Kitchen Garden Forum

It's been really good to see thrushes once again in the garden and on our plot. I watched a thrush the other day beating seven bells out of a snail in its attempts to break the shell and get at what only a thrush and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall would consider a tasty meal.

I have also noticed several piles of broken snail shells around the plot. In most cases a flat stone used by the thrush as an anvil on which to batter the snail is nearby. I always replace the stone when I have done any hoeing or weeding so the thrush can keep up its good work.

Dear glallotments, every time we seem to get a thrush around our way, they seem to fly into someones window or conservatory.

Glad you have them returning though.

glallotments wrote:I watched a thrush the other day beating seven bells out of a snail in its attempts to break the shell and get at what only a thrush and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall would consider a tasty meal.

...and several million French people

I was invited to dinner in France by the owners of the cottage we were renting and was dreading being presented with snails or frogs legs but my hosts found the idea of eating them revolting too!! I would never eat tripe and onions either!

After long conversations and the wife hating coffee and me not drinking tea we decided I was more French than she was (stereotypically). So that's at least four less French who wouldn't eat snails. Any more?

We used to have a French restaurant near us run
by a real screaming shouting kissing French man.
It was great but he'd do all the most gross ingredients
but it caused such a to do if we refused that we had
a go at most things. All I can say is thankfully they
also put a lot of garlic in things when it comes to the
snails.

However frogs legs are a different thing and I have had
them several times since - rabbity little morsels that
are sweet, tender and delicate - YUM Not about to
collect them up and do my own though!

Westi

I've eaten frogs legs (once) and cooked snails several times, but fond of neither, I must admit.
I had a mistle thrush in the garden helping himself to the tayberries on more than one occasion - don;t grudge him them, it was nice tos ee him, just wish he'd eat one whole berry isntead of taking the ends out of several

Hello Glallotments

I have also noticed a welcome increase in the song thrush population.

Oldherbacious's post about them flying into windows is sadly so true. Only yesterday morning I was watching two young song thrushes in my garden when all of a sudden one took off and flew straight at me colliding with the kitchen window. Luckily it flew to a nearby fence panel and sat there looking a little dazed for ten minutes until it disappeared, either flew off or fell off, the former I hope.

However the last time that I saw a mistle thrush was about five years ago in Alexander Park that overlooks my favourite city of Bath.

Best wishes

Barney

Hi Cider boys. Yes there seems to be an increase in Song Thrushes around here too. I hear one every morning, at 5.30am as I am leaving for work and it sounds wonderful. My last Mistle Thrush, was near Pickering, last year and it had been a long while since I had seen one.
Regarding eating snails....eeew. No thanks!
Cheers.

Elaine wrote:Regarding eating snails....eeew. No thanks!
Cheers.

I'll eat them all then

Ooooo ooooo leave some for me, Alan...

I haven't seen a Mistle thrush in ages either.
Re: the snails - Yuk - is that green stuff slime?
Why is there a set of eyelash curlers on the plate?

glallotments wrote:Re: the snails - Yuk - is that green stuff slime?
Why is there a set of eyelash curlers on the plate?

1. No! It's garlic and parsley butter

2. They're snail tongs.

Hi Alan and Pongeroon.....I'm more than happy for you to have my share of the snails. Oooh the very thought...eeew.
I've never been tempted to try mussels, winkles, cockles etc etc., either.

Elaine:
Neither have I - they are the slugs and snails of the sea. I am not tempted by prawns and shrimps and things either - the insects of the sea! I wouldn't eat a centipede so why would I want to eat a prawn?

Hi Gallotments. Amen to that! They are filter feeders and one can only imagine what they filter........why they are even considered as food, beats me. >shudder< I think I'd rather eat a centipede, thinking about it! Apart from the "YUK" factor, sea "food" is sky high in cholesterol content. No thanks!!