Rabbit in the Grocery Stores

[MaggieJ]

Iggysbabysitter and I went shopping in Belleville, Ontario today. In the No Frills grocery, I saw rabbit meat for sale. They had whole rabbits (no head and I think no giblets) for $24 and change. They weighed in the neighbourhood of 1.5 kg. (3.3 lbs.). So that is well over $7. a pound. We raise ours for about 75 cents a pound, which made me feel almost as smug as when I stroll past the eggs in the dairy counter...

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

ACK! I forgot to grab you a few boxes of ziplocs from the back of the van! I'll bring them when I come back

 

[MaggieJ]

Not to worry. We had a lot of STUFF on our minds today. Go get some sleep!

But doesn't it make you feel good when you see what rabbit meat is worth?

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

By those calculations I should have about $230 worth of meat in my freezer...

 

[HoneyTree]

LOVE this. I had just started thinking about meat rabbits when my food co-op started carrying them. In Tallahassee, Florida, they were going for around that same price. I dragged my husband over to the cooler to show him, "See? See? I'm not crazy. This meat is GOOD and people are willing to pay for it!"

 

[MaggieJ]

There is probably only about $50 worth of rabbit meat in my freezer. We eat it faster than we produce it. Oh to be a bit younger and a bit more mobile. I'd double or triple production on gathered greens and be eating well all the time.

 

[HoneyTree]

Maggie, you mean gathered greens for you or the buns? (I can see eating well on both!) If you don't mind me asking, how often does your family eat rabbit? I am aiming to someday be at once a week for four people, but I haven't done the math yet on the cage or freezer space I'd need to maintain such a diet.

 

[currituckbun]

We paid $31 for a cut up frozen fryer at our local meat market. I do not remember how many pounds it was( around 3-4 lbs) . I bought one and cooked it up before we got into raising rabbits to eat. I wanted to make sure we would like it. I can't believe I paid that much for a rabbit! Just think the litter my first mom had was worth $310 if I wait until they are fryer weight!

 

[Dirk Chesterfield]

Wow! That means I have $125 "on the hoof" and more in the pipeline.

And I didn't even know I was rich. I just thought I was dirt poor.

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

"on the hoof" and more in the pipeline.

That was too funny!

 

[currituckbun]

No you are dirt poor if you know what squirrel gravy is or you teach in North Carolina .

 

[HoneyTree]

I hear ya, Virginia. I was a permanent sub in NC for a year. Whew!

But funny you mention squirrel. I just saw the movie "Winter's Bone," and in it, the main character is teaching her little brother and sister how to hunt squirrel as a survival skill. I was thinking in that moment, "Yep. Good idea. Knowing how to raise meat rabbits is good for the same reason!"

 

[MaggieJ]

Maggie, you mean gathered greens for you or the buns? (I can see eating well on both!) If you don't mind me asking, how often does your family eat rabbit? I am aiming to someday be at once a week for four people, but I haven't done the math yet on the cage or freezer space I'd need to maintain such a diet.

I meant gathering greens for the buns, but I do gather greens for myself too, especially in spring before the garden starts producing. Young dandelion greens with mint and sage makes a delicious salad that I can pick as early as April. I like it with blue cheese dressing.

We eat rabbit about once a week when we have it, but because our rabbitry is small there are lots of times when I have none in the freezer. I'd happily eat it two or even three times a week in some form or other. The rib sections and bones make wonderful hearty soups and the older rabbits go into rabbit pie. Rabbit pie is the best!

 

[hoodat]

I hear ya, Virginia. I was a permanent sub in NC for a year. Whew!

But funny you mention squirrel. I just saw the movie "Winter's Bone," and in it, the main character is teaching her little brother and sister how to hunt squirrel as a survival skill. I was thinking in that moment, "Yep. Good idea. Knowing how to raise meat rabbits is good for the same reason!"

A lot of Southern families would have starved out if it wasn't for squirrels.

 

[HoneyTree]

It's true, Hoodat. I had a student one year (when I was teaching in a Florida middle school) who did his 8th grade end-of-year project on squirrel harvesting and preparation. He considered it an important part of his heritage, being from Coonbottom, Fla. The other kids were weirded out at first, and only half of them tried the stew he brought to share, but all of us learned a lot from him.

 

[Miss M]

No you are dirt poor if you know what squirrel gravy is or you teach in North Carolina .

:lol: I found this funny, because we live in a very affluent neighborhood (my grandparents bought well way back... the affluence grew up around them). Our neighbors, who were here before my grandparents, have squirrel gravy now and then, since the husband shoots squirrels trying to raid his fruit trees in his yard! I'm sure most of the neighborhood would be shocked, but I think it's great! I figure he probably grew up pretty poor, to know how to eat a squirrel.

 

[DanaYares]

In Northern California rabbit meat is priced at $8/pound... Amazing. Most grocery store don't carry it though, you have to special order. More restaurants are starting to offer it, we paid about $12 for a rabbit sausage appetizer in San Francisco, two smallish sausages.

 

[HoneyTree]

Rabbit sausage is one of the tastiest things I have ever put in my mouth. (I am pausing now for a little trip down tastebud memory lane; it's been a long time since I've had it!)

 

[currituckbun]

My Stepfather is from the mountains of NC and he lived off squirrel for years, rabbit too. He was one of 6 and very poor. He has shared his heritage of squirrel gravy with us. It is alright but not my favorite. Not far from here is a peninsula called Knotts Island. They have hunted the squirrel to extinction. There are none left and the ones released "mysteriously " disappear. I bet some old timer can't help himself.

 

[5dognightfarm]

I love squirrel! Although, after going to a very high end private school through 8th grade on scholarship, I sort of knew we weren't very loaded in the $$$ department. Rich kids are mean!

Hmm...calculating, calculating. Well, I don't think I can count that high. Rabbit rich, cash poor.