Snapping Turtle In the Garlic! Recipe

I promise I will post a recipe soon but in the meantime, our latest wildlife spotting was too good not to share.

The other morning, I was out in the garden with James, my three-year-old, when I noticed that something had been digging in the raised bed we planted with garlic last fall. It's not unusual for a squirrel or chipmunk to wreak havoc but when I took a closer look, I noticed that the dirt was all mounded up - like someone had added a couple shovels full to it.

That's when I saw a large reptilian head nestled in the soft, brown earth. My first thought was, "Is that an IGUANA?!" and then I quickly realized that it was a snapping turtle.

I grew up next to a pond here in upstate New York so I have long experience…