It's Gumbo season! Share your favorite recipes.

Forget what you heard.......there is no recipe for gumbo. Its more of a way of cooking anything / any critter you happen to buy,shoot, steal or scrape off the road.

There are some basics though. Every gumbo starts with a dark Roux (equal parts flower and oil slowly cooked till very brown). Making a Roux is an art in itself and a major flavor component so google it and go slow. Then you add equal parts chopped onions, bell peppers, celery. I like to have them cut up and ready then add them to your roux to cool it down.

That is the base, then add stock or water. To get it thick and slimy most add Okra but there is a traditional version where it is thickened with gumbo File (ground sassafras leaves). Some also add tomatoes. Then add any cajun season blend (but you must have a few bay leaves). Cook it down for a while and add whatever meat you have. Favorites are seafood like shrimp or crayfish (only add these at the end), sausage (Andouilli or kielbasa), chicken, or any game critter.

Serve it in a bowl with a big scoop of rice and some cornbread with lots of butter as a side. You will also need a bottle of Tabasco and Crystal hot sauce on the table (most Cajuns use Crystal). And some cold beers.

This "recipe" might seem vague but that is how it is with gumbo. There is no right or wrong way to make it. My advice is to read 5-10 recipes and try and get the idea what they are trying to do. Then put away the cookbooks and do it.

In KY we refer to it as Burgu. It usually contains deer, rabbit and squirrel, and most all garden vegetables.

Basically a way to clean out the freezer, to make way for the fresh harvest.