When does the Twitter bird look like a duck? As of this month, officially declared #DuckyDecember, all December posts are about Duckfest 2010.

What started as an innocent Twitter remark between @podchef and a fellow farming chef became an intergalactic game of duckduckgoose across the twitter-universe.

A few months ago Neal Foley twittered me asking which French ducks I was raising. We started a dialog that began with the merits of Rouen Clairs  and is leading to a  3-day New Years DuckFest on Foley’s Podchef Island (Shaw Island just north of Seattle) Jan 1-3 2010.  I think I said something like:

“If you buy those ducks, I’ll come teach you how to confit them!” in less than 140 characters.

So he did, and so I am.

To get you all ramped up and ready to celebrate all duck gastronomica, I begin this month of Duckfest Posts with one of my favorite sets of pix from last year’s Camp Confit here in France.

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On New Year’s weekend, we’ll be making confit, the traditional Gascon way, using sea salt and poaching over an open fire like you see in these pictures taken last season. Creating and cooking rillettes, terrines and cassoulet follow, of course. With only a handful of places left if you are interested in joining in the Ducky fun, contact Neal Foley or me via the programs page. Too far away? Follow along here for a month of Duckdays!