The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

I could have gone out and collected a bucketful last week, before I
pulled the ivy off the end of the house. Now I might only gind a
gallon or so...

Serious question: why _don't_ we fancy eating our home-grown snails?
I've asked myself many times over the years; but have never received
the reply "Well, go on, then."

I don't like any molluscs except the cephalopods. You can keep your
mussels, winkles, cockles, clams, whelks, oysters - oh, but I'll have
those scallops, thank you.

While living next to the sea on the isle of Lewis and about 35 miles (by
road) from Stornoway, some degree of self-sufficiency was desirable.
When the wind was not 'big' and the sea was being sensible, I had all
the fish I could want, and a good variety.

When it was not sensible to go fishing - for I had to climb down a
substantial and fatal-to-fall-off cliff - I could plunder the shore at
low tide. Usually, I found good crabs, also some edible seaweeds (dulse
especially, and some carageen), but sometimes I had to fall back on
mussels, winkles, whelks and limpets. These last four I would blanch and
mince, and make rissoles from them. They were rather like bits of tyre
which had been soaked in seawater, then fried.

I imagine that the land snails might be very similar, but without the
benefit of the marine marinade.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/