Summer is prime snapping turtle time. Although many are put off by the snappers prehistoric looks, downright spiteful attitude, and reputation for eating all the nasties of the aquatic world; those in the know about snapping turtles know that the meat is some of the most delicious and lean wild meat out there.
Be forewarned, there’s nothing zippity do dah easy about snapping turtles, not the catching, not the cleaning or the cooking. Perhaps that’s part of what makes them so tasty. It’s a bit of an accomplishment to put a turtle on the dinner table.
First things first- check the regulations regarding the hunting/taking of snapping turtles before you ever venture out in search of these ill-tempered monsters. Regulations vary widely from state to state and also within areas of a single state. For instance, here in Illinois, it is legal to bowfish for turtles during turtle season (June 15 through August 31) except in specific southern counties where alligator snappers have been sighted and confirmed.
Alligator snapping turtles are a whole different turtle and protected in many states. Make sure you know the difference between an alligator snapping turtle and common snapping turtle.
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Common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) are native to the Midwest. The alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii, which lives mostly in the southeastern U.S. and can weigh over 120 pounds, is a close relative. Common snapping turtles average 10 to 12 inches in length (upper shell length) and have an average weight of 15 to 25 pounds. If there is mud, water, and reasonable supply of food, its likely snapping turtles may live there. They inhabit all sorts of aquatic homes: large creeks, rivers, river sloughs, swamps, marshes, lakes, farm ponds and sewage lagoons.
As for their food supply, snapping turtles will eat just darn near anything that crosses their path (dead or alive) including fish, frogs, drowned animals, goslings, ducklings, small birds, crayfish and aquatic plants.
Catching Snapping Turtles
Catching snapping turtles is the easiest part of the whole process. Often anglers fishing for catfish catch snappers while using jugs, trotlines, tightlines or limb lines baited with cut bait, live bait or chicken livers. In general if the bait appeals to a catfish it’s also going to appeal to a snapping turtle. Thankfully turtles caught with jug lines usually move near the shore, making them easier to retrieve and handle. Other turtle catching methods include “handfishing” and “rodding” along rivers and streams or, during the winter months, spotting and catching them through the ice. The ice method only works well if you have both clear ice and relatively shallow water; look for turtles half buried in the mud, chip through the ice and grab them by the tail. As you might guess turtles are slow at this time of the year, making this a little less difficult than hand fishing for them in the warmer months when they can turn and snap a finger off in the blink of an eye. In some areas it’s also legal to use a spear, gig, or to bowfish for them.
The easiest way to capture a snapper is to catch them crossing the road when they are traveling from one soggy swamp spot to another.
Once you have a snapper in your possession, and prior to killing the snapper, it’s best to put it in a clean out tank for about a week rather than cleaning right away. Keep it in a tub of clean water for a period of time. Small livestock water tanks and clean plastic barrels work great for this. Change the water every few days until it remains relatively clear.
Cleaning a Snapping Turtle
Cleaning a snapping turtle can be a bit tedious; it’s not difficult, just somewhat time consuming.
Eso addon folder location. Snapping turtles can be prepared in a variety of ways. It’s important to note that like many very lean wild meats, a low and slow cooking method can produce the best results.
Turtle meat should be parboiled prior to using in any recipe. My personal preference is to place a layer of onions and peppers in the bottom of a crock pot, layer the turtle meat on top, then add just enough water or whatever stock (chicken or vegetable) I have handy to cover. Cook on the low setting 8 -12 hours.
Now the turtle meat is ready for most any recipe you have. It can be stir fired, barbequed, made in to soup – you name it. Turtle meat makes any recipe delicious.
Many people enjoy turtle meat fried. This is best done by either parboiling it first until fork tender, then breading and frying, or the more popular method is to fry and then wrap the fried pieces in foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for about two hours.
I suggest you try this soup recipe; it’s always a crowd pleaser at my house!
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Melt 2 sticks butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the roux is light brown. Set aside. Nfs highly compressed.
In a 5-quart saucepan, melt the remaining butter and add turtle meat. Cook over high heat until the meat is brown. Add celery, onions, garlic and seasonings, and cook until the vegetables are transparent.
Add tomato purée, beer, corn and green beans lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the roux and cook over low heat, stirring, until the soup is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and serve.
Alternately you can skip the roux making and transfer browned vegetables and all other ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.
*Special Thanks to Jaclyn Sisk for photographing the cleaning process while I handled knives instead of a camera for a change*
Taste Safe Mud Recipe For Chicken
I’m excited to share this guest post with you by Katie from A Pinch of Perfect. Katie posted on my Facebook wall that she found me through the SITS Girls and as soon as I saw her blog I knew I had to ask her to guest post right away. Katie’s blog is packed full of great activities and fun ideas for your little ones, so be sure to visit her blog after reading and commenting on this post! Now here’s Katie…
I have noticed that mud must have some sort of magnetic properties because my son can’t seem to stay away from it. My poor garden has suffered multiple assaults from my son and his shovel. To try and deter him from the garden I wanted to make him some mud that he could play with indoors or outdoors and as often as he would like. This is how Edible Mud Play Dough came to be. It had to be edible because I think you never can be too safe when toddlers are around (my son just turned 1.5) so I work really hard at coming up with safe activities for him.
(See more Toddler Friendly Activities Here)
Our homemade mud can be made with things found in your pantry. It’s fast and simple to make and looks exactly like mud. After coming up with this awesome recipe, when my husband came home from work and took a look at the “muddy” tray on the table he wondered why I had brought mud into the house. Oh the look he gave me when I took a bite was priceless, lol! By now he should know we are always up to something fun and interesting.
The awesome part about Edible Mud Play Dough is it is dry and crumbly and at the same time doughy and shapeable. Although it is edible, it doesn’t taste good at all so this activity shouldn’t turn into snack time. Get those trucks, shovels, and mud pie pans out because your kiddo is going to love playing with it. What a fun new Sensory Play experience!
(see more Sensory Play Activities Here)
Supplies:
1 Large box of chocolate pudding mix (we used the instant kind) 1 C. baking soda 1/4 C water 3 Tbs. oil
I suggest making one batch per kid.
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and mix evenly and it’s ready to be played with.
Makes a perfect mud ball because it can hold its shape, but will still crumble apart.
Here are my busy little kiddos smashing, filling, and building away.
My daughter used the words, “crumbly, brown, and soft.” What sensory words will your kiddo use to describe it?
Sometimes toddlers are hard to keep entertained…well my little man played with his dough for an impressively long time and even outlasted my daughter. He must love his new mud!
We hope you enjoy our Edible Mud Play Dough Recipe. Thanks for playing with us. Drop by A Little Pinch of Perfect to say hi and make sure you catch our next fun idea!
Love-Katie and the Kiddos
Katie is a Stay-At-Home-Mom who is kept busy by her spunky 3 year old daughter and curious 1 year old son. She is always coming up with new, fun, and creative ideas to keep her kiddos excited throughout the day. She believes that creativity helps little minds learn & grow in amazing ways that conventional methods only dream about. Visit A Little Pinch of Perfect to discover more or follow her on social media on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Bloglovin’
Thank you, Katie! 🙂
Do your kids love playing in the mud?
Have you ever made mud play dough? Please leave a comment for Katie below!
This post is linked to: SITS Sharefest (July 12, 2014)
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Have you ever tried sensory play recipes? Do you know all about sensory play? This type of tactile play is awesome for young kids and has so many benefits that you can read about in our sensory play ideas resource guide. I love to whip up quick sensory recipes that are super easy for you to do too!
EASY SENSORY PLAY RECIPES TO MAKE FOR KIDS
When you want to keep the kids away from the television and engaged with hands-on play, open up your kitchen cupboard! Here’s a list of sensory play recipes, that nicely complements our favorite sensory bin fillers.
We have had a blast with sensory bins for early learning. Sensory bins are a remarkable early childhood tool that everyone should try and incorporate into their daily plan. Just a few of the benefits include tactile sensory processing, fine motor development, social skills development, and early learning.
You can even pair your favorite books with sensory play ideas. Take a look through your kid’s favorite story and see how you can add a tactile element to it.
EASY TACTILE SENSORY PLAY
Sensory bins aren’t the only kind of tactile sensory play available to you, our awesome sensory play recipes are also perfect for exploring the tactile world.
Simple sensory play recipes make awesome anytime activities. With a few {mostly kitchen} ingredients, you may already have on hand everything you need to get started. I like to keep a stocked pantry for quick sensory play projects anytime.
These top sensory play recipes have proven to be real winners in our house and are asked for time and time again! Read all about the benefits of tactile sensory play!
It’s always important to keep in mind the age of the kids you are preparing sensory activities for! You need to take into account whether or not your kids are still in the taste-testing phase. Many of the recipes are not taste safe, but some are! See below.
Most use only two or three common ingredients! Click on the blue links or pictures to make these yourself.
We have many slime recipes to check out ranging from the traditional borax or liquid starch recipes to taste safe/borax free recipes. Learn everything you need to know about making the best slime out there! You will see several of the taste safe slime recipes below!
Cornstarch Dough
This dough has some cool movement to it that’s almost like slime but made from common kitchen ingredients.
Our favorite two ingredient sensory play anytime!
A fun twist on our homemade cloud dough recipe!
This is an awesome slime type of recipe that is actually taste safe!
Also a taste safe slime alternative! A couple ingredients and you have some gross science.
Super quick recipe for making fun colored sensory play for holidays and themes
Another favorite super quick, 2 ingredient sensory science play that starts in the kitchen!
Baking soda science and sensory play recipe!
Nov 30, 2015 Video Games Undertale Soul Quiz Soul Color Blue More. Green Aqua Light Blue Red Purple Orange Yellow Fallen Humans Report ♥ Add to library 85. How can the answer be improved? Undertale what color is your soul.
A little bit different but a great edible alternative for the child who has to taste everything!
A twist on the classic slime with an unique {but easy to get} ingredient
2 ingredients for easy, messy fun!
Simple classic recipe with 3 easy ingredients!
Our glitter bottles are easy to make with simple ingredients. These also makes a great calm down jars!
I hope you have found a new sensory play idea to try out today or save for later, maybe a rainy day! There are so many ideas for sensory play, and the benefits of sensory play are numerous.
AWESOMELY SIMPLE SENSORY PLAY IDEAS KIDS WILL LOVE!Oreo Mud Recipe
Here is a fun Fall Sensory Table idea for you and the kids. It even has a Pumpkin Spice scent. I have been dying to make “clean mud” with the boys for a long time. Now was a great time to try it. We had a great time making our Pumpkin Spice Clean Mud. Once the play recipe was ready we could not wait to add it to our sensory table for playtime!
Pumpkin Spice Clean Mud- fall sensory table
Original post was in 2014 and has since been updated.
This post contains affiliate links. FSPDT is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
*orange gel food coloring – Americolor Soft Gel Paste Food Coloring, Orange, .75 oz
*toilet paper
*borax – optional
*ivory soap
*water
*water table for play like this one Step2 WaterWheel Activity Play Table
How to make pumpkin spice clean mud: We tore up a bunch (2 rolls) of toilet paper. I also had a small bag of white tissue paper the boys tore up last year and we added that. Then I added water to a measuring cup(think it was 4 cups). To the water I added the food coloring and spices. I also added about a 1/4 a cup borax. While I did this my husband grated the 1 bar of ivory soap into the toilet paper.
I poured the mixture into the bin with the grated soap and toilet paper. My husband and the older boys started to mix it up.
Little brother helped add more spices to make it smell just right. It was great that we turned making clean mud into family time. Even baby brother was there watching from his chair.
Once we got through playing mixing up the pumpkin spice clean mud, we put the lid on it. We left it overnight.
The next afternoon I got it out for big brother to play in. Little brother was ill so he didn’t get to play in this sensory table. He is doing much better now! And we look forward to him making up playtime in our next fall table.
I often say simple isn’t boring. And simple sensory table is the way I went with this one. I added the clean mud to one side of our table and a few bowls and spoons to the other. I also gave him a bottle of cinnamon to sprinkle for extra fun. He didn’t waste anytime getting his hands in the mud. He whipped up my mom and I some yummy pumpkin pies.
Do not forget to look below for more sensory table ideas from the series. We hope you can enjoy Pumpkin Spice Clean Mud as much as we did.
Find all our Fall sensory tables from this series and more below:
Welcome to month three of the 12 Months of Sensory Doughs blog hop hosted by Lemon Lime Adventures! Each month on the 12th a group of creative bloggers will share unique ways to play with different sensory doughs. I’ll be focused on keeping these sensory doughs simple by using a few everyday items or toys for play. I also may include children’s books to inspire learning and creativity.
Snow Dough | Scented Dough | Sparkle Dough | Clean Mud | Salt Dough | Fizzy Dough | Sand Dough | Play Dough | Oobleck | Soda Dough | Cloud Dough | Edible Dough
This post may contain affiliate links.
Clean Mud Sensory Play
This month’s sensory dough is clean mud! Clean mud isn’t exactly clean, but what sensory play activity isn’t messy?! The neat thing about this sensory dough is that it uses soap, so it is really easy to clean up! To make clean up all you need is a bar of soap, a roll of toilet paper, a grater and water!
To make clean mud is so simple your kids will love to help! First you need to shred the toilet paper into pieces. I found this to be the most tedious job and Caden wasn’t shockingly not really into helping me. Who knew it would take so long to shred a single roll of toilet paper? Hopefully you will have some willing participants to help you.
Next you’ll need to grade the bar of soap. This was a much quicker job and Caden enjoyed helping!
Taste Safe Mud Recipe For Kids
Once the toilet paper was all shredded and the bar of soap grated, we then mixed it up with water in a bin. I added some brown tempera paint to give it a muddy color.
I set up the muddy clean mud outside in a boot tray and added some monster trucks and off-roading vehicles so Caden could drive them through the mud! This is a very relevant activity for us this Spring, as our dirt road is full of mud and bumps!
Some fun books to go with Gone Mudding! Clean Mud Sensory Play:
Please check out more fun ways to play with Clean Mud from my co-hosts!
How to Make Clean Mud Recipe (Taste Safe) | Powerful Mothering ~ Music Inspired Clean Mud | Witty Hoots ~ Clean Mud and Flowers| Peakle Pie ~ Clean Mud Bubble Dough | Bare Feet on the Dashboard ~ Clean Mud Sensory Tray | Creative World of Varya ~Lego Clean Mud | Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tail ~ Clean Mud | In The Playroom ~ Clean Mud Fine Motor Gem Dig| Still Playing School
Follow Dayna | Lemon Lime Adventures’s board Sensory | Dough Recipes on Pinterest.
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