Purdue News
Purdue News
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September 15, 2000 Presentations turn deer harvest into feastWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Every year Hoosiers harvest nearly 100,000 deer – but less than a third of those end up on the dinner table. That fact so frustrates Chef Hubert Schmieder that he's canvassing the state to teach people how to properly butcher and cook venison. "We need to cherish a harvest of that magnitude," says Schmieder, Purdue University chef emeritus. "Years ago people did. They had to. The family would ask, 'Did you get a deer?' and if the hunter didn't, they'd go hungry." Schmieder, working with animal scientist Dick Adams, will offer the first Venison Workshop on Sept. 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center just outside of Butlerville at 4425 East Co. Rd. 350 N. The program costs $15 at the door, $12 if you preregister. For more information call the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service offices in Ripley County, (812) 689-6511 or in Jackson County, (812) 358-6101. During the program, local hunters and wildlife biologists will describe hunting safety and ethics, as well as tips for a clean kill. "Education has to start with teaching a person how to shoot a deer," Schmieder says. "If a deer is startled and runs much after being hit, it produces adrenaline, and that gives the meat a wild taste. Meat quality also depends upon how fast the hunter gets the deer back to camp, out of the sun and dresses it." Schmieder will butcher a carcass during the program. He not only wants to help do-it-yourselfers do a better job, but also wants to encourage many hunters to take the deer to a butcher. "It's really complicated if you want first class meat," Schmieder says. "Good butchers do a good job so that you get prime cuts, steaks, as well as sausages and ground meat. They also properly package it and freeze it." During the last half of the program, Schmieder will demonstrate meat-cutting techniques that turn venison into tasty ragus, chili, summer sausage, brats and liverwurst. Participants can taste samples at the end of the program. "I want to pass on this relatively simple knowledge from our past so that we can have a feast out of this yearly harvest in Indiana," he says. "I believe that if we don't pass on old knowledge from our forefathers, we are not good educators." Schmieder and Adams will offer workshops around the state on the following dates. For more information on times and locations, contact the Purdue Cooperative Extension Offices in the following counties: Jay County – Sept. 25, phone (219) 726-4764.LaGrange County – Sept. 29, phone (219) 463-7808. Tippecanoe County – Oct. 2, phone (765) 474-0793. Carroll County – Oct. 3, phone (765) 564-3169. Warren and Fountain Counties – Nov. 1, phone (765) 762-2331 or (765) 793-2297. Sullivan County – Nov. 2, phone (812) 268-4332. Porter County – Nov. 4, phone (219) 465-3555.
Sources: Hubert Schmieder, (765) 494-5997 Dick Adams, (765) 494-8009; dadams@hub.ansc.purdue.edu Writer: Rebecca J. Goetz, (765) 494-0461, rjg@aes.purdue.edu Related Web sites: Indiana Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2000-2001 Hunting and Trapping Guide and Regulations Southeast-Purdue Agricultural Center (information and map)
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