“I’m glad she did then.It seems that you’ve built quite a reputation.”
“It’s a good thing we both enjoy cooking and baking, isn’t it?”Belle pointed to a clearing in the forested area north of town.“We’re going there.I’ll show you the berries and how to spot the Eskimo potatoes, and then I’m going to hunt.I saw three deer the last time I was here, but I didn’t have my rifle.I’m hungry for a big pot of venison stew.”
“Oh, that does sound good.I wonder if we could sell something like stew to the men?”
Belle tilted her head to one side, thinking about it.“I think we could talk to Everett and see if he would allow one or both of us to go to the lumberyard at a designated time and serve stew to the men.It would be a lot of work, but it could be done.”
Maggie nodded.“I’ll think on it.I know James isn’t a man of means, and I don’t want to be a burden on him.”
Belle shook her head.“You could never be a burden, Maggie.”
“I hope not,” Maggie replied.
Belle quickly showed Maggie the unfamiliar berries and showed her how to identify and dig up the Eskimo potatoes.“Thankfully, the potatoes are available all summer.I was certain they’d be gone by now, but we can still harvest them.”
Maggie nodded, grasping a basket and getting to work on the berries.She planned to spend an hour or so on berries and then switch to the strange-looking potatoes.
Belle wandered off, and Maggie continued her foraging.She was certain if Belle was able to shoot a deer, she would share, and she planned to share her bounty as well.It wasn’t long before Maggie heard a single gunshot.She finished picking the berry bush she was working on and went in the direction of the shot.
She found Belle field dressing the deer she’d shot.“That’s a huge one!”
Belle grinned.“That’ll feed both of our homes for a while.We’ll split up the meat if you’ll share your berries and potatoes.”
“That’s a deal I can easily agree with.”
Together, they worked on the deer, dragging it back to Belle’s cabin.They strung it up from a tree, head down, so the blood could drain properly.“Would you like to have venison stew with us this evening?”
“I think I would.”Maggie felt odd leaving the entrails of the deer behind, but she knew it would be too difficult to transport otherwise.
They spent the rest of the day working on the deer, carefully cutting it into chunks and carrying it into a small structure Everett had made for keeping animals out of their meat stores.“With as cold as it already is, the meat will stay frozen here, so we don’t need to worry about turning it into jerky or salting it heavily.”
“Is that what this building is for?”Maggie asked, looking around.
“Yes.Everett built it for me over the summer so I would be able to store enough meat for winter.I’ve really only barely started using it.”
“I wonder if James would build one for me?”Maggie knew there was little room on James’s property for things like that, but she had a feeling he would be willing to do what it took for fresh meat.
“I don’t know.You should ask him.Or you can just use our storage.I want this thing full.”
Maggie shook her head.“I’m surprised at how easily you’ve adjusted to this lifestyle.”
“My life growing up wasn’t terribly different.Once my mother died, I was the one to find forage, keep a kitchen garden, and hunt.I did fish some, but I don’t particularly like the taste of fish.I’d eat it if that’s what we had, but I prefer other types of meat.”
“I had no idea you were raised to do those things.We did a lot of gardening and preserving at the orphanage, but we weren’t hunting and foraging.”
“You’ll learn quickly, Maggie.There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Maggie smiled, wondering if her friend was right.She couldn’t imagine being the one to shoot a deer, but with trades, it would work out.
They took a quick break for lunch, having the leftovers from the night before.“What do you send with Everett for his lunches?”Maggie asked.
“I usually send a portion of what I served the night before.Today, he took some of the duck and dumplings.”
“I’ll remember that.I didn’t know what to do for James, so I made him bacon sandwiches.”
“That’s what you had on hand.I’m sure you’ll provide different things when you can.”
