Passport to Texas

You can cook most anything in a Dutch oven.

Recereation/Cooking: The Forgiving Dutch Oven Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder it’s used to make Dutch ovens.

07—A Dutch oven is a cast iron pot that pioneers used to cook their meals in over an open fire.

Tim Spice is manager of boater education at TPW and an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

07—I’ve done some stuffed Cornish game hens and quiche. Whatever you can bake in your oven you can bake in a Dutch oven.

For the new Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

17—Stews are easy. Liquid recipes are forgiving in a Dutch oven. So, I just tell people to start with that. Pick a great beef stew or a chicken stew and go after it. Vegetables, stock and the meat of your choice – and just let it cook away. And you’ll have a great meal in a short period of time.

If you’re worried about using your Dutch oven for the first time in the wide open spaces, Tim says to do a test run in your home oven.

16—If I want to try something on a fire, I’ll get my Dutch oven out and I’ll cook it in my oven so I don’t have to worry about temperature control. I can focus on recipe adjustment. Let’s face it, when you’re out in the woods, camping – you’re trying to have a good time –you don’t have a full kitchen behind you. So, that’s what I do. I use it a lot.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Dutch ovens getting a workout at camp.

Recreation/Cooking: Going Dutch (Oven) Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If your summertime meal planning includes al fresco dining…a Dutch oven will make cooking up tasty treats a snap

06—And you can cook anything that you would at home, on a fire, outdoors, while you’re camping with your family or friends.

Dutch oven enthusiast, Tim Spice, heads up boater safety at Parks and Wildlife. In use since the 1700s, Dutch ovens are made of cast iron.

10—Today the Dutch oven has legs on the bottom and a rim on the lid so that you can put coals under it and on top of it and cook as you would in your oven at home.

The key to Dutch oven cooking success is temperature control.

22—You hold your hand six inches above the coals…thousand one…thousand two….thousand three…if you have to pull your hand away sooner because it’s uncomfortable from the heat – it’s hotter than three-fifty. If you can hold your hand longer than three seconds, it’s colder than three-fifty. And, since most food is cooked at three hundred and fifty degrees in the oven, that’s where you’ll want to start gauging your heat.

Tim says the best way to learn how to Dutch oven cook is to just do it.

12—Don’t be intimidated by that Dutch oven. Grab one and take it home and practice. And then, take your folks out to the state park and spend the day and have a great meal at the end of a great day outdoors.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Scorpion in Texas

Wildlife: Benefits of Scorpions Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas boasts a fair number of scorpion species.

06— There are about 18 species in Texas. Depending on where you’re at – you may have more or less.

Ben Hutchins is an invertebrate biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

10— In all of Texas, we don’t have scorpions that are considered life threatening. As with any animal that has venom, there’s always the possibility of an allergic reaction.

Hutchins says in healthy non-allergic people a scorpion sting will cause discomfort, but not for long. You might want to cut scorpions some slack – they’re beneficial in a couple of ways.

23— Scorpions are predators, and so they feed on a variety of potential pest organisms. Some scorpions also feed on other scorpions, so they do have an important role in the environment potentially controlling pest populations…insects…spiders…other arachnids. There’s also potential medical utility for scorpions as well – using venom to treat medical conditions.

Researchers are studying scorpion venom’s qualities as a pain killer. So, if a scorpion wanders into your home some summer evening while foraging, don’t kill it.

12— There’s really no cause for alarm. What I usually do is use a cup [and place it over the scorpion and use a] piece of paper that you kind of slide under there to pick up the scorpion. And then you can just remove it and put it in an area where it can do its business.

Learn more about scorpions in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Scorpion on leaf litter.

Wildlife: Texas Scorpions Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With crablike pincers and barbed tails, scorpions strike fear into the hearts of many who see them.

04— I think we have a natural reaction to anything with different body morphology.

Ben Hutchins is an invertebrate biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife. He says scorpions dwell in a wide variety of habitats.

03— Pretty much any habitat except Alpine environments.

Although we have several species of scorpions in Texas, Hutchins says we’re not likely to run into them.

18— Usually, we don’t run into them that often because they’re mainly active at night; during the day they’re usually hiding under rocks, under logs – deep in leaf litter as well. So, we don’t run into them a lot, except when perhaps we’re in the yard gardening, or they might wander into our house at night.

It’s that last part about wandering into the house at night that’s worrisome. Why do they come into our homes?

08— It’s not really intentional; during their foraging, they might see a crack under your door as just another crevice that they’ll be traveling through in search of prey.

Once they’re inside, they could make themselves comfy.

08— If you have a room with the lights off and lots of boxes – places to hide – that mirrors their natural environment with lots of secure hiding place for them.

Note to self: remove boxes from home office and turn on lights. Find an article about scorpions in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Chef Lou Lambert and his trusty kitchen helper.

Hunting/Cooking: Low and Slow to Cook Game Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cooking venison for the first time can be intimidating, but Lou Lambert, chef-proprietor of Lamberts Downtown Barbecue in Austin and Lambert’s Steaks and Seafood in Fort Worth, is here to help.

60— I grew up hunting and fishing and still do today. But I think most of the lessons I learned about cooking game were more failures than things that worked out well when my mother was cooking.

So, lack of fat and more movement tells you that you have to do a slow, moist heat cooking method, unless you have it ground into sausage, or pounded for chicken fried [steaks], most of that deer – 80% — you need to either do a braise or a very slow barbeque smoke method.

Find wild game recipes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.