When my children were young we had a magical, organic vegetable garden. We had tomatoes until December, green beans that made Jack-in-the-bean-stalk, look like any Tom-Dick-or-Harry and spinach that made Popeye green with envy.

Our garden was the talk of the neighborhood.

 The neighbor to the right of our home, asked the neighbor to the left, "How does that American  produce such a beautiful vegetable garden?" The neighbor to the left said, "I heard she doesn't use pesticides."

The neighbor across the street threw in, "I heard she uses manure?"

Mr. Porte, my elderly neighbor my vegetable gardener-mentor swelled with pride at his student. I loved that our organic, vegetable garden gave him an extra sparkle in his eye. Mr. Porte gave me wise gardening tips: He told me to put a piece of copper wire in the base of my tomato plants as to prevent the tomatoes from having a grayish, brown bottom, to water the garden only three times a week, and to pick the tiny white shelled snails off the plants.

Bugs give me the creeps.

Luckily, I had little helpers. I told Chelsea (who was 6 at the time) and Sacha (4) to pick off the snails and put them in a bucket.

 

 

                        

 

and they did.

A few days later the snail picking reality dawned on Sacha that this was not a happy little game, that these snails were doomed. That his Mother had failed him. With tears in his lollipop eyes, he asked me, "Mommy, what are you gonna do with these escargots (snails)?"

There comes a point in every child's life when they realize that their Mother is not perfect unfortunately for me, it happened when Sacha was four.

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to lie through my teeth. I wanted to make up a story. I wanted to say something to reassure him. In my long silence, with a look of extreme guilt, and all the while biting my lip, he started to cry. "YOU are gonna KILL 'em!?"

 

 

                

 

I thought to myself, "Great, I have psychologically,

damaged my child. He is going to have nightmares. He is not going to trust me, what can I say, what can I do? Why didn't I use bug spray?"

Just then, to the rescue, Chelsea stood up wiped her brow, looked at me like I was the child, shook her head and said,

"Sacha, either they eat or we eat?!"

Sacha looked at her, then bent down and continued picking the snails off the tomato plants.

 

Children can handle the truth better than we think.

Comments

[Jeanne]

I love all of your stories, and all you share.
All things grow with love and tender loving care.
Love Jeanne

[Debbie]

I love that story!

[Kathie B]

Ugh, I recall snails in everyone's gardens when I was growing up. And on the sidewalks, where it was sometimes hard to avoid stepping on them.

Snails aren't indigenous to northern California, and my mother claimed that in the late 1800s a few enterprising immigrants figured that since our climate was similar to their native land (where snails thrived), they could run a profitable small farm business raising them as escargots, i.e., to sell as gourmet food.

Unfortunately, the snails escaped and went feral (resulting, among other things, in subsequent generations of them reverting to the norm and thus not being large enough to be practical for food). I always assumed it must've been French immigrants who introduced the snails, but now wonder if it was Azoreans instead :-)

[Martina]

Every time I see a snail here in Seattle, I think of butter, spinach and garlic and remember I don’t have escargot spoons 😁. Chelsea seems have always had good explanations for things. Love this story

[Marilyn]

I love, love this story. How wise Chelsea was and How wise you were to get them involved.

[Kiki]

marvellous.....

[Ali]

A wise woman indeed.....
Ali

[Alan]

Yummy, escargot.

[Tina]

ADORABLE! ADORABLE ...
sincerment
Tina *y*

[Kristin]

Another wonderful "Corey Story"...I treasure each and every one of them.

[Jennifer Doherty]

I enjoyed this story so much. So sweet!

[Sharon CrigSt]

While I do not love escargot, I love your blog posts! This was a super cute one that made me smile - big! 😀 🐌