I can remember when I was a very little girl that we went to a squirrel fry at a place near Five Runs Creek. This event was once a year in the fall during squirrel hunting season. Grandma Bass’ (Nancy Jane Bass [Ward]) extended family gathered early at the site and began preparations for cooking bread and squirrel. This family included Daddy’s family, Aunt Florence, and the families of Uncle Riley, Uncle Henry, Aunt Mattie, and Aunt Dora. Any other friends and relatives were welcomed also. The men and boys were in the woods much earlier than the women and children. They would be there by daybreak hunting for squirrels so they could get to the picnic area and get them skinned and cleaned in time to be cooked for dinner. After several hours of hunting some of the men might try a hand at fishing for a while before dinner.
The area for the picnic was a washed area of clay that had clay gullies near the creek. There were plenty of trees but much of the area had very little grass or trees. The women would come with the children and equipment and food for cooking. They’d bring already cooked foods like cakes, tea cakes, peas or beans and something to drink. Small rocks would be put close together, a fire built in the center, and an iron pot or skillet would be put on top. More than one of these would be fixed for frying cornbread and floured pieces of squirrel. One would be for a large pot of coffee. Lard would be put into the skillet ready for cornmeal patties.
Before noon the hunters would wander into the area one or two at a time with or without a squirrel dog. Each hunter would have several squirrels to skin, gut, and wash clean in water from the creek. Some men could skin a squirrel alone but most did it in pairs. They’d cut the loose skin on the back and each would pull the skin toward the head or tail. Sharp pocket knives cut the tail short, cut the eyes out and ears off, and gut the squirrel while someone else held the back legs. The squirrel would be dropped into a dish pan of creek water with other skinned squirrels. Later each would be cut into pieces and cleaned of hair. The women would take the pans of cut up squirrels and salt and flour each piece before dropping it into hot fat. We young children always watched these proceedings. It wouldn’t be long before all of the squirrels would be fried to a golden brown and put into large platters or pans for the table.
The table was a cloth or quilt spread on the ground. It would hold all of the good foods brought in boxes to the picnic, too. The children playing in the gullies would be called. One of the older men would say the blessing and plates would be passed out. The mothers would help children fill plates while men and boys walked around the table to fill their plates. With a cup of coffee or glass of drink in one hand and a plate in the other, it was time to sit down with the back against a tree or on a grassy spot nearby. The younger children could sit on a pallet spread conveniently nearby.
The children would be the first to finish. We’d rush back to the gullies for one last chase or to the spot of soft clay near the creek to grab a handful of the soft stuff to take home. After eating to the full and drinking another cup of coffee, it would be time to stop all of the visiting and pack up the cars and trucks for the trip home. Some of the boys would take their dogs and guns and head for another hunt in the woods. They ‘d arrive at home late in the day with more squirrels to skin and clean. The day was always a great day of family visiting, a day to look forward to next year, and a day to remember.
– Hazel Trawick [Bass]
