'farming' garden snails- weird or not?

[BobbyBiscuits]

I've been 'farming' garden snails for eating for several years, but what do people think about this? Most of my immediate family think it's both cruel and gross. Others think they taste lovely, and don't see an issue.

I have a patio garden that gets infested with the wee feckers. They ate my new plant to a stick before in a day. Did beer traps etc but no avail.

I researched a great deal and found a method to use them to eat, and proceeded to do so.

Basically, I catch them, put about 12 in a big outdoor container with breathing holes, and put a carrot in to feed them. I clean their area out each day and then when it's time to eat them I withdraw the carrot till they make no stools. Then I can prepare them for cooking humanely by putting them to sleep first in the fridge.
I think it's a great way to get rid of garden pests and get protein.

Then I make lovely escargots.

Apart from the fact I already eat cows and other animals but not very often, aibu for doing this?

It is 24 hours... to make sure there is nothing in the intestinal tract. It is not starving them to death.

I'm obsessed with snails at this time of the year as I grow dahlias. Each night I go out and collect them in large jar and then drive about 10 minutes down the road where I let them out. At the start of May I was collecting dozens and I'm into single digits now.

I must admit, I'm not always as snail-friendly as I claim to be above - a couple of weeks ago I microwaved a big batch to kill them and I swore never again. There was green goo splattered all over the inside and the smell was 🤮

My husband and I have often commented on how you'd have a fantastic source of food in the snails if there was a food shortage or something. I think it's pretty cool you're doing it OP but I couldn't stomach it myself!

I mean

i cant

no

rubbery

whelky

🤢

You microwaved live snails? Bloody horrific. Poor things.

In parallel with the MN chicken, how many servings does one snail make?

Do you eat meat @RaininSummer?

@StickyStones What the actual FUCK

@RaininSummer
I'm not vegetarian and I've eaten lobster and crab before. Both of these are cooked alive in boiling water which is no different. I've also caught a fish many years ago with my dad and we had to knock it on the head with a stone.

Not exactly pleasant but I'm not a hypocrite about my meat eating.

I'd say the ones you splattered against the jar in the microwave more than cancels out any previous madness good snail deed, wouldn't you!?

@MusicOrDrama I know, it really does 😂 I was busy that day 😝

I'll admit I did regret it and would never do it again!

I'm fond of the French variety myself with a decent garlic & parsley butter! However you need to be worrying about parasites like lung worm and liver fluke. I remember a cautionary tale told to me by my Grandparents of someone they knew who died from eating liver fluke infected watercress. That was back in the day though to be fair.

Not rtf but lungworm? Apart from.that it's not for me but no more yuck than another meat I guess

I hope the posters kvetching about parasites don't eat cod.

I love escargots. Unfortunately living in a 5th floor flat in Zone One doesn't offer many opportunities for farming anything 😁

@SocksAndTheCity or salmon! Apparently they're crawling with lice 🤭

I had escargot years ago in France, and was getting on OK with them till I thought, "These are just slugs with shells..." and that was the end of that

Ha! Exact same here. Aged 21 in Paris, I had them twice over the course of a week and quite enjoyed. Then the third time this exact thought popped into my mind and I just couldn't from then on.

@Soubriquet I've been to a French snail farm. The snails are outdoors, with shade provided by wooden pallets, anything that grows naturally to eat and netting to stop the birds getting to them. They’re not fed anything special, they free to come and go (but stay due to shade and food) and they live exactly as they would in a garden. They are then starved to clean their guts as in the OP and sold to all the restaurants. There are two common types of edible snail, both which you will find in Uk gardens.
Whelks etc are also snails, just found in the sea…..

No I don't eat meat. I have been vegetarian for 35 years.

Ooh, I've some mahoosive ones in the garden. I probably would give them a try - I eat meat, they've had a decent life, no extra co2...

Do you worry about them having eaten plants thatve had weedkillers etc applied?

Not for me but I think it’s an interesting take on it. Agree with the concept in general, i just couldn’t

I agree with you OP, but I just couldn't eat them. Yeuch.

@MrsTerryPratchett exactly that. Plus my plants don't get munched!
Thank you! 😁

I once had snails in a very fancy restaurant in Amsterdam, they were in a wine & herb sauce and were the filling for a large vol au vent, served as a starter.

Another time, in a bar in Brussels, an old boy was selling bowls of snails in spicy gravy, delicious!

It reminded me of years ago when they used to sell cockles, winkles and whelks around the pubs on a Saturday night.

I usually have some escargot with garlic butter in the freezer ready for a quick treat, so I'm impressed with your snail cultivation @BobbyBiscuits ,
🐌 🐌 🐌 🐌 🐌 🐌 🐌 🐌

@DuckyShincracker crikey, I think my liver will fluke from worse than snails tbh 🤣
Reminds me of my mum talking about old school illnesses jokingly like 'st vitas's dance', 'dropsy' etc. lol. I hope my snails don't have that.
You'd have to eat so many though, each one is less than a bite practically!

@AdaColeman thank you! Try it? 😁

Humane? starving them and shoving them in a fridge? nothing human there.