How to cure an Adder

By E.May Day 2012

Remove head an inch or so down the neck to avoid the poison sacs

Slice carefully down the belly, just to beneath the scales. Don’t cut into the gut sac!

Take your time. The belly scales are tough!

Sunburn…

Use a Stanley knife if necessary

Remove the gut sac in its entirety (don’t burst it), then just peel the skin back along the length

of the body

Kids are fascinated by innards

Nail the skin outside down on a board, stretching it

You’ll need plenty of salt

Work the salt roughly into the inside of the skin to both cure it and as an abrasive in place of a

scraper

Get the kids involved

Just remind them to wash their hands thoroughly as snakes are big on salmonella and

parasites

Keep salting and rubbing until all membrane has been removed, then dry in

the sun