France: Epernay – Escargot Farm
Ever wonder where your escargot snails come from? While the bulk of them are gathered in the wild, there are about 20 escargot farms in France where they are cultivated. It’s a rather visually simple but technically complicated endeavor of the right soil type with the right grass type and maintaining correct ph-balance and moisture that the snails like and then constructing small wooden platforms for snails to live under (snail pens). They congregate in thousands underneath. Escargot farming is known as heliciculture, and the species farmed is the Helix Pomatia or Burgundy Snail.
