Maggie's Farm

This is a photo of Gunnhilde, a fine example of this family-friendly and versatile sporting breed. Known
best for pointing and ptracking ptarmigan in the far north, the hardy but socialist Norwegian is also useful for ptracking lost reindeer, aquavit, herring, blonds, and boiled potatoes.

I had one of these dogs once, but he ptracked a lovely smoked herring on a truck on its way from Nova Scotia to North Waddlefield, MA, where he picked up the scent and followed it south to Waterbury, CT. I heard that he and the smoked herring got married, settled down, and opened a successful dry-cleaning shop in Torrington, CT.

Our friend Dr. Merc invited us to address his piece on the Heller gun control case, titled The Roots of Fear. He believes that the purpose of the 2nd was to balance federal power with state power, including the states' power to raise armies of their own - and that the NRA has instilled unnecessary fear in gun users for their own institutional purposes.

As a humble farmer and no lawyer, my take on the history of the 2nd is that it is a mere reaffirmation of ancient English common law which enshrined the right to self defence to all combined with an affirmation of the military power of each state. Since the Bill of Rights is all about being clear about the rights of the individual and the limits of the power of the Federal government, it makes no sense to me that the authors would have slipped anything in there with a different purpose.

We recall that the Bill of Rights was a bit of an afterthought. Many thought it was unnecessary, and that such rights of the people were assumed. In the end, NY and others refused to sign without those basic rights being made explicit.

At that time in America, no-one would have even considered taking away anybody's private weapons.

In any event, I think that the plantiff Mr. Heller made his case when he observed that he can carry a weapon on his job, to protect VIPs and politicians - but not to protect himself and his family. That makes him a second-class citizen in Washington, because I doubt that Mr. Heller could afford his own bodyguard.

Viking, who listened to the arguments on C-Span, says:

...my favorite moment was when Justice Scalia revealed his knowledge of firearms: "You mean you can't have more arms than you would need to take with you to the militia? You can't have...a turkey gun and a duck gun and a 30.06 and a 270..."

Lithwick at Slate reviews the oral arguments here, which makes Dellinger's position clear:

Dellinger asks the court to avoid turning every phrase of the Second Amendment into a "libertarian right." A well-regulated militia isn't about everyone owning a gun willy-nilly. The Constitution does not create some kind of sacred, fundamental right to guns. If there's a right here at all, he says, it's at the "penumbra of the periphery" of the Constitution: in a shack behind the river where the other unenumerated rights huddle.

Perhaps Liberty is not high on his agenda? Dellinger is walking proof for the necessity of the Bill of Rights, because that "penumbra" is where most of our rights exist (including the rights to privacy, abortion, etc etc). It seems to me that he comes from the position that, if an individual right isn't made crystal clear and specific, then it doesn't exist. He wants to always tip the balance towards government power, and I think that impulse is un-American and ignores Amendment Nine - which I think says it all:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The outcome will be interesting, but not as interesting as the case would be if some restaurateur would take NYC's trans-fat ban to the Supreme Court. That would be really fun.

The Spring fishing season is coming on fast. It's about time to exchange our Currier and Ives "Maple Sugaring" picture, up on top, for "The Trout Pool." That picture does look like our Berkshire Hills, but it could also be the Poconos or the Adirondacks.

Finally, it looks like the Supremes are going to reaffirm the Second Amendment despite Justice Breyer's incomprehensible musings, roughly "I'm not sure why Washington DC shouldn't have the right to ban handguns, with their terrible crime rate."

Hey, Mr. Justice: Why doesn't Waterbury CT have the "right" to ban McDonalds, with their terrible obesity rate?

I thought people had rights to protect them from government powers. Or did I get it wrong? If this deal goes down the right way, there will be much to thank Pres. Bush for. Decision expected in June.

For the gunfight you hope you will never have.

More thoughts on the S&W 642 here. And a piece on Kit Guns.

My friend recommended this S&W 642 (at GunBroker) as a carry gun.

However, he is shopping for a .22 revolver like these - not for defence, obviously.

A reader mentioned that she liked this rather unique .45/410 revolver for home defence. Makes sense to me. A splash of #6 birdshot to the face will indeed leave a scumbag "learning Braille in jail" - if he is lucky.

Here's a review of the revolver, whence the photo.

I tend to like this basic handgun. I prefer revolvers for the same reason that I prefer breaking shotguns: fewer moving parts, and easier to keep track of your ammo.

Related, quoted in full from Insty:

JAY TEA HAS THOUGHTS ON GUN-FREE ZONES;

Nearly all of the mass shootings of late have been in "gun-free zones." And the ones that weren't -- at the New Life Church in Colorado and the Appalachian School of Law in Virginia -- were stopped by private citizens (and members of the community being attacked) with their own weapons.

Now for my second thought. If these places aren't going to get rid of their "gun-free zone" status, despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence that they simply get more people killed, then how can they improve their security where it actually make the people inside safer?

I have a few ideas. And for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to apply them to a college.

Meanwhile, Nathan Moore is offering to represent anyone who wants to challenge Tennessee's rules against carry on campus.

UPDATE: "Lawyer up, kids!"

Also, No Looking Back on gun-free zones (which should be called "Defence-free Zones," or maybe "Helpless Victim Zones.")

Here's the argument against The Judge. thanks, reader.

A family member recently handed this over to me, which had been sleeping in his attic for 40 years. It's a 20 ga. single-shot breaking gun from Ithaca Gun. It's in perfect condition, but has little value or practical utility. It might be good for teaching a kid: having one shot concentrates the mind.

The point is that you cannot have too many guns around. Each is interesting in its own way. There are so many cool ways to assemble a piece of pipe with a hammer mechanism at one end. This one was thirsty for a little oil, which inspired me to deliver a bit of TLC to many which have not been used lately.

He also gave me an equally old, but essentially unused, .22 long with a nice scope and a light oak stock. That is a fun, handy toy tool. He is keeping his .45 police handgun to enforce mannerly behavior around his house. I have too many shotguns, need handguns around the farm.

An annual re-post, for our readers with game in their freezers:

A few more Maggie's Farm favorites, but first, remember: always salt and pepper your meat before cooking, never over-cook game, and keep a good supply of gibier sauce in your freezer.

For venison, elk and moose

The filets - tie them up tight, and cook as you do a beef filet mignon

The steaks - marinated overnight in olive oil, garlic, thyme, a little wine, and grilled rare

The stew meat (which is most of it) - Our favorite is to make a Bourguignon, but a Navarin is also excellent. I call these two recipes "savory meats."

Pheasant, duck and goose legs

Our habit, with duck, goose and pheasant, is to cook the breasts and to confit the legs and thighs. When you confit them, the tendons melt and they are a great accompaniment for a salad. A container of confit in the fridge will last for months. Just take 'em out and warm them in the oven and let the duck fat from the confit drip off, and either pick the meat off and toss it with the greens, or just put the warmed leg with thigh on top of the salad. Good idea to mix some warm gibier sauce in with the oil and vinegar dressing.

Pheasant

We like pheasant breast sauteed to pink in the middle, in butter and olive oil, on a bed of red cabbage (braised with bacon, a little vinegar, port), with wild mushrooms and braised and sauteed root vegetables - or mashed potato, on the side. You splash some reduced gibier sauce on top.

Woodcock

We treat the delectable but tiny woodcock with special care. We don't do it like the French (a sauce from all of its guts, and served with a toothpick to eat the brain with). Sautee the tiny breasts for a number of seconds on each side in hot butter and some truffle oil, and place on toast. Squish the livers into the butter and oil to make a sauce with a splash of brandy or something, and pour on top. Amazing first course.

Or, even better: woodcock ravioli. Chop very finely, then sautee shallot, carrot, and a little garlic. Very quickly sautee the woodcock breasts, then cut into small pieces. Mix above together with some truffle oil and spoon into your ravioli pasta or wontons. Serve splashed with gibier sauce with a couple of sauteed porcinis. A nice touch: shave some black truffle over the raviolis on the plate.

Ruffed Grouse

Grouse hunters are a special breed of human - bull-headed and foolish - and the Ruffed Grouse is a special kind of food. Every grouse hunter has his favorite way of preparing this subtle but delicious breast meat, like a dry chicken, but a chicken that has been raised on juniper berries and raspberries and mushrooms and aspen buds and fern fronds. One way we like is to brown the breasts quickly, then wrap in bacon and bake until the middle is pink. Serve on a bed of lentils with chopped shallots and carrots in them, with a splash of gibier sauce on top, root vegetables maybe on the side.

Canada Goose

Pests? Not on your life. They are great food. Marinate those dark meat, steak-like breasts overnight. Some love 'em on the grill, like steak. That's fine, but also good is to sautee them in oil and butter to your degree of done-ness, then serve thinly sliced with a gibier sauce.

Wild Duck

We have more favorite ways of cooking wild duck than I can list here. It's a subject for another day, but I will say three things: in Yankeeland, duck doesn't mean Mallard - it means all sorts of ducks, including the delicious and livery Bluebill. Second: we gave up on cooking the whole bird, stuffed or otherwise. It does not do justice to the bird. We just do happy things with the breasts, and confit the legs and thighs. Third, a piece of orange should never get near a wild duck. Domestic duck, ok, if that's what you like, but not the wild ones - it's criminal.

Personal weapons are the mark of a free man or woman. Guns are not about hunting: they are about the fundamental human right of self-defence. I have been held up twice and burglarized twice. Never again, because I was neither raised, nor made, to be a passive victim of low-life scumbags.

The wealthy and powerful have bodyguards, but it is up to regular folks to be our own bodyguards and the guards of our families. In the old days, it was a club, or a spear, or a sword, or a dagger. Shooting sports are secondary: great fun, but secondary.

(h/t to Theo for the video)

From our archives:

At the last minute (today), decided to do a little supper for 20 next weekend, and I have decided to do something simple and American with the pheasants: Pheasant smothered in sour cream. Talk about old-fashioned comfort food - a casserole. (This is a famous old "guy cookin'" recipe for Ruffed Grouse.) I'll quarter the peasants, not halve them like grouse.

I like to serve recipes like this on the wide (1") Italian noodles.

Yes, I have some Beach Plum Jelly in the pantry. What old Cape Codder would not? Plus I now grow them myself. The worse the soil, the better the plums.

I was considering a duck salad like this as the first course. One wild duck breast per serving, with the breast cooked rare and sliced thin.

Image: Picking ripe wild Beach Plums, Prunus maritima.

Some good Maggie's Farm pals, last week.

It begins like this:

The alarm rudely drags me back to wakefulness. 4:00 am comes all too quickly, even when you're looking forward to getting up. Quietly, I slip out of bed and pad across the room to turn it off. A lump stirs under the covers, and the comforter slips back to reveal a black head, one eye opened balefully. She doesn't lift her head from the pillow.

"Time to get up, Soup Hound," I yawn. "It's a new day."

A blogger's duck hunt, here.