to consider the variables when taking youngsters out fishing. Depending on the age, some scenarios can be better suited for some than others. Generally speaking though, fishing for a species of fish requiring little presentation skill, a constant need for movement and one that can be caught in the masses is a safe bet. For me, the white bass spawn run is that time. Provided it, it will require the willingness to tie on what feels like 1000+  jig heads but the trade off is well worth I think. There is nothing more rewarding than have a couple young fishermen on the river bank reeling in fish so fast, you can’t even get a hook in the water. I personally don’t think there are many ways better for successfully passing on a love for fishing than fishing for white bass during the spring spawn. Some of my favorite memories over the years, both as a child and parent/mentor are during this time.

    Another benefit to seizing this seasonal opportunity is the amount of tasty vittles that can be put in the freezer and atop the family dinner table. For us, the actual harvest and food put on the table is equally as important as the experience. I hear varying opinions regarding the quality of white bass meat. However, for myself and those whom I typically feed, it is a delicious harvest. When preparing the meat prior to cooking, it is quite important to not cut corners in the process though. I do cut away the red meat strip that is on a white bass filet, however I do not waste it. I’ll touch on that ahead but once fileted, I will separate the red meat from the white and soak both in a strong saltwater solution for at least 48 hours. Changing the water once every day. You can go up to 4 or 5 days if you wish. The longer it soaks, the more firm and cleaner it will become. The salt draws out a lot of the “fishiness” that can be associated with white bass. Once soaked, the white filets can be breaded and fried or baked/grilled with your favorite seasonings. I prefer breading and frying in Andy’s Red mix with some additional Cajun seasoning added. For the red meat, I like to dice that into half in cubes and marinate in a Mexican spice blend for a few hours. Then sauté in a hot skillet until cooked through and use to make fish street tacos. A warm flour or corn tortilla, a pickled slaw and some cilantro lime flavored sour cream and you have quite the tasty meal. Any fish caught above what can be eaten before spoiling, I package in Ziplock bags filled with 10 filets and water and then freeze. Freezing in the water puts a solid 3 months to the freezer life of the meat….if not longer. To sum it all up, if your looking for an opportunity to harvest lots of fish and have a blast while doing so, white bass fishing may just be your ticket. Have questions regarding anything mentioned in this blog or if you have material, recipes or techniques you would like discussed, please email me at epicchef424@gmail.com I would love to hear from you! 

God Bless 

EPIC CHEF
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What is E.P.I.C chef?

3/12/2022

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What is EPIC Chef…..That’s a question I’ve been trying to answer for many years and continue to do so now. What I do have is the name…. Educational Private In-Home Cooking Chef. The name is actually all I’ve had for over a decade up until here just recently. I’ve toyed with various concepts over the years but have never put anything into action. Infact, it originally began as Exceptional rather than Educational and was intended to be restaurant grade food cooked within the home as would be if going out to a brick-and-mortar place. While that could still happen at some point, EPIC Chef has shifted to combine my love for being a Chef, sharing & teaching cooking and God's beautiful creation. Thus, the creation of this blog. I intend to challenge myself and hopefully you all, with striving to take back more control over our food, how we get it, where it comes from and what is in it. And most importantly admiring the one who Created it all along the way!
    As for the content….I will be covering the seasonal outdoor opportunities to fish, hunt and forage here in my local area as well as the preparation/cooking of the harvest. This will all be driven by mine and my daughters' experience for each different season. The next 3 months will be a 3-part series of Fin, Feathers & Fungi. They will each be posted roughly a month after, as I will mostly be writing about our experience this season. March is when the crappie and white bass begin getting hot here on a local lake we fish most often. April is a great month here in Missouri also. The crappie and white bass are still going plus it becomes time to begin chasing that beautiful sound of a spring gobbler courting his lady. That's an experience unlike any other in God's creation and one I look forward to every year. It’s also the month of my sobriety date (which could possibly be discussed more in the future but not at this time) this year will be my 11th year…..praise God! Late April early May opens the way to the spring mushroom season here. Morels, boletes, ceps, coral and many many others begin to flourish amidst the warmer nights and spring rains. Leaving a unique opportunity for vittles if each separate season has been successfully harvested. Nonetheless, whatever the activity and success level, I greatly look forward to sharing such experiences through this blog. Reach out with content requests or suggestions. There will be an EPIC Chef email coming in the very near future.

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Introduction....

2/12/2022

 
My journey in the outdoors started over 3 decades ago, right here in Southwest Missouri. In the form of a wobbly two year old, a fishing pole as long as I was, a small tackle box, a box of worms and an ever so patient grandfather. As I grew and we fished, those times paved the way for my love of Jesus and everything outdoors. I spent many a day riding to the local fishing spot in that old blue 81 custom deluxe short bed chevy that my grandpa “Papa” bought specifically for us to go fishing in. As the years have gone by the gear has changed, fishing holes have come and gone as well as the people I have shared it with. One thing will always remain though, the foundation that was laid in those early days paved the way to my deep love for God’s creation as well as the creator Himself.
​I’m a born and raised native of Springfield Missouri. I have a small two bedroom home on the edge of the city with my 8 year old daughter Alinea aka Turkey Bird. Aside from my love for Jesus, she is where my heart will always be. Being a father now, I think back to those early days and cherish the ability to pass along the same love and foundation to my daughter. Where I go, she pretty much goes too. I also have a large passion for cooking and being a Chef. I’ve cooked in some form or another my entire life but really became passionate about it in my early 20’s. I had had many cook jobs leading up to then but in 2013 I decided to go to culinary school at a local technical college here in Springfield. Many things had happened in the previous years and it had become time for me to nurture a gift I knew the Lord had given me.
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In 2016 I graduated school in May and in June I started with a contract food company as an Executive Chef for the dining facility at a nearby university. Over the years I have learned many different skills and techniques that have helped along my outdoors journey. However, it hasn’t been until recently that I really began focusing on merging my career as a Chef and my passion for hunting, fishing and foraging. I love to test and try new recipes, come up with ways to simplify meals and just about anything else that could involve cooking and/or the outdoors. Alinea and I hunt a variety of game from squirrels and rabbits to Whitetail and Turkey. We also love to fish for crappie, walleye and particularly love catfishing. Whether it be light gear on a spinning rod or running bank lines, chasing cats is among our favorites for sure.

If we are blessed to harvest game animals, we are a true trigger to table family. I am very adamant on processing everything ourselves. I was taught from a very young age that this is where the majority of people get lost when it comes to not liking wild game meat. As I’ve moved through my adult life and career as a Chef, I have learned this to be absolutely true. Proper handling, aging if appropriate and fabrication are essential. And if not done, it puts it at a great disadvantage before any cooking even begins. Cooking wild game can be tricky at times but is extremely rewarding. It’s a great thing to know exactly what is in the food you provide your family as well as where it came from. 

The only thing I can say I love as much as what I have mentioned above, is sharing such with others. As God unfolds this new journey of combining my career as a Chef and passion for the outdoors, I look forward to sharing all that I can with others. Whether it be recipes, cooking techniques, butchering processes, foraging the great outdoors or anything else, I’m excited for this opportunity to explore yet more gifts the Lord has placed in my life.

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    Kevin Blankenship

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