ELLERBE — Residents are invited to take their taste buds for a walk on the wild side.
The annual Richmond County Wild Foods Cook-off, now in its 22nd year, is slated for April 2 at the Sandhills Rod and Gun Club.
The event is sponsored by the gun club, Martha Faye Crafters Club (formerly Extension Homemakers), and Richmond County Cooperative Extension, and features a variety of dishes made from wild plants and animals.
Entries in the culinary contest will be in three categories:
- Wild meat including big game, small game, other small mammals, wild birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians
- Wild vegetation, nuts and fruit
- Desserts with wild ingredients
Wild game doesn’t have to be from North Carolina, but must be harvested or gifted — it can’t be bought.
Entrants must bring two copies of the recipe: one for the display and one for the cookbook.
Entries are judged by all who are participating and those with the most votes in each category will receive a prize. There will also be a Grand Champion winner for the entry with the most overall votes.
Last year’s contest featured 29 entries — including five from youth — with 17 in the meats category, seven in the vegetables or fruit category and five desserts.
Click here to read about the 2023 cook-off.
The program for this year’s event is “Spring Foraging” with Emmanuel May and Terry Sharpe.
The clubhouse is located at 149 O.G. Reynolds Road, Ellerbe. The event starts at 6 p.m. No dishes will be accepted after 6:30 p.m.
For more information, including other rules and guidelines, call the Richmond County Cooperative Extension Center at 910-997-8255 or email Anthony_Growe@ncsu.edu. Registration is not required.
