There's more than one kind of garden harvest! The coypu, or nutria, has become an invasive species in Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was brought from South America to the US Pacific Northwest to be raised for its fur. Instead, they are all over the waterways and gardens. Thank goodness they are so delicious!

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Name: Coypu BBQ Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Kaiser Bun

The BBQ Coypu

• Roasted Nutria, also called Coypu (Myocastor coypus), removed from the bones, like Pulled Pork, sauteed with
• Olive Oil
• Onions
• Bell Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Kinder's Mild BBQ Sauce

Coleslaw Topping

• Grated Carrots
• Sliced Cabbage
• Balsamic Vinegar

Additional Info:

I like eating from my homestead. I don't raise animals to eat, but I do harvest some wild animals when opportunities arise. Nutria like to eat the roots of my Swiss Chard and Kale, leaves of potato plants, and cornstalks. They can wreak havoc overnight. They are a clean, low-fat meat. Roasted, they taste like the dark meat of a turkey. They make great BBQ sandwiches, just like Pulled Pork.

The vegetables in the BBQ are from my garden. The side salad is simple -- homegrown Italian Leaf Parsley, Rose of Sharon flower petals, topped with Pickled inner part of Yucca flowers. I wrote an earlier post about Harvesting and Cooking Yucca Flowers. I pickled them with the same recipe I used in my YouTube video on how to make Pickled Hop Shoots. I just eat this salad like a finger food - it's really good!

For dessert, I have a mix of homegrown Curlfree Peaches and wild Himalayan Blackberries. With this Humboldt Brown Ale, from Humboldt Brewing in Ukiah, California, this was a great dinner this evening. I made a big batch of this Coypu BBQ for my parents and sisters when they came to visit last week. These sandwiches were a big hit! Coypu BBQ could be served at any BBQ place!

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What Do You Think?

• Do you have Nutria in your area?
• Would you try my sandwich?
• Would your try my salad?

I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.

I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!

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Foraging List

• Coypu or Nutria -Myocastor coypus
• Himalayan Blackberries Rubus armeniacus
• Yucca -Yucca gloriosa

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Thanks to @jaybird for this challenge. And to @papa-pepper and @bleedpoet for upping the prize pool. A good sandwich is hard to beat, especially when it's mostly from my own yard! :D

** Haphazard Homestead **

*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***

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My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead