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A New Day for Muskie

In Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J., the fire hall has thrown an annual dinner for the last eighty years. The family-style dinner is served with string beans, potato salad, pepper cabbage, pickled beets, rolls, and the main course: fried muskrat. But the annual tradition that doubles as a fundraiser for the fire company is being put on hold, says Fire Chief Steve Fisher, because of the time it takes to make. “It’s a good month of work prepping for one evening’s dinner,” he said. “People just don’t have the time anymore.” Also, there’s a lack of available muskrat meat. A hard freeze made it too hard for trappers to work in the marshes where muskrats live, and with the price of pelts dropping to $1-$2 each, trappers are forgoing the labor-intensive marsh traps. (MS/South Jersey Times) ...There’s just not as much muskrat love as there used to be.