Castor sacs, Rapaire? Now I'm wondering where castor oil comes from! Surely, not beavers?!?

Those sacs are probably why the recipe says to be sure to strip the beaver of all fat and remove all sinews from the legs, then soak overnight in vinegar and water, or salt and water. Parbroil it twice to remove all fat, then roast at 300 for about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Choice of two sauces for basting -- one with butter/lemon juice/Worcestershire sauce, the other with butter/dry mustard/brown sugar/orange marmalade. (Personally, I'd go for the brown sugar and marmalade). One beaver serves "lots"!

At any rate, it sure sounds like not everyone's loathe to eat Beaver.

Regarding whether or not beavers are essential to wetlands, this article about the declining population of beavers in Algonquin Park Ontario is quite interesting - Beavers dislodged

"Algonquin Park is an exceptional laboratory ... one of the world's most-studied habitats. There are hundreds of scientific papers and research reports on its flora and fauna.

One of the most-studied animals is the beaver, partly because it is a so-called "keystone" species, an animal that, much like the centre stone in an archway, holds up the rest of the ecosystem.

By building dams that foster wetlands, beavers completely reshape the landscape, and are said to be second only to humans in their modification of the natural environment.

Their industrious activity provides habitat for wood ducks, black ducks and the dozens of plant species that live only in marshes.

Beavers also provide an important link in the food chain because they are high on the menu for wolves".

The article postulates that the reason the beavers are disappearing from the Park is because the trees are changing. The young forests which sprang up after the fires and clear-cuts of the logging days are now maturing into old-growth forests, which do not appeal to beavers;

"While these woods, with their towering canopy of old-growth beech, maple and white pine, look majestic to us, the beauty of the situation is totally lost on a beaver, which considers a forest from the more mundane, culinary standpoint.

Beavers eat tree bark, leaves and the growing end of twigs. But they are fussy. They prefer to gnaw on aspen and white birch, fast-growing trees that sprout from the soil after a forest fire or a big, human disturbance, such as clear-cutting".

So, beavers and clear-cutters are on the same team?? Sheesh, never thought of it quite that way before! Thanks for the inspiration to educate myself!

daylia