Hunt, Gather, Talk with Hank Shaw

In this episode, I geek out on basic cheesemaking -- the original way to preserve milk and dairy products -- with Claudia Lucero of Urban Cheesecraft in Portland, Oregon. It's a fun, super useful conversation about what equipment you need (hint: not much), where to get good milk, and how to actually make a few basic cheeses at home.

In this episode of Hunt Gather Talk, forager and chef Alan Bergo joins me to geek out on all the ways to preserve mushrooms, wild or cultivated. There's a whole lot more out there than just drying. We talk about which mushrooms are best preserved in other ways, like fermentation and pickling and just plain freezing.

I am excited to share with you my conversation with fermentation guru Sandor Katz, who is as knowledgeable as he is fun to talk with. We range all over the wild fermentation world in this episode, literally and figuratively since Sandor has traveled the globe in search of wild ferments. Strap yourself in for this one -- it's gonna be a ride!

Pressure canning scares people. Canning expert Cathy Barrow and I are here to dispel that fear. In this podcast, we explain all about pressure canning, dispelling myths and fears, and talking about our favorite projects. Cathy drops so much knowledge in this episode, it'll blow your mind!

From marinated mushrooms and peppers to pasta, pickles and sweets, the Italians are masters of preservation. I talk with cookbook author Rosetta Costantino about Southern Italian methods of preserving food; Rosetta is from Calabria and leads culinary tours there. If you want to learn how to do things the Calabrian way, this episode is for you.

We all have memories -- or notions -- of canning being this gigantic task, in sweaty summer kitchens, lasting hours and producing whole cupboards full of jams or pickles or somesuch. Well, while that certainly does happen, you can put food by in small batches, even as small as one pint! Canning expert Marisa McLellan of Food in Jars joins me to geek out on small batch canning. If you live in an apartment, as she does, or if you just want to preserve small bits of precious things, like ramps or mushrooms or other wild foods, this episode is for you.

If you've ever wondered about freeze drying, this episode's for you. Spoiler alert: Freeze drying is more than just astronaut ice cream. In this episode, I talk with Shannon Waters, a former chef and restaurant consultant who is making waves with Third Wave freeze-dried meals through her company Gastro Gnome Meals. Shannon and I talk about freeze drying at home: When it makes sense, when it doesn't, what foods work well with freeze drying, as well as some memorable failures...

A conversation about salting fish: How to make it and how to use it, with Newfoundlander Lori McCarthy of Food Culture Place. Salt fish, and salt cod in particular, played a huge role in Western history and remains a vital part of the culture of Newfoundland and Scandinavia. We talk about that, plus the more practical topics of how to go about salting whatever fish you have near you, as well as how best to use it later, on this episode of Hunt Gather Talk.

Season 4 of Hunt Gather Talk will be all about preservation, from drying and fermenting to canning to charcuterie, meat, fish, plants, mushrooms. We kick off the season with a conversation about dry aging, with Jess Pryles of Hardcore Carnivore. Jess is not only a barbecue maven, she's also a trained meat scientist. We go over the ins and outs of dry aging, with an emphasis on beef and venison.

Everything you wanted to know (or not!) about the parasites in fish and seafood. John Burrows of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and I break it all down in this episode.

Catfish are an iconic American fish, loved by many, hated by some. I talk with my friend Jonathan Wilkins of Black Duck Revival about catfish, and we range from mechanical details on how to catch them to cooking and prepping them to the cultural baggage catfish can sometimes bring with them to the dinner table.

Andrew Zimmern, who many of you know from his TV show "Bizarre Foods," has eaten more fish and seafood over the years than anyone I know. So who better to talk about the details of flavor and texture with fish and seafood, from the sublime to the slimy.

If you're a fan of the survival shows, you know that fishing is a big part of how suvivalists make it through their challenges. In this episode, I talk with the grandmaster of survival, Les Stroud of Survivorman, all about how to fish in a survival situation, as well as why some of those shows are not all that they appear to be...

In this episode, I talk with my friend Kirk Lombard all about gathering the fruits of the seashore, from clams and such to little fish, monkeyface eels and more. Kirk's book "The Sea Forager" is a fantastic guide to nearshore gathering and fishing, and we totally geek out on odd tidepool edibles.

I've always had a thing about catch and release; I don't like participating in fisheries where there is no take allowed. (Obviously, I release lots of fish that are undersized or incidental catch though). But my opinion, even though it's based on research, isn't nearly as important to listen to as are the research findings of Stephanie Shaw of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (And no, we're not related.) Catch and release is Stephanie's specialty, and together we bust some myths and talk about best practices for catch and release, primarily in freshwater fishing, but relevant to saltwater, too.

I am not a spearfisherman, but I've always been interested in the pursuit. It's the closest thing to hunting you can do in the water because, well, it's hunting. I talk with spearfisherman Valentine Thomas all about what it's like to chase fish with a speargun, and about how to get started if you're interested in taking up the pursuit.

We explore both the romance and the realities of commercial fishing. Tyson Fick and I crewed together on the F/V Heather Anne, a gillnet boat in Alaska, fishing for salmon. We talk about the tough realities of making a living on the water -- as well as why we love it so much!

Most of us think fish and other sea creatures aren't terribly bright. Most of is are wrong. In this episode, I talk with renowned scientist Culum Brown, a leading authority on cognition in aquatic animals, all about how smart our watery friends are. Spoiler alert: They're a lot smarter than we ever thought!

I join my friends Joe Baya and Butch Thierry of Great Days Outdoors to share stories from life as a deckhand -- all three of us have worked that job, and yeah, we have stories to tell. We also talk a lot about how you can be a better fishing charter client.

I geek out with marine biologist Crystal Hightower of the University of South Alabama on snappers: red snapper, beeliners, mangroves, you name it. These popular game fish are fascinating in their own right, but they are also one of the most controversial fisheries in America. We break down not only the biology, but also the reason why people fight over these fish.