Thursday 23 April 2020

Rabbits v Hares.



We have Hares in our vicinity, but no Rabbits.

I've seen a couple of Hares recently; they truly are majestic creatures.

People mention Rabbits and Hares in the same context, as if they are almost the same thing; but they are different in many ways.

Rabbits live below ground in burrows; Hares live above ground on 'forms', which are open sloping bare patches of earth, the size of the animal itself. Hares also give birth to fully furred, seeing, young, that fend for themselves almost at once. Baby Rabbits are blind and less furry, and remain with their mothers underground for several weeks.

Hares are perhaps a third larger than Rabbits, they have longer ears, and black markings on the tail.

As far as gastronomy is concerned, they both make very good eating, but I would prefer to eat Rabbits as they are more of a pest than Hares; and far more numerous The one above was caught for me by our late Labrador Monty, and it became a classic Civet de Lievre. Anyone who has 'prepared' a Hare will know that this an unpleasant job; skinning and emptying a Rabbit is child's play in comparison.

Our larger local wildlife consists of Red and Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Foxes, Badgers, Hares, and some Coypus (Lady M saw one yesterday). Not a huge selection, but all lovely animals (except the Coypus).

The culling, and eating, of Roe Deer and Wild Boar is essential in the countryside. Both can over-breed, and both can be quite destructive. But let's leave the Red Deer, Badgers, Foxes, and Hares alone. They seem to control their own numbers, and are too rare and beautiful to be hunted.

40 comments:

  1. I had not heard of the coypus and had to look it up. When we moved to the north in 1973 there were no rabbits but then one spring there were a couple and, after that they bred like Rabbits and featured frequently on our menu. Have not eaten or prepared a hare.

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    1. I remember a Coypu crossing the field in front of the house. I rushed for my camera and followed it, taking a few pictures. I have no idea where it came from, or where it was going. I imagine it was lost. They are ugly creatures with big yellow teeth. Emptying a Hare is an extremely smelly business!

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  2. When I moved here one of the first surprises was to discover there were no rabbits. It's common to see hares running about in the vineyards on the edge of the city. They do serve hare in restaurants at certain times of year but not as much as deer and boar meat. I've only had hare a couple of times. I found it contained quite a few fiddly little bones. So I didn't order it again.

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    1. One would imagine that if an area was suitable for Hares, it was be equally suitable for Rabbits; but it appears not. I would happily take a potshot at the occasional Rabbit, but I leave the Hares alone. Mind you; they are delicious.

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  3. We have coypus here but no rabbits.

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    1. Coypus are unpleasant creatures. They used to eat them here, but I think they have now been replaced by more pleasant things.

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  4. We have rabbit, cleaned and packaged from New Season Market. No stink here.

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    1. A friend of ours used to go 'long netting', and would catch 20 or more in a morning. He would always give, or sell, me a couple, and I never minded preparing them. Hares are an altogether different experience!!!

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  5. Now and again we see hares on the road at night , caught in the headlights. They are wonderful, their long upright ears and the way they bound away . We often hear shots going off in the neighbourhood . If it's not wild goats then it's hard they hunt, or very small birds.
    Everyone around here keeps rabbits for the table.

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    1. Rabbits were kept in every farmyard when we first came here. Now hardly anyone keeps them. Like Hens, Ducks, and Geese; they've disappeared.

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  6. Coypu, not a word ever to be mentioned in East Anglia. We still have the traps, kept as mementos. The coypu, the scourge of the sugar beet farmer, dykes and reed beds. Now hares we love and have them in abundance except now we have travellers too who hunt them with their dogs. The curse of the countryside, the travellers.

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    1. The first time I ever encountered the word 'Coypu' was in Fenland E Anglia; although I never actually saw one. My first encounter was here, in front of the house when one ran past. The problem with 'travellers' is they have no sense of conservation; they would kill every single Hare if they could.

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  7. If memory serves the coypu is eaten still in France as a paté. They are in the waterways near Niort and probably elsewhere. Ragondin.

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    1. I'm sure they're still eaten in parts of France, but the practice has died down here. I wouldn't be averse to trying some Paté de Ragondin.

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  8. I can remember that my husband, then in
    the army,was sent to East Anglia in the early 60's to shoot the coypu. Huge teeth!

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    1. Yes, the teeth are most unattractive and orange/yellow. They weren't created for their good looks.

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    2. All the better for eating sugar beet.

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    3. And their flesh tastes sweeter.

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  9. We use to see several coypu sunbathing on the banks of the Theze when we went out early cycling. Here, in Lincolnshire, we have a small rabbit that visits our garden. I think his name is Peter.

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    1. Do tell Mr McGregor to watch his Carrot patch!

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  10. Not many rabbits or hares in the immediate vicinity here but lots of rabbits where it gets more rural. My Dad never liked rabbit because of myxomatosis so we didn’t have much of it. I have had it since but it’s not my favourite .... it has a bit of an aftertaste to me ! Mind you, I’d eat it if that’s all there was 🤣 Coypu look like beavers..... not as cute as a bunny ! XXXX

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    1. It's very healthy meat; no fat. I've always used Rabbit in red wine casseroles with prunes; I've never found an unpleasant aftertaste.

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  11. We often see hares in the fields above our lane. They are noticeably larger than the rabbits we find in the garden. Rabbits have always been seen as a pest here but the numbers have been down recently, we think due to myxomatosis . I do enjoy eating rabbit but only buy the meat from the butcher as I am never too sure whether or not the local ones are diseased.

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    1. Much easier to buy them 'ready prepared' too. I like Rabbit, but we don't eat it too often.

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  12. Hare are indeed admirable creatures. I especially like to see wild mountain hares - quite rare in The Peak District. I understand that it was the Romans who introduced rabbits to the island of Britain. Before that the hares ruled our countryside.

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    1. Quite sensible of the Romans, I would have thought. They breed like... erm... themselves, and are a very good supply of healthy meat.

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    2. Cro, YP, do you remember Kit Williams "Masquerade", the treasure hunt? Beauty of a book.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masquerade_%28book%29

      U

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    3. When that book came out, I sat at a table next to him at a London Indian restaurant. He had a very distinctive face.

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    4. I do remember that Ursula. It was a magical idea.

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  13. The Norman's introduced Rabbits into Ireland. Boudicea loved hares for their mystical qualities and released them from under her cloak when going into battle.

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    1. I like that story... I wonder if there's any truth behind it.

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  14. Amazing though how many people fail to tell them apart?

    Also so many people turn their noses up at rabbit, as you say a very healthy sustainable meat, no sin, no fat.

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    1. Quite right, a very underestimated food source.

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  15. Hare lesson #101 was most interesting.

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  16. We had lop eared bunnies as pets and they were lovely and fun to have around. I know that people eat them, but I never could. I don’t think that I have ever seen a hare, but from your picture I can see what beautiful animals they are.

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    1. They are classic countryside animals; loved almost universally. I couldn't stop Monty from catching the one above, but that's life.

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  17. The hare has always been my favourite animal and I have various pictures etc. around the house. As to eating it - no thanks. It was my mother's favourite food - jugged hare whenever she had the opportunity - I could smell it cooking long before I got round to the kitchen door.

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    1. My recipe involves plenty of red wine, and a handful of prunes. It's delicious.

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