Fall does not, officially, start until towards the end of the month, with the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun will cross the equator that will draw the migrating birds across an invisible line. The sun will rise in the exact East and the sun will fall in the exact West.
Our world has changed so much in these two years of pandemic and fires. Smoke still rises and blankets the mountain in front of us and sinks to the valley below. At night, there is still visible fire. It is not over yet. All of it… lingers and still threatens.
Come September, the gatherings begin. It is a time, in the hunting camps, for laughter and stories of all the gatherings of yore. People in the North will be moving out to their camps and I long to be with them. Fish are filleted and stripped and hung on the lathes of the smoking. Moose are brought in and dry meat is hanging on the lathes as well. The sweet smoke slowly rises from the smouldering wood up through the colorful strips, and filtered, rises on up and around the camp.
The women will be stripping the meat into thin sheets of meat. And the laughter of women will compete with the call of crows and ravens.
Start a 2:20 on this presentation to understand how intricate the cutting is. I know how to do this. Also, great laughter and fun to cut and try not to get one hole in the meat. Women’s naughty stories are told while doing meat for the first time and you would be made great fun of if you made a hole in the thin strip of meat to be dried...
Since my hunter went the way of the long journey, I have learned how to do dry meat with roasts and done in the oven.
https://www.aspicyperspective.com/best-homemade-oven-beef-jerky/
It is a wonderful treat for me and takes me “home”.
I make myself a small batch just to have it and let the memories of my many fall hunting camp experiences, in the far North, with moose meat and caribou. I have learned to salt and smoke fish (salmon) as well. We do not smoke trout as it is greasy and goes rancid.) Caribou is my favorite since it is a sweet meat.
Ah, yes, Fall falls, and I try to keep busy so the loneliness does not seep in. I put away my summer decorations and begin to add browns and oranges and cinnamons. I changed my altar for the season. Winter is not far off. As the environments becomes quieter, so do I.
©Carol Desjarlais 9.1.21
