Wild Boar Shepherd's Pie

Wild Boar Shepherd's Pie, prepared for the first time by SK-II. She started with a pound of freshly ground wild boar (15% fat content ) from the Yabanjin's Kaitai Shack and utilized a recipe from our old copy of The LL Bean Game & Fish Cookbook. A few adjustments to the recipe and presto! This is an easy to make, heart-warming, stick to your ribs, healthy meal!

Hara Maki

Hara (Belly) + Maki (Roll Up) = Belly Wrap

The Hara Maki is sort of a sweater for your mid-section, worn by all types of people to keep warm during the cold weather. It also keeps your lower back and kidney areas warm. I have a thin one for my business clothes, a heavy one for outdoor use, and a shiny fancy one just for fun! These were all presents from my wife...hence the issue: Why does she frown then I wear it with just a tee shirt? This style is about as Redneck (Inakamono) as one can get (sorry to embarrass you, Babe!).

To make matters worse, we got one for our daughter, and we are showing them off in this pic!

Like father, like daughter!

SK-1 & SK-3 OUT!

Maki Wari

Firewood Splitting time is upon us! A few pics of Yabanjin and my brother-in-law cutting and splitting wood. We have are trying to maintain a 3 year rotating supply for both of our houses (Stacked and racked in the background).

Not sure who is doing all the work but operating the yumbo does not look back breaking...and I wrong?

Fast Cars!

A great day at Fuji International Speedway for the Ferrari Festival and Driving School. Hanging out in the Team Ferrari F-1 pits and checking out all the cars was a day in the asphalt "wilderness"! Thank you to Reza and Carl (Carlito) for making it happen!

Ferrari Driving School! Yabanjin took the short class by the Italian "Pilota" race driver instructors, and then hit the track!!!! It is amazing what $200K will buy!

Shika Kaitai

Butchering Shika at the Yabanjin's Kaitai Shack. Dan and Chi-san showed thei worth as butchers as we knocked out 2 deer in one day! Field dressed to freezer in 4 hours!

Kaitai Shack (Super House, Phase Three)

"Kaitai" (kai= take apart) + (tai= body) or literally to disassemble a whole thing, or in our case, to butcher, (a deer, boar, bird, fish, and even vegetables).

Note: while there are formal industry specific words in Japanese for each and every function, the generic Kaitai" woks well and is in common use in this area.

The new Kaitai Shack is the processing point for all the bounty that the Yabanjin brings in from the Yama (mountains). Obviously the butcher function will be a major part of this operation. Now we can completely butcher, process, pack, and wrap our wild game. SK-2 negotiated a great deal on the stainless steel counters (thank you, Babe!). This also DRAMATICALLY increases the sanitation levels of our processing and by far is setting the standard for our city...now I am ready to start pushing large amounts of venison to the folks in need though out our community! (MUCH MORE to follow on this important side project!)

Start with the Yabanjin's trusty butcher tool set. Add in the new meat grinder and butcher wrap from LEM (www.lemproducts.com), the slicer, vacuum packer, and refrigerator, and you have a compact butchering center! We should get 5-6 months of use each year just for hunting (3 month season plus 2 or 3 months of varmint eradication seasons). We have already made good use of the 'shack' for 5 deer this season and one wild boar.

When spring comes this will be the Sansai cleaning and preserving center. Then fishing season begins! Mushroom season will round out the year giving us year-round use of the 'shack"!

BTW, the fridge is well stocked with hot and cold ocha, oolong cha, coffee, and cold beer, so stop by, talk some smack with us, and lend a hand! Don't forget to take some game meat home too!

Super House...the next phase

The next phase of the Super House project is underway! A second, smaller, unit was obtained for a great price, but it needed some scrubbing and paint. After placing it in the right spot, a fresh coat of paint was applied inside and out.

Here you can see the yard tractor hiding between the 1st phase and second phase Super Houses.

The 'connector' shed is framed up and ready for a roof!

Working into the night after regular work, and SK-3 is supervising from the deck!

More pics and info to follow in a later post...

SK-1 Out!

New Year's Deer!

4 1/2 year old Sika (Ma-Jika) taken by Yabanjin on 2 January 2010. The trusty old SKB 20ga shotgun that I inherited was loaded with Federal Premium Power-Shok Sabot Slugs and sure came through for me stopping this nice buck.
The new Yabanjin Kaitai Shack (Butcher Shop) made quick work of skinning and butchering this deer and stocked the freezer with Vension. (I promise more pics of the shack, and some good recipes too!)
Yabanjin Out!

Hunting Success!

Yabanjin took this nice Shika on 27 November. 5 1/2 year old buck with antlers over 25 inches tall! The weather was quite cool so we aged him for 2 days before butchering him. He is safe and sound in the freezer now! Dan helped out a lot and showed a lot of experience and skill with a knife (as well as making some awesome Venison Fajitas!). Chi learned a lot that day and is also quite good with a butcher knife!

This nice 3 1/2 year old spike (Ipon-zuno) Shika was taken on the 26th of November. Chi sure proved his worth in the mountain when he demonstrated his excellent tracking technique, following this deer for almost 600 meters.

Yabanjin Out!