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