Bone Marrow Part 2......
Greetings! Sarah Comeau emaciyapi (my name is Sarah Comeau). Scott asked me to share some Lakota knowledge regarding our traditional methods for cooking certain foods. You may recall my contribution to Scott’s two-part publication on pemmican. This time, I am going to talk about bone marrow. If this is your first time reading my words……welcome! Let me briefly recap a little about myself. I am Hunkpapa Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and now reside in Livingston, Montana. I am a nurse, horse trainer, outdoor lover, aspiring fly-fisherman, health-nut, and very much a practitioner of Lakota ways.
It is hard for me to talk about food without thinking where and how this food came to be on my plate. I rarely eat a meal without wondering how the food I am eating is sourced, who sourced it, where it was sourced and how it is going to nourish my body. I am not sure if the foundation of this thought process is because of my health background or my Lakota upbringing. Maybe, it comes from all parts of my expansive background. That is a lot of thinking but the reality of it all is that this process is hard wired. Let me explain more as I dive deeper into an impressive food source…bone marrow.
Scott and I visit regularly about harvesting, preparing, and cooking various foods found naturally in nature. I highly enjoy our hilarious and brutally truthful discussions on such matters. Today I would like to include you all on a great topic I feel people should be made aware of. I hope this article inspires you to head over to your local butcher shop or dearest hunter friend and snatch up some good bones. If you are a hunter, maybe you will think twice about only keeping the meat of your harvest. If you have not tried bone marrow, then I am highly disappointed in you right now! Kidding…. not kidding.
Historically, bone marrow was an important aspect of the Lakota diet and imperative for survival. Prior to reservation days, people were extremely active and did not eat large portioned meals and sometimes only ate once a day. As you can assume, there was a great need for a high protein and high calorie diet. Calories, back then did not have a negative connotation like they do today. Calories were a huge source of energy needed to conduct everyday tasks. These tasks were essential for survival as men spent most of their day traveling by foot over hills, rivers, and mountains hunting or practicing a highly active skill.
Women tanned hides, cooked time intensive meals, chopped firewood and constantly peeled wood poles for lodges and other things. All of this activity required a lot of muscle and energy; therefore, food needed to be high in protein and calories. One other aspect I want to highlight is the health benefit of specific bone marrow contents. Stem cells…that is right
Stem cells are a hot topic right now of which all the major wellness gurus are raving about like they found a secret to staying young and active. Why should you care about stem cells? Stem cells produce other cells that are important for carrying oxygen, fighting infection, decrease inflammation and so much more. Our body’s cells constantly die and regenerate but as we age or damage our bodies, cells do not reproduce like they once did. Therefore, stem cells aide in keeping us healthy on a cellular level.
This brings me back to my comment about having hard wired thoughts on how food is sourced. If we as humans knew more about the health benefits of things found all around us in nature; perhaps we will have a greater appreciation for keeping sacred the connection we have with our food. Think about eating bone marrow before a big hunt or hike or after a solid days work at the gym. Buffalo, elk, moose, and deer bones is what we traditionally used back in the day. Today, I mostly use buffalo bones. If you are lucky, like myself, you have friends who get buffalo bones for free. Most butcher shops sell beef bones and may save you some Elk bones if you let them know ahead of time
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Cooking bone marrow is probably one of the easiest things I have ever cooked besides toast. Refer to part one that Scott wrote about to find greater detail on recipes. Bones from the butcher are clean and ready to cook. If you get your bones fresh from the field, I recommend soaking the bones for 12-24 hours in salt water before cooking. I like to eat the marrow directly from the bone by the spoonful. Other great ideas include eating it as a spread on crackers with cheese and veggie toppings. It also mixes great with mash potatoes, mayonnaise, spiced relish, or spread atop a perfectly cooked steak. The possibilities are endless and I hope you will let Scott and I know about all the ways you used bone marrow. Happy cooking and Happy New Year!
This article was written in Sarah’s words. I just wanted to thank her for doing this and for the collaboration on the newsletters as time allows. I know I always enjoy reading what she sends me and our food and hunting conversations. It is truly an amazingly delicious food source that gets neglected, throw in the garbage or left in the field. From us to you all reading, give it a try and let us know what you come up with. For as easy as it is to prepare and as delicious as it is, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Scott (The Traveling Ungulate)