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Quote from the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center

"Heliciculture is the process of farming or raising snails. Snail farming on a large-scale basis requires a considerable investment in time, equipment, and resources. Prospective snail farmers should carefully consider these factors, especially if their goal is to supply large quantities to commercial businesses. Anyone who wishes to raise snails should expect to experiment until he finds what works best in his specific situation. Expect a few problems.

Roasted snail shells have been found in archaeological excavations, an indication that snails have been eaten since prehistoric times. In ancient Rome, snails were fattened up in "cochlear" gardens before they were eaten. "A Virginia Farmer" (1) described keeping snails in a cool, moist and shady environment, supplying artificial dew if necessary, containing them on an "island" surrounded by water to prevent escape, supplying vegetation as feed, and fattening them on corn meal. Pliny described the snail garden of Fulvius Hirpinus 2,000 years ago as having separate sections for different species of snails. Hirpinus allegedly fed his snails on meal and wine. (2) [But note, stale beer placed in a shallow dish is a way of killing them. Snails are attracted to the yeast in beer and will crawl into the dish and drown.] The Romans selected the best snails for breeding. "Wall fish" were often eaten in Britain, but were never as popular as on the continent. There, people often ate snails during Lent, and in a few places, they consumed large quantities of snails at Mardi Gras or Carnival, as a foretaste of Lent."

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Authors Eric Blazek
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Ported from https://permaculture.info (original)
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 3 pages link here
Impact 376 page views
Created May 2, 2006 by Eric Blazek
Modified October 23, 2023 by Irene Delgado
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