Orkney has 2 wildlife problems.
One is stoats. Since 2010 stoats have spread across Orkney, endangering the native wildlife. We have lost livestock to stoats and we are doing our bit by trapping . Most recently here , but we have been catching them back to 2018. And there is an Orkney-wide project to eradicate stoats , oraganised through NatureScotland
The other problem is graylag geese. The census in 2006 got to 67540 greylag geese in Orkney , and 63,534 in 2018. Geese eat grass which here is needed for cattle and sheep. There have been various initiaites to control numbers - Some details - egg oiling, coralling, shooting are here . And from Februiaruy this year there has been open-season on shooting greylag geese - in fact an opportunity for tourism. And the BBC have more details .
We spotted some greylag geese and chicks back in July, and managed to catch the chicks, and decided to grow them on.
And they have grown a bit and the time has come.
We own one of these these ( a bolt gun)
The next step is to pluck the goose - feathers can get everywhere. So perhaps next time we'll do oit outside on a windy day.
And then gutted and prepared
And the consumed.
And as we grew the Romanesco cauliflower and pototoes , the total food miles in this dish is about 80 yards.
And the cost :
Goose - see above. Some grain for feeding - say 50p ( generous guess0
A packed of seeds - weve got 6 plants for £ 1.50, so that is abour 25 p
Potatoes - they grew from seed potatoes left over from last year.
So a meal for 2 for 75 p.
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