Out Of Towner Will Teach Us How To Cook Canada Geese

When life hands you mass avian slaughter, make braised Canada goose! Well, that's what one man says—hunting instructor and locavore activist Jackson Landers (from Virginia) will be in Brooklyn on October 30th showing locals how to cook New York City's winged terrors. Landers is in the process of writing his second book, and is hoping to make his reality show a reality (watch the trailer here)—it's called "Eating Aliens," and is about eating invasive species, according to the NY Times. Well, he certainly knows how to pick an attention-getting audience; earlier this year Brooklynites rallied to save the geese after nearly 300 were brought from Prospect Park to the gas chamber.

Landers will be joined by Brooklyn chef Leighton Edmonson when he's in town, but he'll be bringing his geese from Charlottesville (they're currently in his freezer there). The two-hour workshop will include wine pairings, and Landers says, "My theme is going to be casual goose. You can take that goose and just do it like fried chicken. You can take the meat off the bones and run it through a grinder and you’ve got gooseburgers.” What kind of wine pairs well with grinded up gooseburgers?

As for Edmondson, he says he'll "try to do something like a paillard, something pounded. I’m going to butcher it, take the breasts off. If the legs look good, I’m going to do a confit of the legs as well.” No matter what way you prepare it though, we imagine these two will be met with some harsh critics. If you're interested in learning more on cooking Canada geese, get your tickets here, but keep in mind hunting them in the city is illegal (unless you're the federal government, that is.)

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By Jen Carlson in Food on October 22, 2010 2:54 PM

Comments [rss]

PattyA

One has to wonder if the people who talk about geese being, “annoying, loud, aggressive, invasive” and all the other nasty adjectives actually ever spent any time observing the animals and NORMAL people’s reactions and interactions with them?

I’ve spent hundreds of hours observing Canada geese and MOST people and children greatly enjoy the animals.

Lovers will stop and take photographs. Small children run up, gleefully greeting, “Hi Geese!” Some people entice the geese with treats and the birds walk up to them and gently take from their hands. And many, many people just enjoy sitting and watching the birds. They say the geese give them a feeling of “peace and comfort.”

As for other waterfowl: Well, where you find the geese is where you also find the mallards, egrets and swans. I have seen Mother ducks bring their tiny ducklings near the Canada geese to rest at night. They apparently feel a sense of safety and security around the geese — especially at night.

All those nasty adjectives, “annoying, invasive, aggressive, loud” better describe those who want to destroy for the sake of destroying than they describe the gentle, intelligent and devoted geese.

Get a life, guys and learn how to RESPECT the lives of others who share this planet with us.

Locavore

Hahaha :)

Laughing at the idiocy of Cannibal and Patty. Next time you should try educating yourselves on the topic before posting because now you just sound like morons.

Can't wait to read the book when it comes out!

Rina Deych

Disgusting. This trailer trash just wants attention.

Go Vegan for your health, the health of the planet, and the animals.

Rina Deych, RN

Vegan Nurse

PattyA

"Eating Aliens?"

Hm, and here I thought aliens usually refers to humans from other countries or little green men from outer space.

What else is on Mr. Lander's "alien" hit list?

The squirrels and swans from our public parks?

Humans who slip over the border?

How about humans who slip here uninvited telling us what to do with the wildlife in OUR public parks?

"Alien" go back to where you came from and take your guns, slaughtered geese and nauseating "cook books" with you.

Some of us here actually APPRECIATE the wildlife in our parks and that INCLUDES Canada geese.

We like them ALIVE AND HONKING.

Såkandulæredet

What's wrong with cooking advice? Wow some people are crazy.

Cannibal

Holy shit! I just found out that cows are edible. I sure hope some dickweed tells me how to cook them, I'm in the fucking dark over here!

Cannibal

Why do I need this asshole to teach me how to cook an animal we've been eating for 100's of years?

What do you think "wild" goose is when you buy it at a supermarket? Canada Goose!! "wild" duck is Mallard.

JLanders

@Cannibal, you know a lot about cooking goose? Do tell. And you know all about teaching urban adult newbies how to hunt for food without having to invest in a pickup truck, garage, pair of bird dogs, etc? If so, I think you'd better take my place next weekend since you seem to know all about. Please let us know all about what equipment and licensing and tactics that new hunters need to know about. You're clearly the expert.

No, you cannot buy 'wild' Canada goose in the grocery store. That is a domestic goose of a totally different breed. Larger, more fat, different flavor, and its probably plucked rather than skinned. It is also against federal law to sell wild waterfowl at all (I'm giving it away for free next weekend).

Yes, I'm a long-time semi-regular reader of Gothamist, by the way.