Dear Editor,
I was reading the article Mrs. Stewart wrote about eating frog legs about a month ago in one of her articles she wrote; meanwhile, back at the Ranch.
It appeared to me like she may have been brought up in the same area as me? She mentioned Bass Lake; I also spent many enjoyable days at the lake picnicking in my younger days with family and friends, especially an occasional Fourth of July celebration get together swimming and rowing those old green wooden rowboats about the lake.
Mrs. Stewart didn’t mention the town she lived in; but I was raised in the Mud Springs township area of El Dorado County, now called El Dorado.
In my preteen years us kids swam, fished, and frogged at the El Dorado Reservoir and the many ponds in and around the El Dorado, Shingle Springs, Latrobe, and Diamond Springs area.
Before we owned frog gigs I used my grandfather’s extendable metal fishing rod with a fair size fishing hook and a piece of red flannel cloth about an inch or so Squair.
If the frog refused to bite the red flannel when presented to it we would cast the hook passed the frog and work it up between its legs, a quick jerk to set the hook, and then the fun started.
Note; the state of Nevada requires a fishing license if you use a hook and line to catch frogs, otherwise there is no fishing license, bag limit, or time of day or night requirements.
We had frogs measuring two to three inches between their eyes. The largest Bullfrog I remember my grandfather measuring was sixteen and a half inches from its crotch to the tip of its toes. I felt bad about eating that old crooker; but it had three prongs of my frog gig through its middle.
I remember the first frogs we ate.
Grandma had never cooked frog legs before; as they heated up in the cast Iron skillet on the old wood cook stove the legs began to get active and hopped out of the skillet and across the surface of the hot wood stove and unto the kitchen floor.
Lesson learned; soak the legs in salt water over night before cooking. It takes the hop out of them and also removes the fishy taste.
Now for the best part; actually, you disposed of the best eating parts of the frog.\
A large frog has a couple of bites of tender meat on its back, kind of like a small fried chicken back; but I will fight you for the front shoulders of any frog, the tastiest meat is on the front legs, much like a small chicken leg only better.
Roll the parts in a combination of egg, milk, and cornmeal. Salt and pepper to your taste and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Thank you Mrs. Stewart; for bringing back some fond memories of my youth. Perhaps we both did grow up in the same area?
Forrest Heyne