Sheila, I think it would go a lot faster if the goose was scalded before plucking -- and, as I said, the job was timed better so that there were few pin feathers. I'm not sure what I will do with the down and body feathers, butthey are just too nice to waste. I think it's my upbringing... My parents always made the best use of everything when they bought a side of beef or pork. I guess it rubbed off on me. I'm not sure if it is essential for free-range geese to have supplemental grit, but Jason Cain from Performance Poultry where I get my birds strongly advises making it available. And it does go down in the containerso they seem to appreciate it. And it is cheap. Haven't decided how to cook the goose yet. I was expecting a lot more fat and planned to make a goose and rabbit liver pate and also rilettes, another French specialty where the less desirable parts are simmered in the liquid fat, seasoned and used as a spread for bread. Not the healthiest treat going, but very yummy. My sister lived for twelve years in France and loves to cook, so she has taught me a lot about imaginative ways to use duck, goose and rabbit. I'll post again when we actually cook the goose. I think we'll likely start by roasting the breast filets. But it has to age in the fridge for a couple of days.

Geese are available year round in my area--frozen. I've never run across a fresh one. I haven't cooked one in a while, but the next time I do one I'm gonna try Julia Child's technique of 'steam-roasting' to help render the extra fat. Whatever you do, don't discard the fat. It's wonderfully rich and unctuous, like what clarified butter would be if it had ambition. Great on potatoes. Last time I cooked a goose, I threw some peeled potatoes into the roasting pan to absorb some of the fat. Some of the guests preferred the potatoes to the goose. Here is a link that might be useful: steam roasted goose

We killed a goose one year :-0 Step dad expressed a desire for a Christmas goose and we were new in town here. When I saw a note on the community noticeboard advertising geese for Christmas I called and ordered one. On delivery I was handed a wriggling feed sack! DH and I cut its head off quickly with a sharp machete (never did totally get the bloodstains out of the fence ;-) ) and then after we let it hang overnight where 2 yo DD wouldn't find it I took it to a friend who knew (from her farm girl youth) how to draw and pluck a goose. Then I took it up to Mom and step dad's. Didn't actually get to eat any as we always spent Christmas at home due to DH's job.

Thank-you, Rita! It's very kind of you to go to all that trouble! I was just comparing to when I make a turkey it's 20-22 lb. and when I make a chicken it's 3.75-4.25 lb., because that's what I buy. So I thought maybe you knew offhand how big your geese were. The recipe itself sounds simple, as you said, and also delicious. Thank-you very much for everything. I agree with the watching, but it also goes in retrospection. When I ask my mother how to make some old favorite, I've done the watching, know pretty much what the ingredients were, and just need a few details on proportion. The famous Auntie S's blintz "recipe" for the pancakes (which are about 3-4 times thicker than crêpes) has the important step of "you know it's the right consistency when you're using a rotary crank egg beater in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and the crank feels like X, and when you lift it out of the batter it flows off of it like Y. Definitely had to be there. :) But blintzes are for a whole different holiday! Back to your regularly scheduled Christmas dinner!