New recruits

Found more today than I did on the previous effort, 25 in total 8 mature.
4 of the mature snails have light coloured flesh, though are also heavily patterned.
A few with less pattern, but unfortunately they have darker flesh.
I am starting to get the feeling that I will not find two specimens to breed directly from in the wild, I will need to breed the qualities into them first.

Checking the snails

Everything looks to be going well in the farm, do not see a lot of movement till I moisten the enclosure. Basically only changing food plus keeping things moist, just hope there is some breeding going on. It is interesting to see the varieties in the shell patterns, one would have to ask themselves how on earth to breed that out.

I am pleasantly surprised that all the snails look healthy and happy (as happy as one could be with being placed into captivity).

Rain rain go away!

Well that is what you would be singing if you were not keen on hunting snails. In periods of dry harsh weather the snails will hide deep within foliage, they then create a hermetic seal between their shell and the surface eliminating transpiration which would shrivel the little fellows up. They can create several stages of seal depending on the extremes of weather, some temporary and others thicker in times of dormancy. It is not at all unusual for a snail, to seal their opening up completley falling to the ground.
The first drops of rain are their signals, the water dissolves the seal and they will spring to life again. A great attribute to have in such a harsh existence.

As you can see it is raining outside today, as well as checking the snails I will go for a walk around the neighborhood collecting the emergents.

fuite vers la liberté!

A moral dilemma...

I am sure any farmer has issues arising with the final stages of production (the killing that is), I did not however imagine that snails had a very high sensory and interaction level with external stimuli. As another hobby I have done/do a whole heap of macro/micro insect photography. I am fascinated especially with insects of a high order interaction, my favourites being common jumping spiders and common brown AU Bull ants. Both have a high interaction level with their environment and respond to human presence making them intriguing to observe.

After only a few days I have found myself bonding with these creatures, as I mentioned before I was not at all expecting this. I have read others blogs/articles of this nature in which the outcome, was releasing the snails as good conscious and an affection for the creatures prevailed.

I am a meat eater, I know where and how my meat is bought to my table, I am not really proud of this but I am what I am.
If I was to meet the cattle I am eating and be allowed to bond, I do not think then I would be able to consume them. My snails seem to have a variety of characters, in fact I have started to name them. How else do you remember which one is which?

I think I need to decide whether I am breeding pets or consumable food here, atm due to my limited space I would be happy to get a few nice examples to breed from at least.
I have also been looking for cheapish ag land on which I could start a small hobby farm, if anyone knows of something near Sydney please let me know.

Many hands...

I've heard they make lite work so enlisting family/ friends asking them to put snails in a container, placing in some greenery for feed till I can arrange a pickup. I am doing some work for the neighbor today and will ask him to pay me in snails instead of the money he insisted on.

Speaking of collecting if you have plenty of snails that you do not want to kill, consider collecting them for Ronnie.

http://www.ronniessucculentsnails.com.au/
Who is Ronnie?

Ronnie is a 21 year old Canberra man who loves animals, loves his sport and loves his family.
Ronnie also has a moderate intellectual disability, as well as a life-long history of hospitalisation, injuries and surgeries due to a serious chronic epileptic condition.
Ronnie’s challenges mean that entering regular mainstream employment is not an option for him.
However, having completed his schooling at Canberra’s Black Mountain School, Ronnie’s family was determined to find a sustainable career that would help support his physical, mental and social development and also provide inspiration for others who are trying to help loved ones with special needs.
Breeding and growing snails for the ever-hungry restaurant market (pun intended) proved to be the perfect solution!
Now, Ronnie enjoys taking care of his snails every day, ensuring they have clean homes as well as adequate food and water. He also keeps a close eye on them since they have great escape techniques!
Get involved!

Are you worried about using poisons to control snails in your garden, especially with pets and children around?
Would you like to quickly and humanely rid your garden of snails while helping a worthy social enterprise?
Then get on board with Ronnie’s snail collection program!
All you need to do is collect the snails from your garden (kids might be happy to help with this!) and keep them in a secure container with some small air holes.
Also place some vegetable leaves and a lid filled with water in the container, if they are going to be in there for a few days.
Then contact Ronnie to arrange pick-up or delivery!
Contact Ronnie’s Succulent Snails

6 Kurundi Place, Hawker, ACT 2614
T. 02 6278 5358 M. 0408 971 546 E. ronnie@ronniessucculentsnails.com.au
http://www.ronniessucculentsnails.com.au/

The little brown garden snail

The first thought that comes to the mind of many folk when they see a snail is "YUK!!", an honest first reaction as being a gastropod their very way of life is bizarre. When one assesses the close relation to Sea snails/mollusces then continued on to shelled creatures such as muscles/clams the common snail is not so far from the oyster many love to eat.

It is a little known fact that Helix aspersa, is the exact breed of snail used in the French dish Escargot. It is even less known that this species was spread by humans to most Europeans countries also finding its way to our and New Zealand's shores. It is not known whether they were brought here as a food source, or if they stowed away on ships in search of greener pastures.

It is very widely introduced elsewhere in the world and its non-native distribution includes other parts of Europe: Bohemia in the Czech Republic since 2008, southern Africa, North America and southern South America. It was introduced to California as a food animal in the 1850s and is now a notorious agricultural pest there, especially in citrus groves.

Seperating good breeding snails

As far as I have read in order to create good snails you need good breeding attributes.
We need fast growing snails of good form, how we do this is by selectively breeding the better stock together. You might be tempted to throw them all in the one bucket to get a high population quickly, but what you will get is a mix of attributes not considered viable. Quality and standard seem to be paramount in the snail game, snails need to have a pale attractive flesh and no/limited pattern to the shell.

Albeit not the best ones ever seen I managed to separate two mature snails, both with significantly lighter flesh than the others. In fact compared to the others they seem very pale, I think I need to investigate more as to the desired level of lightness.

Being hermaphrodites they both carry male and female genitalia, another aspect of Heliculture which has many advantages to the breeder. Not only is one clutch of eggs produced but both adults are fertilised during mating, laying 80+ eggs per cluster. Snail eggs or caviar are also finding themselves a nice little place in the market, I will post more about that later.

Recettes à base de Petit-Gris

Part of my fascination with this industry is in the fact, I have never tried snails and can not wait till I have some mature specimens.
Whilst researching Heliculture I came across many interesting recipes using snails, I have noted some and thought I would post them here for reference.






Simple Fresh Snails

Put the snails in a saucepan and cover them with a mixture of equal part of white wine and stock.

Add shallot, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove salt and freshly ground pepper.

Simmer for 90 minutes, then leave to cool in the cooking liquid. Serve with a fresh slice of lemon.



Snails Feuilletes with Pistachio Nut, and Mushrooms with a Balsamic Glaze

Puff Pastry Squares:
Cut out six squares measuring 9cm each side. Arrange them on one baking sheet.

Cut out a smaller square inside, but don't remove. This will be used as a lid.
Brush with egg wash,

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 210°C for about 10 minutes.

When feuillette are cooked, cut out the lid and reserve.

Snails:
In a saucepan, melt some butter, and then add the cooked snails and chopped garlic. Sauté them for a couple of minutes.

Add chopped mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes. Add cognac and cream and reduce for few minutes until cream thickens.

Lastly add pistachio nut and chervil.

Place the pastry on serving plates, fill each puff pastry crust with the snail and mushrooms, and place the balsamic glaze around the pastry.

Top with the pastry lid. Finish with some chopped chervil and pistachio nut.

Snail Fritters
1 dozen snails
vegetable oil
parsley sprig
2 large eggs separated
1 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
herbs
First make the batter.

Mix the egg yolks with the flour and olive oil.
Add a little warm water to give a smooth, creamy consistency.
Season and leave to stand.
Just before using, gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
Drain the snails and marinade for 1 hour in the olive oil and chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, chives, and chervil).
Drop the snails into the batter by the handful, then remove them one by one and drop into the hot frying oil (2 at a time in the case of petits-gris); fry until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.

Serve garnished with fried parsley.

Collecting starting snails

Here is the easy bit (well the collecting part atleast, one would think to themselves), the selection of suitable breeders is an art unto itself.
The initial thought is that your garden will have a magnitude of these trail leavers around it, depending on the season this may or may not be the case. Several factors will come into play determining the likelihood of a copious snail population.
These include- Weather, Temperatures, Rainfall, Season, Vegetative growth, Predators and the use of Insecticides in the area.
After some exhaustive searching around my own home, I came up empty handed, ziltch, nada, not a one. Even with damp wet conditions with recent rain none had emerged. Still determined I set out (with the dog for cover) to inspect the neighborhood.

I was not having much luck until I remembered as a child, the snails we would find amongst the agapanthas at home. With due haste I proceeded to fish out snails from the agapanthas on the verge of properties. Not the quantities I was hoping for (4 mature + 10 immature) but is enough to get started.
After checking the lot over, there fortunately seems to be two matures that have a nice lighter tone to their flesh, a trait I have read is desired. A none patterned/lightly patterned shell is also a preference.

Initially it is fine to place your breeding stock in a container with 3cm of soil on the bottom a dish of water and some cabbage or carrot.

I am a bit concerned about having them in a plastic container, though many say it is ok, some feel plastic is not the best option. As soon as I can get a decent population going I will set about making a run on the ground in the backyard. For the moment they are in the cool down the side of the house, I have been giving them more food daily and spritzing them with the hose to keep things moist.
It is amazing to watch them awake as the water seems to dissolve the hard coating they create, as soon as they become damp they all spring to life.

The brown garden snail in an Australian Backyard

Welcome fellow Petit-Gris enthusiasts to my blog, inside you will find my meanderings into the world of Heliculture. Heliculture is the act of farming the Petit-Gris (or common garden snail to us in Australia) on mass to supply the every growing market.

Heliculture is currently still a niche profitable market in Australia, with an abundant demand, a quota not met for fresh un-preserved local product and an industry wanting not shunning new breeders.

After researching the subject for some time I feel whats suits myself to the application, is that Heliculture is still in its infancy in the country. This allows one possibly limitless boundaries to experiment with growing enclosures, bring something new and do things a little differently.

Read on as I try my hand at this new fascinating industry, all from my suburban Sydney backyard. Did I mention I have never tried a snail, yep we will conquer that battle when we get there.

Now off to find some snails...