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Snails: Amid Ukraine’s war, a farmer takes comfort

Snails

The Ukrainian farmer was living a quiet life with the quietest of creatures, snails that Olena Avramenko raised for export, to European markets, as many Ukrainians tried their hands at artisan items for their neighbors across Europe. Then Russian President Vladimir Putin decided he wanted Ukraine for his own, he and his forces turned the skies red with the flames of cities under artillery bombardment, and the streets stained with Ukrainian blood. As reported by the AP:

Olena Avramenko stayed, sheltering in her basement and cooking meals of snails — snail ravioli, fried snails, snails with garlic butter, for herself and the eight other people she took in

VERESNYA, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian farmer was living a quiet life with the quietest of creatures: snails that she raises for export. Then, skies on the horizon turned flaming red. Russia had launched its invasion and nearby towns were burning.

Anton Avramenko walks by his snail farm in Veresnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 10, 2022. Snail farming isn’t the type of business you expect to see when you think about Ukraine. Though in recent years, as the economic relations with the EU are tightening, Ukrainians have mastered new ideas of production which can be a perfect fit for the European market. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Olena Avramenko’s village of Veresnya, northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was quickly occupied by Russian forces. But her snails were too precious to leave.

So, she stayed, sheltering in her basement and cooking meals of snails — snail ravioli, fried snails, snails with garlic butter — for herself and the eight other people she took in.

The war’s disruption to exports of grain and other crops from Ukraine that feed the world has captured global attention and sent bread prices soaring across the world. But the production of other, more niche foodstuffs has also been impacted.

Snail’s eggs are seen at Olena Avramenko’s farm in Veresnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 10, 2022. Avramenko founded her snail factory with her son Anton Anton Avramenko, 27, five years ago. He sold everything he had to invest the money in the snail factory. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Before the war threw Ukrainian life and its economy into a tailspin, farmers and artisans in the country were successfully trying their hands not just with snails but also with oysters, edible frogs, vegetable-based milks, craft beers, cheeses, and other products for European markets.

Avramenko and her son, Anton, turned to snail farming five years ago. He sold everything to invest in the business, which at the time was seen as a risky, exotic business in Ukraine. For them, it was an adventure, something new to learn. They exported the snails to Spanish restaurants and Avramenko realized she had found her calling.

Snails are seen at Anton Avramenko’s farm in Veresnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 10, 2022. Snail farming isn’t the type of business you expect to see when you think about Ukraine. Though in recent years, as the economic relations with the EU are tightening, Ukrainians have mastered new ideas of production which can be a perfect fit for the European market. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

“I stayed to protect our farm and home,” she said. “If I hadn’t done it, nothing would have been left.”

In France, where snails are eaten piping hot with oozing garlic butter or mixed into pates, importers had noticed Ukrainian snails making inroads into the market. Exports to the European Union of raw Ukrainian snails more than doubled between 2017 and 2021, from 347 tons to 844 tons.

“But this number could be underestimated,” said Pierre Commere of the French agro-industry group Adepale. “For several years now there has been a long-running crisis in the snail industry. It has become more and more difficult to find snails and prices are rising.”

During the Russian occupation of her village, Avramenko found another calling: taking her mind off the war by dreaming up new recipes for snails when peace returned.

Anton Avramenko holds a cooked snails at his farm in Veresnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 10, 2022. Snail farming isn’t the type of business you expect to see when you think about Ukraine. Though in recent years, as the economic relations with the EU are tightening, Ukrainians have mastered new ideas of production which can be a perfect fit for the European market. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Her son, luckily, was not in Veresnya when the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24, and he couldn’t immediately get back. But Russian soldiers didn’t seem interested in their snails. They did come searching for fuel, smashing a window, and asking Avramenko for her keys.

She gently scolded them for breaking and entering. One of them asked her to forgive him.

Russian forces pulled out of Veresnya at the end of March, part of a general withdrawal from the north and around Kyiv to head out for a massive Russian offensive on Ukraine’s east and south, where the fighting still rages. Many villages in the Kyiv area were littered with bodies and international experts are working there to document suspected war crimes.

A snail is seen at Anton Avramenko’s farm in Veresnya, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 10, 2022. Snail farming isn’t the type of business you expect to see when you think about Ukraine. Though in recent years, as the economic relations with the EU are tightening, Ukrainians have mastered new ideas of production which can be a perfect fit for the European market. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Her son called the day after the Russian pullout and said they’d get straight back to work. He said because the war delayed the start of the snail-rearing season, their business will at best only break even this year. But he didn’t want their seasonal workers to have no income. And a return to the slow pace of snail farming, he felt, will do everyone some good.

“I was somewhere between fear and collapse when he said that” Avramenko said. “But it was the right thing to do. You need to do something to overcome the state of shock. If not, you can easily lose your mind.”

By HANNA ARHIROVA

Journalist John Leicester in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Jade Le Deley in Paris contributed.

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