Hunter's Moon

Photo © Rob Jones

I only remember two types of full moon when I was growing up in the country.

A normal common or garden full moon, and a Harvest Moon, which looked a little bigger than most.

These days you can’t move for celestial manifestations. If it’s not a Wolf or a Snow Moon, it’ll be a Strawberry or a Pink Moon, or even a Sturgeon or a Beaver Moon. And let’s not mention comets or the Northern Lights which everyone else in the world can see apart from me. I do look. Really, I do.

My suspicion, because of some of the names is that these special moons are an import from across the pond, along with the manifestations of Hallowe’en.

Any food traditions? Unsurprisingly, anything that can be shot, trapped or knocked on the head. It was always seen as a good time to go hunting in advance of Winter, though I am not too sure of the wisdom of overhunting when you don’t have a freezer. Especially not these days when we have plenty of butchers - for the time being.

My mum’s favourite was Rabbit, but that was pre-Myxomatosis. The term is a direct translation from the German Myxomkrankheit - Mucus Sickness. Some say it was invented by a Frenchman in 1952. Aiming to rid his estate of rabbits, he introduced a pox-like virus, and like rabbits - it spread. Obviously. By the seventies, it had become so prevalent where I grew up that no one ate rabbits any more.

I think I last ate Rabbit in Malta - another escapade with AMM I think. I recall it being very gamey, and very boney. But I’d have it again. It’s not a meat you see often about though.

But if you do:

After acquiring your rabbit, you want to marinate the pieces of meat overnight in some rustic red wine, Garlic and Bay.

Brown the meat in some hot oil.

Pop some Onion and Bay in a casserole dish and fry in some oil along with some garlic.

Add a tin of Tomatoes, add the marinade which hopefully you haven’t discarded.

Add the rabbit portions and bring to the boil for about 30 minutes.

Add some carrots, potatoes and Tomato Puree and stew for another half hour

The rabbit needs to be falling off the (myriad) of bones.

Or… nip across to Malta. They know how to do it there.

R