RACCOON This is a sample recipe page from Recipe Girl. View ALL RECIPES Spice Up Your Recipes With Uncle Steve's:  Dried Chiles     Chile Powders     Grow Your Own Hot Spice With Uncle Steve's: Hot Chile Pepper Seeds The raccoon prefers wooded areas near water but may be found close to large cities. It ranges from southern Canada over most of the United States and into South America. In colder northern regions the raccoon sleeps for extended periods during the winter, though it does not actually hibernate. In spring, three to four young are born. After ten or 11 weeks the mother takes them on short outings. The young remain with the mother for up to a year. Raccoons swim and climb readily. They often live together high in hollow trees or sometimes in rock crevices, stumps, or other animals' burrows. They are mostly nocturnal and omnivorous, feeding on a variety of crayfish, crabs, frogs, fishes, and plant materials. Especially in captivity they may dip their food repeatedly in water, but they do not actually wash their food. Raccoons are considered pests in some areas and are hunted and trapped extensively for their fur and flesh. In the southeastern United States they are the major transmitters of rabies. The scientific name of the common raccoon is Procyon lotor. The crab-eating raccoon of South America is P. cancrivorus. From: Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1998 Raccoons should have all the fat, inside and out, removed, as well as the glands that are under the legs, along the spine, and in the small of the back. The meat is very dark, long-fibered, and somewhat coarse; it is improved by an hour's parboiling before continuing with a recipe. Young ones, 7 to 8 pounds, can be marinated overnight in 1 tablespoon salt per quart of water. Older ones, up to 13 or 14 pounds, should be marinated for 24 hours. Jacqueline E. Knight

================================ Indian Stuffed and Baked Raccoon with Apples Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method 1 md Raccoon 4 lg Onions 4 Strips salted pork 2 c Beef stock 5 lg Tart apples 2 tb Butter 1 t Cinnamon 1 c Dry bread crumbs 1 t Salt 1/2 ts Pepper Skin and clean the raccoon. Wash well and remove most of the fat. Place in a large soupp kettle, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Peel, core and dice the apples into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the cinnamon, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix real good. Take the racoon out of the cooking juices and cool. Stuff the raccoon and sew up the cavity. Place the raccoon, breast down on the rack of a roasting pan, with the legs folded under the body and fastened with a string. Drape the salt pork over the back of the raccoon and fasten with toothpicks. Place the onions beside the raccoon on the rack. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes to brown the meat. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and add the 2 cups of beef stock. Cook for one hours, basting as often as possible. Transfer to a heated platter surrounded by whole onions. ================================= Raccoon Sauce Piquante Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method 5 lb Raccoon meat, cut 2" cubes 3 pt Water, cold 32 oz Tomatoes, whole, can 1 t Garlic, finely chopped 6 oz Tomato sauce 1/2 c Celery, finely chopped 12 oz Mushrooms + liquid 1/2 c Shallots, finely chopped 4 Onions, white, finely chop 1/3 c Bell pepper, finely chopped 1/4 c Parsley, finely chopped 3 Lemon peel, small slivers chile powder to taste Salt & pepper to taste Fry game meat in minimum oil til tender to fork. Usually 20 - 35 minutes. Remove. Make a roux of 6 Tbsp oil to equal amount flour. When deep (not dark) brown, add onion. Cook until transparent but don't burn. Add 3 pints cold water and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, bell pepper, shallots, garlic, mushrooms. Let boil about 15 or 16 minutes. Add fried wildgame meat, parsley, lemon peel and salt & pepper to taste. Let simmer over low fire for at least one hour. Serve over hot rice.