Just for the record. Me and this blog have divided the earth into 3 regions. Northern hemisphere, North of 23 degrees latitude, Southern hemisphere, South of 23 degrees latitude Then there is that region extending from about 23 degrees North to 23 degrees South Latitude where temperatures are favorable for gardening almost non-stop 12 months a year.
Look-up your first and last freeze/frost dates by zip code Find Frost Date Sorry only works for Zip Codes located in the United States.
Pickling Vegetables everything from Artichokes to Zucchini.
Fall Hunting Starts on the first day of September in the south and southwest USA.
Opening day for Dove season seems to be a southern holiday and is much enjoyed even if you (grin) fail to down even one Dove. At least in Oklahoma, the native Mourning Dove and the White Wing Dove(mostly seen only in southwest) near and along the Texas/Mexico border areas have strict daily limits. However the non-native Eurasian collared Dove aka Ring neck Dove has no such daily bag limits.
Doves, pigeons and squab deserve their own category. They are really dark meat birds with very little fat. When plucking doves and pigeons keep them whole. (It’s an eye appeal thing) They are very easy to pluck taking only a few seconds once you get the hang of it. What you get in return for your effort a beautiful presentation and those little legs, which are so very tasty! Remove the wings from doves and all but the first wing joint on pigeons.
Dove are small birds, one dove makes a good portion for an appetizer, three to four are served for a main course. Pigeon being larger birds, only one pigeon makes a light dinner main course. Serve two for that hungry working man in your family. Squabs are the same as pigeons, serve one to two per person.
In my opinion, grilling is the best way to cook young doves and pigeons. Grilling is the only way to get the skin crispy without overcooking the breast meat. Don’t over cook your dove or pigeon! They are small birds and cook quickly. Remove them from the grill while the breast meat is still a light pink. Older Doves or Pigeons are better braised or aluminum foil wrapped and oven cooked.
Quick Hints on Grilling Dove or Pigeon
* Grilled Doves Stuffed with 1/4 to 1/2 tart apple and fresh herbs, brush with bacon fat or wrap bird with a slice of bacon and dust with smoked (sweet) paprika before serving.
* Cajun Grilled Doves Doves rubbed with Cajun seasonings and grilled hot and fast.
* Grilled Dove, pigeon or squab Italian Style. Grill your birds over a hardwood fire and dressed only with a little bit of salt and a little black pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Don’t over cook your birds! It is just that simple.
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Town & Country Gardening 
yummy and I can smell deer season in the air it must be getting close and this post just makes my mouth water for fall !
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Big Grin … It’s still a full 60 or so days before we get our first real cool weather. Generally anytime from Halloween week and later we will see the first frost on the pumpkin patch. Here in my area gun deer season opens on November 1, 2014.
Happy productive safe fall hunting
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Boy, that looks good! Been a long time since I’ve had any.
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Looks delicious!!
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Up here in the Northeast we have woodcock which the breasts are also nice when seasoned with some cajun and bread crumbs!!
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I don’t think I have ever seen a woodcock so I’m also sure I have never eaten one.
Happy Fall gardening
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I will post pictures for you when season hits and the guys get out and get a few for us!!
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I had some dove casserole leftovers for lunch at school one day when I was teaching. I picked up the dove and chewed the meat off the bones. It was so tender and succulent. A couple of the other teachers looked at me as if I were a monster and berated me about killing those tiny little birds (as they bit into their KFC chicken drumsticks). Who had the tastier and healthier meal?
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I almost didn’t make this posting. There are so many people that can’t understand that wild game like Doves must be managed and that as an example a dove in the wild only survives an average of 2 years in the wild.
That money collected in hunting licenses fees and permits is a big part of the funding used by both the federal and state wildlife agencies to manage wildlife and their habitat.
Happy Fall Gardening
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Exactly. And I understand your hesitation in posting this because the anti-gun thing has spread to making hunting an evil thing. It’s okay to kill billions of domestic animals for our daily consumption, but if you kill one animal in the wild after following all the rules and paying all the fees to help with conservation (and most hunters have a real appreciation for the outdoors which many city meat-eaters don’t), then you are some kind of monster for killing what you eat.
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