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Duck season!
Wabbit season!
Duck season!
Wabbit season!
To set the record straight, duck season ended recently here in Lake County. Wabbit, er, rabbit season never closes.
Most of us in the area have heard the familiar sounds of gunshots in the morning during the colder months of the year when duck season is open, and duck is readily available in grocery stores.
Rabbit is also seen in stores on occasion, but since Bugs usually gets all the good press I’m going to
promote Daffy today.
I gave up hunting years ago and a part of me regret it since I would love to have a supply of wild game on a regular basis. Our county has such a bounty of wild boar, geese, hare, turkey and deer, not to
forget the ducks.
At times I wish I could hunt, but I gave it up for very good reasons and I won’t go back. But if anybody has any extra wild game they don’t want, I won’t turn it down.
I usually purchase two ducks per month from the grocery store, not just because I love the flavor but it’s usually about $1.99 per pound which makes it far cheaper than beef. This makes it very economical to feed my family. I can usually make two meals out of one duck, so if you do the math you’ll see we eat duck about four times a month.
On other birds you buy in the grocery store, like chicken, capon and turkey, you get both light and dark meat. That is because these birds are so domesticated that they don’t use their wings to fly and so the
meat on the breast is very light. Since ducks do use their wings actively the breast meat is dark; there is no white meat on a duck.
The dark meat of duck isn’t like the dark meat of other fowl since it is leaner, firmer and more reminiscent of beef than of bird. It’s also perfectly acceptable for the meat to be served rare, the way most gourmands prefer it.
Cooking a duck breast to an internal temperature of 155 degrees then removing it from the heat and letting carry-over heat finish the breast as it rests for a couple minutes will give you best results.
While there are several breeds of domesticated duck that you will find available, the most common is the White Pekin (PEE-kin). Most people consider it to have the best flavor, the right amount of fat, the
highest weight to meat ratio, and is the least “gamey.” Don’t confuse the “Pekin” duck with “Peking” duck since one is a bird and the other is a recipe FOR the bird.
Both farmed and wild ducks feed on natural foods, though what the farmed birds eat is more controlled. The domesticated ducks eat corn, wheat and soybeans, and are given no antibiotics, steroids or gross
stuff. Wild ducks are opportunistic feeders eating almost any aquatic life that it can swallow, including grasses, grains, etc.
Ducks have a comb-like system on the inside of their bills that allows them to open their bills in the water, take in some water, close their mouths, then squeeze the water out of their bills while keeping any critters from getting out.
Imagine taking in a mouthful of chicken noodle soup, then closing your teeth and spitting the soup out, the chicken, veggies and noodles would be trapped in your mouth while the liquid would be expelled.
If a duck sticks their tail up in the air and their head down to the bottom of the water to eat then they are called “dabbling ducks” (shelducks, perching ducks and diving ducks are other categories). White Pekins are dabbling ducks.
If you are a believer of the adage, “You are what you eat,” this would mean domesticated ducks taste clean and fresh while wild ducks taste like mosquito larvae, worms, snails and algae, i.e., gamey.
While many people like myself love the gamey flavor of wild game it can get old after a while, so
farm raised duck is a great every day type of meat.
Duck skin has a thick layer of fat underneath it. Of course, fat floats and keeps you warm, the two things a duck needs. This fat is popular among chefs to cook all sorts of things since it is rich and
has a high smoke point.
When I get a duck I use all of it, up to its full potential. First, when I’m dismembering a duck I cut out any fat and excess skin I can find, and there’s lots of it. I put it in a sauce pan on low heat until the fat is rendered. I then pour that fat into jars marked “duck pudge” and store it in the refrigerator. I use this rendered fat to cook cubed potatoes with rosemary and a little salt and pepper. It’s a family favorite in our house.
Then I make a stock out of the duck bones with some onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic and pepper, and it comes out thick and hearty, with a flavor similar to beef stock. Duck meat is very versatile too.
Michael Ruellman’s book “Charcuterie” has an amazing “Duck Prosciutto” recipe that I make on a regular basis.
A boneless, skinless, duck breast has 40-percent less fat than a similar chicken breast. Duck is high in iron, niacin, and selenium but lower in calories than most other meats. While duck skin has a considerable fat under it, the meat itself is very low in fat, including saturated fats. Since my family is trying to eat healthier, duck fits in perfectly with our needs.
In my opinion duck is an environmentally “green” meat. (Finally, the title of the column makes sense!)
Duck farms produce their meat more quickly than beef, acre per acre, so they produce more protein on less land. The ducklings hatch and grow for about six to eight weeks before being “processed,” at which point they are around 6 to 7 pounds in weight.
When they reach harvest size ducks are processed and immediately frozen which protects the meat from bruising or spoilage on their way to you. The ducks heads and other by-products are used to
make pet foods, their bedding is composted and used as fertilizer for vegetable farms, and the feathers are used in the bedding and clothing industry.
A duck’s feed conversion is 2 to 1, meaning for every 2 pounds of feed it eats, it grows by 1 pound, compared to pork at a ratio of 4 to 1, and beef being up to 10 to 1. So duck produces more food to less feed than most other meat animals. This makes duck a very efficient protein source.
Ducks are also raised in humane, clean conditions, typically on family-owned farms by people who really care about the little waddlers. They rise at the quack of dawn, have breakfast with quackers, and spend their day indoors so they don’t have to experience any fowl weather or worry about predators. They eat good food and are never charged for it, it just goes on their bill.
They don’t live in cages, but rather in large barns with plenty of room to exercise. Ducks have a good (low carbon footprint) life. So not only is the meat healthier for you but it’s healthier for the planet.
By the way, numerous studies have found that duck quacks DO echo, so don’t believe those e-mails of weird facts.
Having duck also gives you the feeling that the food is going to be more special. For example, just the thought of “duck spring rolls” as opposed to “chicken spring rolls” makes quite a different impression
on your feelings of the dish. The duck makes you think, “Oooh, how exotic.”
So duck is a superior product all across the board and is economical and environmentally friendly – “The green meat.”
Yoikes! And away!
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
The petition for writ of mandate names the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency, KK Raphel Properties LLC of Danville and 25 unidentified individuals.
The suit challenges the city's Feb. 25 certification of a mitigated negative declaration and project approval for the project – to be located at 6820 and 6828 Old Highway 53, on the site of the now-closed Pearce Field airport – and seeks to have the decision set aside.
During the city's consideration of the project, the Sierra Club Lake Group had urged them to conduct a full environmental impact report (EIR) – as had some other community members and leaders, including county Supervisors Rob Brown and Denise Rushing.
“The community deserves a complete EIR,” said Cheri Holden, chair of the Sierra Club Lake Group. “It's just that simple.”
Mike Raphel, one of KK Raphel Properties' principals, said they had no advance notice of the filing, which he called “unfortunate.”
Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman was out of town on vacation this week, and Vice Mayor Joyce Overton said the council hasn't been notified of the action yet.
She added that she wasn't surprised by the action. A Sierra Club letter sent to the council during the project consideration led Overton to believe that might be the outcome.
Overton – who had requested an EIR and voted against the mitigated negative declaration but otherwise voted for the project – said she didn't know why the Sierra Club was taking the action, noting it's “not like it's going in tomorrow.”
KK Raphel Properties is proposing to purchase 15 acres of the airport site, where it will build a shopping center with 154,179 square feet, including about 137,000 square feet for a Lowe's home improvement center, plus other commercial tenants including include sitdown and fast food restaurants, as Lake County News has reported.
The Sierra Club alleges that the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by certifying the mitigated negative declaration in lieu of preparing a full EIR, which the group asserts was required because there is “substantial evidence in the administrative record” that the project will have “numerous significant environmental effects.”
The suit asks that the city's certification of the mitigated negative declaration be set aside, that the effects of the project's approvals be stayed pending the suit's hearings and that the club receive an award of attorney's fees and costs.
Holden said that the suit had to receive approval not just from the Sierra Club Lake Group but from the Redwood Chapter and the state organization.
She said the group felt that the community deserves to see a whole EIR and a complete analysis, along with an indepth study of impacts and mitigations.
However, Raphel said a lot of research already has been done on the project during the three years the city and KK Raphel Properties have worked on it.
Now, he said they'll have to take a look at the suit and speak to Lowe's. The city's plans call for escrow to close on the property by next February.
He said they've been through such suits before, but in this case it's unique, because the city was supportive of the plan, which he said was a top redevelopment goal.
“In the meantime, the financial condition of the city doesn't get any better,” said Raphel, who added, “We got close to the finish line.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Justin Force Lazard, 43, was taken into custody in New York City while attempting to enter the United States after returning from the Caribbean, according to Lt. Brad Rasmussen of the Lakeport Police Department.
Police arrested Lazard on July 4, 2006, after he was found exposing himself in front of numerous witnesses who were attending a public fireworks display at Library Park, Rasmussen said. Lazard reportedly struggled with officers, who used Tasers to subdue him.
Further investigation led to the Lake County District Attorney's Office filing charges against Lazard, who later donated playground equipment for Lakeport's Library Park, as Lake County News has reported.
Last May he was scheduled to go to trial on misdemeanor charges of annoying or molesting a child under 18, engaging in lewd conduct in public and indecent exposure. However, he failed to appear and the Lake County Superior Court issued a bench warrant for Lazard's arrest, according to court records.
In recent weeks, the Lakeport Police Department had stepped up its efforts to find Lazard, who it made its most wanted person.
Rasmussen said they contacted the police department in Woodstock, New York, where Lazard is believed to have been living, and the two departments were working together to arrest Lazard and have him brought back to Lake County for trial.
“They've agreed to work with us on attempting to take him into custody,” he said. “They were willing to help.”
The district attorney's office in Ulster County, New York, also was working on a fugitive warrant, he added.
Then, as Lazard was coming through US Customs and Border Protection at around 4 p.m. East Coast time on Friday, that agency ran a check on him and found the arrest warrant, said Rasmussen.
“Today was just a fluke,” said Rasmussen. “We didn't know he was out of the country at this time.”
About three and a half hours later, Lazard was turned over to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, where Rasmussen said Lazard was booked on the warrant.
“We had advised the port authority police that we will extradict him,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said Lazard will need to appear in court next week in New York City, where the Queens District Attorney's Office is filing a fugitive warrant. Then he must go to court for identification and extradition proceedings.
Lazard could try to challenge extradition and try to post bail, which is $25,000 just from the Lakeport Police Department's warrant. “In some states they have to go to court and see a judge there before they can possibly make bail,” Rasmussen said.
It's possible that Lazard could make bail in New York, but Rasmussen said that the Woodstock Police might pick him up again.
Now police are waiting for word from the New York authorities about Lazard's status and when he might be ready for extradition. In the meantime, the Lake County District Attorney's Office is preparing a governor's warrant seeking extradition, Rasmussen said.
He added, “Although it's a misdemeanor, it's a serious misdemeanor and we consider it a serious offense in our jurisdiction, and we want him to answer to the charges filed again him, which he's failed to appear for for close to a year at this point.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
These protections lessen the detrimental impact of lengthy probates and favor a deceased person’s dependents at the time of death over the decedent’s creditors.
Probate protections even favor the surviving family when the deceased person’s will gives his estate go to other persons.
Let’s examine who is protected and how each of these protections work.
Who is protected? The surviving spouse and surviving minor children are the only persons entitled to all of these protections so long as their status remains. That is, so long as the surviving spouse doesn’t get remarried or the minor children don’t reach majority, as relevant.
In addition to the surviving spouse and minor children, the decedent’s adult disabled and dependent children are entitled to receive a family allowance, or maintenance money). Sometimes, at the court’s discretion, the decedent’s dependent adult children and dependent parents may also be granted a family allowance.
Temporary possession of the family home and exempt property is immediately allowed to the surviving spouse and minor children without any court order. This means that they can remain in control of the family dwelling, clothing, household furniture, and certain other property that is exempt from creditor claims.
This temporary possession lasts until 60 days after the inventory and appraisal is filed with the probate court during the administration of the decedent’s probate estate; it can be extended by court order. The protection can last for many months.
A probate homestead set-aside can pickup where the temporary possession of the home ends, and can commence upon the filing of the probate inventory. The probate homestead is itself temporary. It may either last for a short term (such as six months) or a long term (such as the surviving spouse’s remaining lifetime or until the minor children reach majority).
In setting the duration of the probate homestead, the court will usually consider the needs and income of the surviving spouse and minor children, the length of the marriage, and the surviving spouse’s age.
For example, a surviving spouse aged 55 years old, and with limited means of support, may be given a probate homestead for her remaining lifetime.
Lastly, the probate homestead remains answerable to the decedent’s creditors and for any loans secured against the real property (homestead) at the decedent’s death.
The family allowance exists to maintain certain family members during the administration (settling) of the probate estate and is paid out of the decedent’s estate. It is granted a high priority (No. 5) in the order of what expenses and debts the administrator of an estate must pay.
As soon as the administrator has set sufficient funds aside to pay the expenses of administration – such as executor and attorney fees – the administrator shall pay the family allowance.
If more than one person is entitled to a family allowance and one of them has sufficient means to provide for himself, then the family allowance is granted only to those others who lack the sufficient means from other sources.
The family allowance either terminates with the final order of distribution to beneficiaries of the probate estate (at the latest) or earlier.
If the probate estate is insolvent, or has more debts than assets, the family allowance must end within one year of the commencement of the probate administration (i.e., the date when letters testamentary were issued to the executor).
Legal counsel is needed in order to take advantage of these family protections; petitions must be filed with notice to appropriate parties.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 1st St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at
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Thirty-three-year-old Long Beach resident Juan Octavio Fernandez, also known as Angel Morales-Orellana, was sentenced to 30 years and eight months to life by Judge Richard Henderson, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.
He was charged with home invasion robbery, aggravated kidnapping for robbery and 11 other felonies and 13 special allegations.
Fernandez was convicted after a week and a half trial by a seven-woman, five-man jury, which reached its verdict at the end of the second day of deliberations, officials reported. Deputy District Attorney Brian Newman, with attorney Paul Lozada representing Fernandez.
In early January of 2008, Fernandez and six other men allegedly invaded a Branscomb home. The men, some of whom were wearing masks tied up the homeowner and imprisoned his wife and two small children in a bedroom while they ransacked the house.
When there were unable to find any money or marijuana they began to torture the man using an electronic stun gun, blows to the head, and even stabbed him with a fork.
It was only when he was threatened with a gun that the homeowner agreed to show them where the money was hidden. Three of the men, including Fernandez took the homeowner to a location about a half-mile away where the money was found hidden in a stump. On the way they had to cross a rain swollen creek via a makeshift bridge.
Once they had the money the robbers took virtually everything of value from the house and fled in two vehicles. Before fleeing they gagged the homeowner and his wife and duct-taped them to two chairs. They locked the children, ages 2 and 6, in the bathroom. The homeowner was able to free himself and alert law enforcement.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies located Fernandez driving one of the getaway vehicles just north of Ukiah and began to the chase. After stopping initially at the West Road overcrossing, Fernandez and the other men fled south on highway 101 at speeds of over 90 miles per hour.
California Highway Patrol officers joined the chase and deployed a spike strip on the freeway at Gobbi street. Fernandez avoided the spike strip and then took the Talmage exit.
During the chase the firearm, stun gun and other evidence were thrown out of the vehicle. The chase continued on the back roads to Hopland where Fernandez ran over a second spike strip. The chase did not end until reaching the Mendocino-Sonoma county line. Fernandez was the driver and the vehicle was full of property taken from the home, and more than $37,000 in cash.
Seven men are known to have participated in the robbery. Johan Espinosa, age 26 of Long Beach, has entered a guilty plea to seven felonies and admitted one special allegation. He is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 15 years in state prison.
Ruben Salazar, age 42 of Long Beach, also entered a guilty plea to seven felonies and admitted one special allegation. He has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison.
Ryan Whitman, age 35 of Fort Bragg, entered guilty pleas to two felonies and has been sentenced to 11 years in State Prison.
Anthony Melendez, age 44 of Los Angeles, has his case set for trial to begin May 3. Law enforcement is still seeking the remaining two men.
District Attorney Meredith Lintott said this kind of violent crime stems from marijuana production – five of the seven men involved traveled here for no other reason than to commit a violent robbery of a person they believed to be a marijuana grower.
Lintott said she intends that every person who comes to this county and commits a violent crime will face the full punishment allowed by law.
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