ESCARGOTS IN YOUR GARDEN

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Lure Them With Bran

French cooks believe snails gathered in the fall are tastiest, but gardeners who collect them in spring (when snail damage is greatest) find little difference in flavor. Because snails are basically nocturnal, the most productive harvesting times are nightfall and early morning, when the yard is still damp with dew. Snails will also crawl out of their hiding places after a light rain or after the garden has been watered.

To harvest many snails at once, lure them to a gathering spot by taking advantage of their passion for bran. Leave a handful under an overturned, propped-up flower pot and the critters will come flocking. After they've gorged on bran, they'll attach themselves to the inside of the pot and you can peel them off by the handful. If snails are munching on your fruit trees, band the trees with strips of copper. The snails won't crawl over the bands, but will congregate at the base of each tree for easy picking.

Check with your local wildlife or extension agent first, because some tree snails are endangered and the law prohibits collection of threatened species. If your appetite for snails exceeds the supply in your garden, you should have no trouble convincing neighbors to let you round up theirs. Avoid areas where potentially toxic substances have been sprayed. Don't worry about snail bait, though. Once a snail consumes bait, it won't survive long enough to be harvested.

Heliculture And Snail Housing

Once you've harvested your snails, you will need a place to house them until they're ready to be cooked up. The inner portion of a bait pail makes a dandy snail farm, and so does a plastic five-gallon, food-grade bucket with numerous small holes drilled into it for ventilation. Because a snail can lift five times its own weight, you'll need a tight-fitting lid to keep the little Samsons from organizing an escape. Although one bucket can house up to 500 snails, housekeeping is easier if you gather only as many as you need for one meal—allowing six per serving (double if the snails are small).

Throw in a few extra to compensate for normal losses. Between batches, clean the bucket thoroughly. To avoid premature cooking, keep your snails out of the sun. Suitable sites include cool basements, airy garages, or any place where the temperature falls between 55°F and 75°F. Because you have no idea what your snails have been munching on that could taste unpleasant to you (or be toxic),

allow a 10-day cleansing period before your own feast. The French disdain escargots fed with anything but grape leaves, but snails do fine on plain lettuce. Some folks pre-season them by feeding them herbs. Others plump up snails with cornmeal or bran and high-protein soymeal.

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