Some Practical Notes

Appears in

Published 1932

To ascertain the age of a hare, examine the first joint of the forefoot; if it is a leveret, you will find a small knob which disappears as it grows older. Then examine the ears; if they tear easily it will eat tender; if they are tough, so will be the hare, which is then only fit for soup or to jug.
When newly killed the body is stiff; when it becomes limp it should be cooked at once. It should not be paunched until it is to be cooked. It must be hung by the hind legs, but a basin should be put under the head to catch the blood; with care it may hang a week.
But a leveret must only hang a day or two.
When the hare has been paunched wipe the inside dry and line it with rashers of fat bacon, then put in the ‘pudding’ or stuffing, and close it up.
Mrs. Charlotte Mason writing in 1777 says: ‘I have tried all the different things recommended to baste a hare, and never found anything so good as small beer.’

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