(11) Blood. Lift or roll the carcass to drain all blood. Blood, which contains salts and nutrients, is a good base for soups (remember to boil the blood first). NOTE: Try to save as much blood as you can – it contains food and salt – and then boil the blood. (12) Hide. Remove the hide, and make cuts along the inside of the legs to just above the hoof or paw. Peel the skin back, using your knife in a slicing motion to cut the membrane between the skin and meat. Continue this until the entire skin is removed. (13) Entrails. Most of the entrails are usable. The heart, liver, and kidneys are edible. Cut open the heart and remove the blood from its chambers. Slice the kidneys and if enough water is available, soak or rinse them. In all animals except those of the deer family, the gall bladder (a small, dark colored, clear textured sac) is attached to the liver. 14) Sac. Sometimes, the sac looks like a blister on the liver. To remove the sac, hold the top portion of it and cut the liver around and behind the sac. If the gall bladder breaks and gall gets on the meat, wash the gall off the meat immediately so the gall does not taint the meat. Dispose of the gall. (15) Preservation. Clean blood splattered on the meat will glaze over and help preserve the meat for a short time. However, if an animal is not bled properly, the blood will settle in the lowest part of its body and spoil the meat quickly. Cut out any meat contaminated this way. If the situation and time allow, you should preserve the extra meat for later use. If the air is cold enough, you can freeze the meat. In warmer climates, preserve by drying or smoking. One night of heavy smoking will make meat edible for about 1 week. Two nights will make it remain edible for 2 to 4 weeks. To prepare meat for drying or smoking, cut it with the grain in quarter inch strips. To air dry the meat, hang it in the wind and hot sun out the reach of animals; cover it so that blow flies cannot land on it. (16) Temperature. When temperatures are below 40 degrees, you can leave meat hanging for several days without danger of spoilage. If maggots get on the meat, remove the maggots and cut out the discolored meat. The remaining meat is edible. Maggots, which are the larvae of insects, are also edible. (17) Intestines. Thoroughly clean the intestines and use them for storing or smoking food or lashings for general use. Make sure they are completely dry to preclude rotting. (18) Head. The head of most animals contains a lot of meat, which is fairly easy to get out. Skin the head and save the skin for leather. Clean the mouth thoroughly and cut out the tongue. After cooking the tongue, remove its outer skin. Cut or scrape the meat from the head. Or, you can roast the head over an open fire before cutting off the meat. Eyes are edible. Cook them but discard the retina (this is a plastic-like disc). The brain is also edible; in fact, some people consider it a delicacy. Each animal’s brain matter is considered sufficient to tan the animal’s hide. (19) Tendons and Ligaments. Use the tendons and ligaments of the body of large animals for lashings. (20) Bone Marrow. The marrow in bones is a rich food source. Crack the bones and scrape out the marrow, and use bones to make weapons or fish hooks. (21) Smoke. To smoke meat, you will need an enclosed area – for instance, a teepee (Figure 14-16) or a pit. You will also need wood from deciduous trees, preferably green. Do not use conifer trees such as pines, firs, spruces, or cedars, as the smoke from these trees give the meat a disagreeable taste and the resin is inedible. (a) Para Teepee or Other Enclosed Area with a Vent at the Top. When using this, set the fire in the center and let it burn down to coals, then stoke it with green wood. Place the strips of meat on a grate or hang them from the top of the enclosure so that they are about 2 feet above the smoking coals. (b) Pit Method. To use the pit method of smoking meat, dig a hole about a yard/meter deep and 1/2 yard/meter in diameter. Make a fire at the bottom of the hole. After it starts burning well, add chipped green wood or small branches of green wood to make it smoke. Place a wooden grate about 1/ 2 yard/meter above the fire, and then lay the strips of meat on the grate. Cover the pit with poles, boughs, leaves, or other material. (A half a yard/meter is about 18 inches or 1 1/2 feet.)