Easter Goose

Andy Schneider asked me to talk about Roast Goose on his blogtalkradio program Tuesday March 27. Goose is a good choice as the centerpiece of the dinner table for family celebrations.

During our chat, he asked for helpful waterfowl breeders. Metzer Farms here in California is very active in ducks and geese. John Metzer has been blogging and has his posts organized by subject.

Dave Holderreand's Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center in Corvallis, Oregon is a wonderful resource. Dave is the author of many books and articles about waterfolw, including, Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, The Book of Geese, Managing Ducks For Top Egg Production and Wing Disorders In Waterfowl and How to Prevent Them.

I described the process two years ago, in the March 20 blog post, when I served roast goose to guests. They were unfamiliar with goose, but goose is usually available from the supermarket. Ask the butcher if you don't find one in the freezer. If they don't have one, they can order it for you. An Internet search finds Schlitz Foods in South Dakota has frozen goose on sale. The site says that the geese they sell are their own, Schlitz Line 306, rather than a recognized breed, such a this drawing of a Pomeranian goose.

While I'd prefer a traditional breed goose, I'm glad that this family business continues to supply goose to the consumer market. Goose is not well appreciated. Putting it on more dinner tables would encourage other farmers to raise them.

They also sell goose eggs for crafts. This is a good example of the variety of products poultry can provide. Geese also produce the best down and feathers, products that are always in demand.

Tune in Tuesday to our discussion of roasting goose for the holidays.

The goose is one of the oldest domesticated poultry. The ancient Egyptians took advantage of their location as a wild goose flyway. Geese are also a spiritual inspiration. Mary Oliver wrote her poem about them, Wild Geese, that includes these lines:

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.