Betty's Sweetmeat Recipe                                                                    

 Elizabeth (Betty) Pamp (Pamptopee) for more about her interesting life just type her name in any search engine. She showed me her orginal Ojibwa ground Deer Meat recipe at one of her family's traditional feasts.It is called sweet meat is the closest to the traditional mixture of meat and berries and deer tallow carried in a leather pouch called (a piece.) by the Ojibwa and other woodland warriors hundreds of years ago. It was called Pemmican or pimihk.(an he makes grease.)

Fall is the time actually for the fall Gibi (Ghost) feasts all over Indian Country.

If you attend one you will be able to sample some variation of this dish there. It is actually good anytime of the year.More on the Gibi Feast later and this recipe is a good  one that wil be enjoyed by your visitors in this world or the other place. You will honor everyone in every tribe or band if you take the time to prepare and serve it before the ground freezes.You might even be inclined to place a nice feast plate of food out for the Spirits nearby.                                                                                                                     

The beginning feast Ceremony at Wahwewahaa that is Betty and Mary in the lower right preparing the plate from the best of the food.

                      SWEET MEAT RECIPE

You need about a 3 pounds of ground or finely chopped venison( you can substitute lean ground beef,moose ,elk,buffalo,musk rat,young groundhog,porcupine,coon,etc) and about a 1 bag of chopped dried raisins,or craisens,dried cherries or blueberries. You can adjust the recipe for different sized groups. I have tried several  dried fruits and prefer the previous and I  specificly like the dried sour cherries the best. Betty used  the dark raisins and lean ground beef because she and her family ultimately moved off the Saginaw Chippewa  Reservation to the Urban Area of Lansing, Michigan.The old timers would have used any available berry especially Choke cherries or blueberries.I think the craisens and dried tart cherries are the closest to the tart choke cherries that the old timers picked fresh and dried prior to the bagged dried fruit.
Place one or two slices of bacon in a cast Iron frying pan a chopped onion as soon as the onion clears and and bacon is brown and then add the ground meat and  4 teas of juniper berries if you like, turning or stirring  the mixture with a spoon until brown/add one cup of water simmer/ then after about 15 minutes add the dried fruit. You can add a cup of fresh chopped walnuts, almonds,or cashews too if you have them on hand I prefer the walnuts.They will add to your dish and the flavor of the meat.
For a special treat or different flavor add a dash of French Sea,or garlic salt,or onion salt,Butt Rub, or a dash or two of Penzeys MURAL of Flavor,or celery seeds. I added these herbs and juniper berries to Betty's orginal recipe but yet her simple preparation is always seems the best especially made with ground lean beef,venison,or bison.

I have served it in many Indian and Rondovoo camps and feasts myself over the years always to rave reviews! LOLOL

After cooking cover let it sit 15 minutes and Serve hot or cold.

I love it cold a day later with wild rice, homey corn, and blue berries or strawberries. I could live off of  it for days with  frybread, a cup of good boiled coffee or sassafrass tea.

                                                      
Megwitch Betty for your Traditional Ojibwe family,and all those fine feasts and for sharing your recipe with me.

My drawing  bwelow is of a PoWWow attended by the Great Lakes Indian Youth Alliance at Sarnia many,many, years ago.

Enjoy,

Old Woody,