Snail Farm

In article <[email hidden]>,

Gregory Morrow said:

Socks said:

years ago there was a Wall St. Journal article about
backyard snail ranchers. it was a fun thing to read.
iirc the technique (maybe for warm places) was to stake
out a 10x10 bed or something and edge it with some
copper sheeting.

in an cooler area i'd think you could use cheap plastic
tubs ... with screen lids or something they don't like
to crawl over.

Beer...???

Snails like beer. ;-) They will drown in it. I use pans of
beer in the gardens to control slugs and snails.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lots of info here (some of which seems to conflict with
my WSJ memory):

dallasobserver.com1996 02Open ↗
08/feature.html

I like snails but I'd rather raise chinchillas - they are
warm, cute, and cuddly....

But are they tasty?

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

Katra said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
sf <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can harvest organic snails from my yard any time.

<lol> What variety? :-)

Not sure (no expert has told me), but I think they are Helix
aspersa Muller. creatures.ifas.ufl.edubOpen ↗
rown_garden_snail.htm

In any case, their shells are the same as what you get when
you order escargot in a restaurnat.

🙂

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Katra said:

Now that I've found a source for cheap greenhouses,

How cheap is cheap and what's their website? There are
others here (like me) who would like an inexpensive
greenhouse... but not for raising snails.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

Hey this is neat! :-) I'm filing this recipe...

Snail stuffed mushrooms are very good, serve on rounds of
baguett if you want to go over the top.

Perfect! Very French! <lol>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I actually have some escargot dishes, heavy porcelain
with large divots in them, 6 to a dish. The most
delicious escargot I ever had was up in Sedona Arizona
at a little Swiss restaraunt. He served them in the
Escargot dishes (no shells) with herbed garlic butter
in a light bed of whipped eggwhites.

I'm very particular about how escargot are served. I
don't like "burgundy" style.... and egg whites sound
gross. Sorry.

Oh they were cooked... :-) I was just not up to trying to
spell "merangue" last night. Still not sure if that is how
it's spelled? <lol>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They were tender, not tough as they were fresh. Canned
ones tend to be kinda rubbery. Overcooked.

Hmm. I suppose that's true... but canned is the usual way
they come and you're not going to find me cooking and
picking snails out of their shells just to serve up as an
appetiser, babe.

<lmao> Too true! ;-D Just that the ones in Sedona, that were
cooked fresh, were better than the ones that I had had in
California (at the hotel I was staying at for a training
seminar in Valencia) and those had been canned.

They were still good, just not quite as tender.

K.

Quoted message said:

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,
"Gregory Morrow"

Quoted message said:

Socks said:

years ago there was a Wall St. Journal article about
backyard snail ranchers. it was a fun thing to read.
iirc the technique (maybe for

warm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

places) was to stake out a 10x10 bed or something and
edge it with

some

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

copper sheeting.

in an cooler area i'd think you could use cheap
plastic tubs ... with screen lids or something they
don't like to crawl over.

Beer...???

Snails like beer. ;-) They will drown in it. I use pans of
beer in the gardens to control slugs and snails.

A premium brew or will any old beer do...???

"Two snails walk into a bar...."

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lots of info here (some of which seems to conflict
with my WSJ

memory):

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

dallasobserver.com1996 02Open ↗
08/feature.html

I like snails but I'd rather raise chinchillas - they
are warm, cute,

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cuddly....

But are they tasty?

Kind of the mammal equivalent of ortolans, I'd guess :-)

--
Best Greg

Katra said:

The grilled shrimp kebabs came out very well! 5 minutes per
side and they were marinated overnight in Italian dressing.

Served with corn on the cob cooked in the husk, and grilled
smoked sausage.

Wood fire, not charcoal.

What did you use for a marinade?

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, sf
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can harvest organic snails from my yard any time.

<lol> What variety? :-)

Not sure (no expert has told me), but I think they are
Helix aspersa Muller. creatures.ifas.ufl.educreatures.ifas.ufl.eduOpen ↗
gastro/brown_garden_snail.htm

In any case, their shells are the same as what you get
when you order escargot in a restaurnat.

🙂

Heh! So you have an organic business in your yard, free
startup! <lol>

You are in CA right? When I was about 8 years old, my older
sister and I found an old KFC bucket and on our way home
from the park one day, we picked up as many large snails as
we could find. This was in Torrance
CA. I think we caught about 50 of them...

Mom said that they were the edible kind, and put them into
an aquarium with some cornmeal for a few days until they
started pooping cornmeal.

Then mom and dad ate them. <G>

I was grossed out at the time, but I enjoy them now. :-)

D.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, sf
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can harvest organic snails from my yard any time.

<lol> What variety? :-)

Not sure (no expert has told me), but I think they are
Helix aspersa Muller. creatures.ifas.ufl.educreatures.ifas.ufl.eduOpen ↗
gastro/brown_garden_snail.htm

In any case, their shells are the same as what you get
when you order escargot in a restaurnat.

🙂

Seriously, I'd pay you to mail me a dozen or so...

I have an unused 15 gallon aquarium out in the greenhouse. I
could make a wood and screen cover for it and experiment
with breeding a few just for home use.

Let me know? This variety is not found around here. We have
only some very small ones that are not suitable for cooking.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

Now that I've found a source for cheap greenhouses,

How cheap is cheap and what's their website? There are
others here (like me) who would like an inexpensive
greenhouse... but not for raising snails.

$270.00 for an 8' x 8' "portable" greenhouse. They are not
nearly as flimsy as they look in the picture. The two that I
have up have already weathered one very bad storm with high
winds with no damage. :-)

I'm VERY pleased with them!

Here is the website:

propools.comcgiOpen ↗
bin/SoftCart.exe/products/patio/greenhouses/d
reamhouse.htm?E+scstore

They go up in about 30 minutes, including the inside
poles. They are really just a glorified tent, but they DO
have a 3 year warantee! They stake down with 12 18" stakes
and have extra stakes and ropes for tiedowns if you feel
you need them.

They are wonderful. I'm finally able to do some stuff I've
never been able to do before as far as propagation goes, and
have bought a few tropical plants that I've always wanted
and not been able to keep before. There is noplace suitable
inside my home for tropical plants. :-(

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

sf said:

Katra said:

The grilled shrimp kebabs came out very well! 5 minutes
per side and they were marinated overnight in Italian
dressing.

Served with corn on the cob cooked in the husk, and
grilled smoked sausage.

Wood fire, not charcoal.

What did you use for a marinade?

"they were marinated overnight in Italian dressing."

Gregory Morrow said:

A premium brew or will any old beer do...???

I suggest using Dead Guy Ale. They'll die happy.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Gregory Morrow said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,
"Gregory Morrow"

Quoted message said:

Socks wrote:

> years ago there was a Wall St. Journal article about
> backyard snail ranchers. it was a fun thing to read.
> iirc the technique (maybe for

warm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> places) was to stake out a 10x10 bed or something
> and edge it with

some

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> copper sheeting.
>
> in an cooler area i'd think you could use cheap
> plastic tubs ... with screen lids or something they
> don't like to crawl over.

Beer...???

Snails like beer. ;-) They will drown in it. I use pans
of beer in the gardens to control slugs and snails.

A premium brew or will any old beer do...???

<snicker> Funny you should ask... Dad tried using a cheap
beer, (some Dos Equis) and we got a few slugs, but when
that got filled with rain water, he used a bottle of
O'Dools dark ale, and we got about 10 times as many drowned
slugs that night!

Seems mollusks actually have good taste in beer. We were
very amused!

Quoted message said:

"Two snails walk into a bar...."

Hee!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> lots of info here (some of which seems to conflict
> with my WSJ

memory):

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
> dallasobserver.com1996 02Open ↗
> 08/feature.html

I like snails but I'd rather raise chinchillas - they
are warm, cute,

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cuddly....

But are they tasty?

Kind of the mammal equivalent of ortolans, I'd guess :-)

Or like fried squirrel???? :-d

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

The grilled shrimp kebabs came out very well! 5 minutes
per side and they were marinated overnight in Italian
dressing.

Served with corn on the cob cooked in the husk, and
grilled smoked sausage.

Wood fire, not charcoal.

What did you use for a marinade?

Wishbone zesty Italian dressing. :-)

I cheat. <G>

I used a medium sized shrimp and left them in the shell, and
alternated them with some mushrooms on the kebab.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

Katra said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, sf
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

> You can harvest organic snails from my yard any
> time.

<lol> What variety? :-)

Not sure (no expert has told me), but I think they are
Helix aspersa Muller. creatures.ifas.ufl.edumiOpen ↗
sc/gastro/brown_garden_snail.htm

In any case, their shells are the same as what you get
when you order escargot in a restaurnat.

🙂

Seriously, I'd pay you to mail me a dozen or so...

I have an unused 15 gallon aquarium out in the
greenhouse. I could make a wood and screen cover for it
and experiment with breeding a few just for home use.

Let me know? This variety is not found around here. We
have only some very small ones that are not suitable for
cooking.

K.

Okay!!! You figure out how to ship live snails and I'll send
them to you COD. Sound fair? I have a very healthy crop of
snails waiting for you.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Katra said:

Heh! So you have an organic business in your yard, free
startup! <lol>

That's the long and short of it... no poison (from my yard)
is in their system. However, I would "clean" them out with a
diet of cornmeal and lettuce anyway. It could be an
entrepreneurial kids dream.

Quoted message said:

You are in CA right? When I was about 8 years old, my
older sister and I found an old KFC bucket and on our way
home from the park one day, we picked up as many large
snails as we could find. This was in Torrance
CA. I think we caught about 50 of them...

When my children were small enough to go for it, I put a
bounty on snails. I gave them sandpails to put their
"picked" snails in at 5¢ per head. Of course, we put
the snails into an aqurarium - outside - where they
gourged on cornmeal and lettuce... Hey, it wasn't my
fault that the rain drowned them. Mother Nature did it
and o'golly, geewhiz... they weren't under anythng that
kept the rain out.

Quoted message said:

Mom said that they were the edible kind, and put them
into an aquarium with some cornmeal for a few days until
they started pooping cornmeal.

Then mom and dad ate them. <G>

I was grossed out at the time, but I enjoy them now. :-)

I understand completely!

I can't make anything with canned esgargot and be able to
eat it. I know what I make is good, but the gross out factor
is too pervasive for me to actually eat them.... BUT, if
someone ELSE makes esgargot - I'll go for seconds.

LOL

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Katra said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

Now that I've found a source for cheap greenhouses,

How cheap is cheap and what's their website? There are
others here (like me) who would like an inexpensive
greenhouse... but not for raising snails.

$270.00 for an 8' x 8' "portable" greenhouse. They are
not nearly as flimsy as they look in the picture. The two
that I have up have already weathered one very bad storm
with high winds with no damage. :-)

I'm VERY pleased with them!

Here is the website:

propools.comcgiOpen ↗
bin/SoftCart.exe/products/patio/greenhouses/d
reamhouse.htm?E+scstore

Ugh... that line wrapped - try tinyurl.com2ss4fOpen ↗

You made me look.... here's a similar site
littlegreenhouse.comeazy.shtmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

They go up in about 30 minutes, including the inside
poles. They are really just a glorified tent, but they DO
have a 3 year warantee! They stake down with 12 18"
stakes and have extra stakes and ropes for tiedowns if
you feel you need them.

I like the looks of their StarterHouse!

Quoted message said:

They are wonderful. I'm finally able to do some stuff
I've never been able to do before as far as propagation
goes, and have bought a few tropical plants that I've
always wanted and not been able to keep before. There is
noplace suitable inside my home for tropical plants. :-(

Greenhouses are wonderful things! When I was young, my
mother was an orchid fanatic. We lived in Michigan at the
time and my dad built an 8 x 10 greenhouse for her which
opened off the kitchen. He built the foundation and put up
an aluminum frame (I was a kid and don't know what metal it
really was) with glass walls and a crank ventilation system
which impressed me no end.

<sigh> I'm still dreaming of a greenhouse or solarium
addition to my own home.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Katra said:

Quoted message said:

What did you use for a marinade?

Wishbone zesty Italian dressing. :-)

I cheat. <G>

I used a medium sized shrimp and left them in the shell,
and alternated them with some mushrooms on the kebab.

IFAIC, Italian dressing is a great marinade for many things.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, sf

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:59:32 -0500, Katra
<[email hidden]> wrote:

> In article
> <[email hidden]>, sf
> <[email hidden]> wrote:
>

> > You can harvest organic snails from my yard any
> > time.
>
> <lol> What variety? :-)
>

Not sure (no expert has told me), but I think they
are Helix aspersa Muller. creatures.ifas.ufl.-creatures.ifas.ufl.-Open ↗
edu/misc/gastro/brown_garden_snail.htm

In any case, their shells are the same as what you
get when you order escargot in a restaurnat.

🙂

Seriously, I'd pay you to mail me a dozen or so...

I have an unused 15 gallon aquarium out in the
greenhouse. I could make a wood and screen cover for it
and experiment with breeding a few just for home use.

Let me know? This variety is not found around here. We
have only some very small ones that are not suitable
for cooking.

K.

Okay!!! You figure out how to ship live snails and I'll
send them to you COD. Sound fair? I have a very healthy
crop of snails waiting for you.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Just pack them in a cardboard box with some crumpled
newspaper, by overnight express mail. :-) I have a PO box,
so exposure to the summer heat should be minimal.

Overnight shipping is about $15.00, and I'd pay for the
snails as well! <lol>

Do you take paypal?

E-mail me: Katra at Centurytel dot net.

Thanks!

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

Heh! So you have an organic business in your yard, free
startup! <lol>

That's the long and short of it... no poison (from my
yard) is in their system. However, I would "clean" them
out with a diet of cornmeal and lettuce anyway. It could
be an entrepreneurial kids dream.

Quoted message said:

You are in CA right? When I was about 8 years old, my
older sister and I found an old KFC bucket and on our
way home from the park one day, we picked up as many
large snails as we could find. This was in Torrance
CA. I think we caught about 50 of them...

When my children were small enough to go for it, I put
a bounty on snails. I gave them sandpails to put their
"picked" snails in at 5¢ per head. Of course, we put
the snails into an aqurarium - outside - where they
gourged on cornmeal and lettuce... Hey, it wasn't my
fault that the rain drowned them. Mother Nature did it
and o'golly, geewhiz... they weren't under anythng that
kept the rain out.

Oh well! <snicker>

Mom and dad just used straight cornmeal. No lettuce.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mom said that they were the edible kind, and put them
into an aquarium with some cornmeal for a few days
until they started pooping cornmeal.

Then mom and dad ate them. <G>

I was grossed out at the time, but I enjoy them
now. :-)

I understand completely!

I can't make anything with canned esgargot and be able to
eat it. I know what I make is good, but the gross out
factor is too pervasive for me to actually eat them....
BUT, if someone ELSE makes esgargot - I'll go for seconds.

LOL

Funny, the thing that changed my gross out attitude towards
snails was a zoology course in college. :-) Snails are land
molluscs, so no different than eating clams or oysters, or
so I tell myself! <lol>

So far, I've only eaten them at restaraunts... and enjoyed
them very much. :-) But there is a WORLD of difference
between canned vs. fresh snails.

About the same as mushrooms. :-)

BTW, I'm attempting to grow some Oyster mushrooms out in one
of the greenhouses... We are on week 3 now and I've got some
mycelia with no contamination yet. Wish me luck!!!!!

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

Katra said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, sf

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 11:19:20 -0500, Katra
<[email hidden]> wrote:

> Now that I've found a source for cheap
> greenhouses,

How cheap is cheap and what's their website? There
are others here (like me) who would like an
inexpensive greenhouse... but not for raising snails.

$270.00 for an 8' x 8' "portable" greenhouse. They are
not nearly as flimsy as they look in the picture. The
two that I have up have already weathered one very bad
storm with high winds with no damage. :-)

I'm VERY pleased with them!

Here is the website:

propools.comcgiOpen ↗
bin/SoftCart.exe/products/patio/greenhouses/d
reamhouse.htm?E+scstore

Ugh... that line wrapped - try tinyurl.com2ss4fOpen ↗

Sorry. :-) I do normally use tinyURL's. ;-) I was tired and
did not think about it. <sigh>

Quoted message said:

You made me look.... here's a similar site
littlegreenhouse.comeazy.shtmlOpen ↗

Yay! Same price too! My site had free shipping. Did this
one?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They go up in about 30 minutes, including the inside
poles. They are really just a glorified tent, but they
DO have a 3 year warantee! They stake down with 12 18"
stakes and have extra stakes and ropes for tiedowns if
you feel you need them.

I like the looks of their StarterHouse!

Too small!!!!! :-) With the shelving I put in, I have
about 64 square feet of growing space, plus some extra
on the floor. I put my Jeruselem artichokes directely
into the ground inside of the greenhouse to protect them
from rodents.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They are wonderful. I'm finally able to do some stuff
I've never been able to do before as far as
propagation goes, and have bought a few tropical
plants that I've always wanted and not been able to
keep before. There is noplace suitable inside my home
for tropical plants. :-(

Greenhouses are wonderful things! When I was young, my
mother was an orchid fanatic.

Cool! :-) Orchids are SO pretty! I'm considering getting at
least one of them next time they appear in the stores.

Quoted message said:

We lived in Michigan at the time and my dad built an 8 x
10 greenhouse for her which opened off the kitchen. He
built the foundation and put up an aluminum frame (I was
a kid and don't know what metal it really was) with
glass walls and a crank ventilation system which
impressed me no end.

Sounds marvelous! I just knew we'd never get around to
erecting a solid one, so these were a good, quick
compromise. They have a 3 year warantee too.

Quoted message said:

<sigh> I'm still dreaming of a greenhouse or solarium
addition to my own home.

All in good time... So, are you considering trying one of
these?

K.

Quoted message said:

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra