Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles 

At peak hours, there is almost always a line waiting out the door of the new location of Scratch Farm Kitchen, a laid-back breakfast and lunch restaurant in the middle of Lafayette. Scratch is known for its fresh, “from-scratch” casual dishes made from locally-grown ingredients. The menu also includes an interesting variety of coffees, lemonades, teas, beer, seasonal cocktails, and natural and organic wines. Many Acadiana diners claim it’s their favorite place to eat, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
 
Scratch is owned and operated by Jamie Harson, who, at the age of 30, moved from Oregon to what was once her great-grandfather’s 18-acre farm in Duson. Harson, who was featured in a 2016 Farm & Ranch article, jumped headlong into farm life by raising chickens, meat birds, goats, and some 300 pigs.  

“So much has changed since then,” says Harson. “I began farming because I care about the quality of my food. But raising animals is hard work. So, I sold most of my livestock and veered off into the restaurant business.”

Her journey to restaurant fame began when she became a popup vendor at Lafayette’s Moncus Park. She later took the leap to operating a food truck. “For a year I sold food made from what I grew and from what I found at the farmers market,” she said. “My success in the food truck gave me the courage to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.”

With the help of a business partner, in 2019, Harson opened the original Scratch Farm Kitchen in a 1,500-square-foot building on Garfield Street in Downtown Lafayette. Harson and her partner eventually parted ways, and within 4 years the restaurant outgrew its space. 

This past September Harson moved her staff to her new 2,600-square-foot restaurant on Johnston Street, right across the road from where her original odyssey into the restaurant business began, Moncus Park. Already, she is serving four times what she did at her old location.

Scratch’s freshly-made, constantly-changing menu prompts diners to customize their orders by choosing different elements of classic comfort foods. For instance, a “Comfort Bowl” includes seasonal choices of beans, rice, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, and proteins, such as chicken, beef patty, pulled pork, bacon, and tofu. The “Scratch Burger” can be made with beef or pork, or vegetarian or vegan. The popular “Pretty Plate” is a mosaic of choices of salad, a protein, and sides. Sides include familiar favorites such as hash browns, sweet potatoes, grilled broccoli, grits, lima beans, and pickled beets. 

Scratch’s kitchen gladly accommodates dietary restrictions. Many foods are vegetarian and vegan, as well as organic and gluten-free. Harson even offers a gluten-free gumbo made with a rice flour roux.
True to her restaurant’s name, none of what Harson serves comes out of a box or can. “The only thing I buy frozen,” she says, “is lima beans. I have to keep it on the menu year-round, and they’re impossible to get off-season.” 

Harson’s “no-processed” rule extends to condiments. “I make my own mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and jams” she says. “I buy bushels of hot peppers from a farmer right outside Lafayette and turn that into hot sauce. My hot sauce is so popular that customers come in and buy it by the jarful.”

Harson hopes to eventually bottle and sell her signature condiments. But right now, she’s busy setting menus, cooking, and sourcing as many Louisiana ingredients as possible. 

Her duck eggs come from St. Francisville. Pork comes from a farmer in Alexandria, and poultry is sourced from DeRidder. Naturally, she buys tons of produce from the Moncus Farmers Market. “And we thankfully now have JV Foods,” she says of the New Orleans-based wholesale food distributor and online farmers market, which offers local products to chefs and restaurants. 

And why does Harson think Scratch is so popular? “I think our restaurant is a cult,” she says with a laugh. “Or maybe it’s because I pride myself on honest food and creativity. I have a love for farming and farmers. I understand what they go through. I could talk to them all day long.”

After savoring my first bite of Scratch’s generously-sized “Boudini,” a griddle biscuit topped with boudin, cheese, egg, pesto, kimchi, and Harson’s fantastic mayonnaise, I understood why the restaurant’s line is always long. You can taste the freshness for yourself at Scratch Farm Kitchen, 2918 Johnston Street, Lafayette. Phone: 337-295-4769. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 8:00-2:00. They don’t take reservations, so get there early! 
 

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
 Savory Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Makes 6 servings
 
This dish is a good change from the traditional candied sweet potatoes usually served at Thanksgiving. I like to make it on the chunky side. 
 
3 pounds whole sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1-2 jalapeno peppers (depending on your preferred heat level), minced
1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup minced cilantro or parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
⅓ cup chopped pecans
 
1. Prick sweet potatoes all over and bake at 375°F on a foil-lined cookie sheet until tender and juices run from the fork holes. Remove from the oven and peel when cool enough to handle. (Sweet potatoes can be baked a day ahead.)
2. Melt butter completely in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Toss in minced pepper and orange zest and cook 15 seconds. Vigorously stir in peeled sweet potatoes and orange juice. For smoother sweet potatoes, mash with a potato masher. For a puree, use a blender. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt, and pepper. 
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle on the pecans. Serve warm.  
 
 
Beets with Mint and Onion
Makes 4 servings.
 
1½ pounds fresh beets, with 1 inch of stem attached to roots
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
 
1. Set a steamer basket in a saucepan with 2 inches simmering water. Add beets and cover and steam until tender when pierced with a fork, 30-45 minutes. Chop off stems and peel skins off roots. Cut roots into ¼-inch slices.
2. In a medium bowl, make dressing by whisking together vinegars, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir in onion.
3. Add warm beets and mint to dressing and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
 
Goddess Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
Makes 1 cup mayonnaise, or 1⅓ cups dressing
 
Adapted from a recipe by Jamie Harson of Scratch Farm Kitchen. Jamie uses whatever herbs are available, and so can you. She makes large batches in a food processor, but for this downsized recipe, an immersion blender in a glass jar is even easier.
 
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh green onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
1 teaspoon minced fresh holy basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
⅓ teaspoon salt
Dash tamari or soy sauce
⅓ cup sour cream (if making salad dressing)
 
1. In a wide-mouthed pint glass jar, add the egg, then the lemon juice, mustard, and garlic. Pour on the oil and let it sit 15 seconds.
2. Slowly place an immersion blender into the jar and let the head touch the bottom. Without moving the blender stick or lifting it, turn the blender to high speed and process until mayonnaise forms, about 15 seconds. 
3. Slowly lift the blender and process until the oil has blended in and emulsified. Add the herbs, salt, and soy sauce and blend a few seconds.
4. If making salad dressing, stir in the sour cream. Put the lid on the top of the jar and refrigerate up to 1 week.
  
 
Refrigerator Berry Jam
Makes 2 pints
 
7 cups fresh or frozen mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, or coarsely chopped strawberries
5 cups sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 clean pint jars with lids
 
1. In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir together the berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, the whole while mashing berries with a potato masher or a fork.
2. Continue cooking, uncovered and stirring often, until the mixture reads 220°F on a quick-read thermometer. For softer jam, cook to 217°F. You can also drop a dab of jam on a cold plate and see if the jam wiggles when shaken. Takes about 20 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook, or it will get hard when cold.)
4. Immediately remove the pot from the heat and spoon the jam into the jars and cover. Cool at room temperature, then refrigerate up to 1 month.

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles ​

When purple bird droppings begin appearing on my tomato plants, I know that the mulberries are ripe. A gnarly-trunked mulberry tree grows down a gravel road by my house, and every spring it produces clusters of dark purple berries that ooze with juice.
            
Spring is also prime time for searching along the fence in a nearby field for wild dewberries, which is not the same as blackberries, which ripen along another field a few weeks later.  
            
Throughout the years that I’ve strolled the pastures and woods on my family’s farm, I’ve always kept an eye out for wild edibles. John Nettles, an experienced forager and naturalist from Baton Rouge, shares my curiosity and love of dining on the unexpected.
            
John works as a digital marketer, but he spends his spare time running Slowhike Company, through which he conducts foraging walks throughout rural south Louisiana. “In college I worked in lots of restaurants,” he told me. “My interest in cooking led me to learn about what wild foods grow in Louisiana’s forests.” 

​I recently caught up with John at a wooded area outside Baton Rouge. A few yards from our cars he bent over and picked up a small cluster of pink flowers. The delicate flowers grew on square stems surrounded by saw-toothed, heart-shaped leaves. I’d seen that plant all my life and always thought it was nothing more than a weed. 

“This is dead nettle,” John said. “It’s a member of the mint family.” Turns out that the plant’s leaves are edible and highly nutritious. They’re somewhat bitter, but are good in salads and scrambled eggs, and are often brewed to make a tea that supposedly stops spring allergies. 

A few steps away near a small pond stood a “weed’ that I definitely recognized, and always mowed down — a thistle. “Lots of people in south Louisiana call this a chadron,” John said, referring to the French word for thistle. “They taste like sweet celery. Pick them while they’re young, while they don’t have flowers yet.” Peel the stalk of the thistle and eat it raw, sauteed, or pickled.  

Ten feet into the woods and John pointed out another small flower, this one with five dark purple petals and heart-shaped leaves. “It’s a wild violet,” he said. “The whole thing is edible.” Wild violet leaves are good in salads and to make tea. The flowers are used for garnishes, in salads, and to make jelly. 

We meandered down a path that wound through oak and native pecan trees. In a sunny clearing John found a stand of wood sorrel, a plant that looked like tall clover. With their tart, lemony flavor, fresh wood sorrel leaves and flowers are good in salads and cooked. 

Another tasty-looking plant we stumbled on were tiny Indian strawberries. He then explained that the may apple’s leaves are not edible, but that the plant’s yellow, soft, fully ripened fruit tastes like potato. 

We turned around, heading out the woods and discussed even more wild edibles that grow in Louisiana. “Dandelion leaves are full of vitamins A and C,” he said. “Almost everybody who grew up in the country has a story about wild onions, muscadines, and wild persimmons. And we all ate honeysuckle nectar as kids.” We also talked about the mango-like fruit of the pawpaw tree, and making cherry bounce from wild black cherries and whiskey.

We came across a yaupon holly. “This shrub was the only caffeine-producing plant Native Americans had,” John said, picking a few of the plant’s small oval leaves. “Don’t eat the berries, they’re poisonous. But you can dry the leaves and make a tea. It’ll have as much caffeine as green tea.”
 
A few feet away John bent down and excitedly pointed out a decaying log and a group of slightly shriveled oyster mushrooms peeking up from the log’s backside. “They’re a little dessicated,” John said, referring to their dryness. “But you can certainly eat them.”

Other edible mushrooms common in Louisiana forests are chanterelles, morels, wood ear, and the stunningly shaggy-spined lion’s mane. “Mushrooms thrive in Louisiana’s warm, humid climate. They grow here during the summer and fall,” John says. “But remember that many varieties are poisonous. Always get two experts to identify a mushroom before you eat it.”

Our walk ended with John cautioning that any consumable plant harvested from the wild must not have been sprayed with chemicals, and should always be properly identified. He’ll be happy to help anyone determine if their bounty is edible. He’ll also be glad to take you on a tour where wild and delicious things grow. Just text him at 225-205-5515, or email him at [email protected]. 
        

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 

Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.


Sauteed Chadron (Thistle)
Makes 2 servings
 
The hollow stalks of the upright, thorny thistle (sticker bush) that grows along our roads and ditches was an important vegetable for Louisiana’s early Acadians. Peeled young stalks are good raw or cooked. (It’s always a good idea to work with heavy gloves when handling thistle.)
 
5 wild thistle stalks (young plants are best)
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
 
1. Use a sharp knife to cut off the thorny leaves from the stalks. Scrub the stalks thoroughly, then carefully slice off the outer skin. Cut stalks into ¼-inch slices.
2. Heat butter in a skillet set over medium high heat until melted and hot. Add sliced thistle and sauté until thoroughly heated through and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.  
 
 
Pasta with Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Makes 2 servings
 
The lion’s mane mushroom is large, white, and shaggy, and it soaks up sauces beautifully. Its taste is sweet and savory and resembles seafood. If you can’t find lion’s mane in the wild, a few farmers’ markets and grocery stores carry it fresh, along with other hard-to-find mushrooms like morels, chanterelles, and wood ear, which are all good in this recipe.
 
2 cups uncooked spiral or penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chopped fresh tomato
½ cup seafood or chicken stock
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
½ pound fresh lion’s mane mushrooms, separated into small pieces
 
1. Start preparing pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a saucepan set over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. To the onion, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomato and stock, along with salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Cook until tomatoes are completely soft, 10-15 minutes.
2. Using a regular or immersion blender, carefully puree the tomato mixture. Return to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
3. Melt the butter in a small skillet set over medium-high heat. Toss in the lion’s mane and cook until tender and brown on the edges, 3-5 minutes. Add the lion’s mane to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Combine the sauce and the cooked pasta. Serve hot.


Mulberry or Blackberry Tart
Makes 1 (10-inch) tart
 
To take off the notoriously suborn mulberry stems, freeze the berries, then snap the stems right off. 
 
1 unbaked pie crust, homemade or frozen and defrosted
5 cups mulberries or blackberries, fresh or frozen
1¼  cups sugar
Cornstarch (4 tablespoons for fresh mulberries, 5 tablespoons for frozen)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
 
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Between 2 floured sheets of wax paper, roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle. Fit the dough into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan. Prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Line the shell with foil and fill it with raw rice or pie weights. Bake 12 minutes. Remove the rice and foil and bake until light brown, another 6 or so minutes. Remove to a wire rack while making the filling.
3. Heat the oven to 375°F. Put the tart pan with the partially baked crust on a foil-lined baking sheet. To make filling, in a large saucepan, combine mulberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat to medium low and cook until thick like jam, about 5 minutes.
4. Pour hot filling into the crust and bake until bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
 
 
Dandelion Tea
Makes 1 cup
 
Every part of the incredibly nutritious dandelion is edible. Leaves can be used in salads, and roots can be roasted and ground and used as a coffee substitute. Dandelion tea is a diuretic, and it also interacts with some medications, so check with your doctor before consuming this tea.
 
½ cup loosely packed yellow dandelion petals (not the bitter green part)
1 cup boiling water
 
Rinse the petals well and place them in a tea ball. Place the ball in a cup, cover it, and let steep 10 minutes. Remove the tea ball and drink the tea hot or over ice. 

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles 

Every June and July cars line up to buy some of the sweetest corn around at Mathews Produce in Alexandria. Along with 4 acres of assorted summer produce, Jeremy and Haley Mathews plant 12 acres of “super sweet corn.” Their squash, zucchini, eggplant, and carefully grown tomatoes are certainly top-notch. But it’s the young couple’s tender corn that has customers jockeying for a place in line as early as 6:30 a.m.
            
Haley, a schoolteacher, sells produce during summer vacation from a stand right by the Mathews’ home. This allows her to keep an eye on their 1- and 2-year-old girls, who “love getting dirty.” The Mathews’ also sell to 4 different farmers’ markets in the central Louisiana area, and to a few local restaurants, like the popular Tunk’s. The bulk, however, is sold from their shaded yard.
            
The Mathews’ house originally belonged to Jeremy’s grandfather, who started growing sweet corn about 12 years ago. “Grandpa grew it as a project for us kids,” Jeremy said. “Selling corn taught us responsibility and how to make a little money.”
            
Along with his brother and father, Jeremy also works some 4,000 acres on a farm started by his great-grandfather. The Mathews family grows soybeans, cotton, and field corn. Sweet corn differs from field corn, or dent corn, in that it has a higher sugar content and is picked in the immature milk stage, before the sugar turns to starch. Sweet corn plants are also much shorter. Although the U.S. is the number one producer of sweet corn, less than 1 percent of the corn our farmers grow is sweet corn. 
            
To have sweet corn available as long as possible, Jeremey staggers planting. “We do 10 different plantings,” he said. “About 1½ acres at a time on 16-24 rows. And it’s all bi-color.” Sweet corn types are either yellow, white, or a “bi-color” of yellow and white. He grinned as he refused to tell me his “secret” bi-color hybrid.
            
​He waits to plant until the first week of March. “Can’t risk a late freeze,” Jeremy said. He fertilizes once, when the plants are 5-6 inches tall.

​Maturity is about 74 days, as opposed to 110-115 days for field corn. “And our sweet corn is not Roundup ready or Bt,” Jeremy says. “We do spray some preventative herbicides to keep grass and weeds off. Sometimes a hoe crew and I physically end up pulling weeds.” Irrigation for his produce comes from drip, while corn is watered by poly pipe irrigation.

A few pests are hogs, raccoons, and coyotes, which strip whole ears and leave them in a pile. “Our biggest problem by far,” Jeremy said, “is blackbirds. They open shucks up and peck kernels 3 inches down the ear.”

He took me to a field that was almost 80 percent tasseled and handed me a cob of just-picked corn. I took a bite of the tender, milky kernels and was surprised by their sweetness. I could have eaten the whole thing raw.

“The first planting is ready about the first week of June,” Jeremy said. “We have a 2 or -3-day window before the kernels turn hard. Production goes on until about mid-July.” 

The rest of their produce is harvested and sold throughout the summer.” When fall is around the corner, Jeremy plants sunflowers in their produce acreage. “I take the winter off,” he said. “We like to hunt doves.” 

Since the Mathews’ are corn experts, I asked them their favorite way of cooking their widely-acclaimed product and how they preserve an abundance. “I usually blanch, cut off the kernels, and freeze in a Ziploc,” Haley said. “And my favorite recipe is just plain old corn and bacon.”

Jeremy nodded in agreement about the corn and bacon. Then he showed me a stack of grocery-sized brown paper bags. “That’s what we sell corn in. Some people just roll the top down and put the whole bag of corn in the freezer. Unshucked corn lasts frozen 8 months. And you can microwave it frozen and in the shuck.”  

To find out availability of Haley and Jeremy’s sweet corn or any variety of freshly-picked summer vegetables, call Mathews Produce at 318-623-2057. Address: 6389 Bayou Rapides Road, Alexandria. Facebook: Mathews Super Sweet Corn
             

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
Baked Corn on the Cob
Makes 4 servings
 
4 large ears sweet corn, with husks
½ stick butter, softened
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
 
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel back corn husks, but leave them attached to the base of the cob. Remove corn silks. 
2. Combine butter, garlic salt, and black pepper and rub on corn kernels. Fold husks back over buttered corn. Place corn in husks directly on the top oven rack. Roast until corn kernels are soft and the husks are brown, about 30 minutes. To make “handles” for picking up the corn, peel husks back but leave them on the base of the cobs. 
 
 
 
 
Corn and Bean Salad
Makes 6 servings
 
6 ears fresh sweet corn, husks and silks removed
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, garbanzo beans, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large red bell pepper, chopped 
¾ cup minced red onion
½ cup chopped green onion
 
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the ears of corn and cook 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from the cob.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir in the corn kernels, beans, bell pepper, onion, and green onion. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Stir well before serving.
 
 
Haley Mathews’ Skillet Corn and Bacon
Makes 8 servings
 
Although she occasionally adds seasonings like onion, parsley, green onions, or salt, Haley Mathews prefers preparing this dish simply, with only corn and bacon. She also stresses that it is important to cook it in a cast iron skillet. 
 
6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 very fresh ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cob
 
Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until barely crisp. Add corn and stir constantly until kernels are just cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Serve hot.
 
 
 
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
 
Sounds crazy doesn’t it! But ice cream made with fresh sweet corn is delicious.
 
4 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and silks removed
2 cups whole milk
4 extra large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 
1. Cut kernels of corn off the cobs. Place corn kernels and whole milk in into a large saucepan set over medium heat and stir constantly until mixture starts simmering around the edges. Cover the saucepan and set aside 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, stir together the egg yolks and sugar. Bring the corn mixture back to just a simmer. Whisk a cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk all of egg mixture into the hot milk in the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Strain into a bowl and discard the solids.
3. Whisk in evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla. Refrigerate custard until completely cool. Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions.

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles 

Almost every summer I take a quick road trip up to Ruston. The official reason is to visit the final resting places of relatives. It is no coincidence, however, that my annual pilgrimage is always at the beginning of June, when it’s time for Ruston’s Annual Peach Festival. That’s also when the peaches are ripe at the iconic Mitcham Farms.

Ask just about any peach aficionado which fruits have the most flavor, and they will emphatically say that the tastiest come from Ruston. The peaches from this north Louisiana region are typically large and deep-colored. They ooze with juice and smell like a floral perfume. 

The soil around the small city and throughout Lincoln Parish contains relatively high amounts of iron ore, which some believe adds to peach flavor. The area’s hills roll gently, and that aids in temperature regulation and drainage. Ruston is also far enough north to provide the required 900-1100 chill hours necessary for high peach quality.  

On many a June morning I have rushed to Mitcham Farms at 8:00 a.m., hoping to snatch a bushel or two of freshly-picked peaches. On my last trip, I also bought freshly-churned peach ice cream at the farm’s store. And I talked peaches with the farm’s owner, Joe Mitcham.

​Mitcham Farms is just north of Ruston, and is one of Louisiana’s largest peach farms. It began in 1946, when Mitcham’s school-teacher parents bought 300 acres of a cotton plantation for $38 per acre. His father planted the first peach trees in 1947. 

Today, Mitcham only plants around 15 acres, which is miniscule compared to the 340 acres his family planted back in the orchard’s heyday, in the 1970s-80s.

“There used to be over 1,000 acres of orchards in Lincoln Parish,” Mitcham says. “Now we’re only a handful of small-acreage farmers.” He lays some of the decline’s blame on production costs and the lack of preferred nursery stock. Then there’s huge competition from big growers in Georgia and California. 

“And unseasonal cold snaps keep killing everybody’s tender buds,” Mitcham says. He personally solved that problem in the year 2000, when he purchased 3, two-bladed wind turbine machines that, within their reach, keep temperatures 5 degrees warmer.

“By far, today’s biggest problem,” Mitcham says, “is the lack of chemicals to combat armillaria.” The fungal disease comes from the soil and attacks deep in the tree root systems. Once symptoms of rot appear, it is almost impossible to treat.

Despite his challenges, Mitcham produces succulent peaches from some 1,300 healthy trees that are pruned to 8 feet tall. One mature tree typically produces 6 (25-pound) boxes of fruit. 

Mitcham’s peaches are picked by hand. With guidance from seasonal workers, just-ripe fruit is run through a conveyer system that washes, defuzzes, grades, and sorts. Large boxes are packed by machine. Gift boxes of large, perfect peaches are packed by hand. “We sell gift boxes mostly to corporate businesses for client gifts,” Mitcham says. “And that provides most of our income.”  

Ruston’s peach season typically runs from late May through the first weeks of August. Some early ripening varieties Mitcham grows are Carored, Desiree, and the richly sweet Flavor Rich. In mid-summer he sells Flavor Crest, Blaze Prince, and Fire Prince. A few of his late-season peaches are Red Globe, July Prince, August Prince, and Ruston Red, a large, sweet cling free developed by LSU.

Even though the number of Ruston’s peach growers is shrinking, consumer desire for the area’s unique crop is as robust as ever. This craving is evident by the long lines at Mitcham’s processing facility during the summer mornings they are open.

​“We stopped selling wholesale years ago,” Mitcham says. “So we have plenty of peaches for locals. But we can only pick so many in one day. You just have to get here early!”

With a bushel of Carored clingstone peaches in my back seat, I drove toward Downtown Ruston, where the Peach Festival was in full swing. I stopped to watch the parade then found booths of vendors that sold things like woodworks, unique home décor, handmade fish baits, preserves, bakery treats . . . and peach ice cream. 

I hopped back into my car, which was filled with the flowery scent of my recently purchased Mitcham Farms clingstones. I couldn’t wait, so I munched on a peach right then. The fruit’s flavor was like nectar, the way a peach should taste. Sticky juice snaked down my arm, but I didn’t care.  

You can visit Mitcham Farms at 1926 Mitcham Orchard Road, Ruston, Louisiana, 71270, phone: 318-255-3409. This year, Ruston’s Louisiana Peach Festival will be held on Saturday, June 3.
 
                                     
Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected]
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, The Jay Ducote Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
Peach Crisp
Makes 6 servings
 
4 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled peaches, or 2 (16-ounce) cans sliced peaches, drained 
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon almond extract
 
Topping:
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
 
For serving: Vanilla ice cream
 
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the insides of an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together drained peaches, white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and almond extract. Pour peach mixture evenly into prepared pan.
2. Add all topping ingredients to a large bowl. Using a fork or your fingers, work the mixture until it’s well combined and resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over the peaches. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream.
 
 
Whole Wheat Peach and Walnut Muffins
Makes 12 standard-sized muffins
 
Buttermilk, olive oil, and juicy peach chunks make this bakery-style muffin incredibly tender.
 
1½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cloves, allspice, or pumpkin spice
½ teaspoon iodized salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
⅔ cup buttermilk
⅓ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups peeled, chopped peaches, in ½-inch dice
1 cup chopped walnuts
 
Topping:
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
 
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line the cups of a standard-sized muffin tin with paper liners. To prevent the tops from sticking to the pan, lightly spray the pan top around the liners with cooking spray. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir in the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla, and almond extract. When blended well, stir in the peaches and walnuts.
3. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Cups should be almost full to the top. Sprinkle each with the topping. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm. Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.  
 
 
Peach Ice Cream
Makes 2 quarts (Adapted from Mitcham Farms Peach Cookbook)
 
2 pounds fresh, slightly overripe peaches (about 6-8 medium), stones removed
2 cups white sugar
Juice from half a fresh lemon
2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
1. Puree the peaches. (You should have 3-4 cups.) Put the puree in a large bowl. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Stir in the cream and vanilla. 
2. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.
 
 
Peach Salsa
Makes about 3 cups
 
Good as a dip with tortillas, and also on grilled fish and pork. 
 
4 large peaches, stones removed and diced
1 large ripe tomato, seeds removed and diced
¼ cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Juice from 1 lime
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
 
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. For best flavor, refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles

Does the high price of eggs have you clucking? Maybe you should consider what many inflation-shocked consumers are doing, raising a small flock of chickens. 

Chicken coops used to be a normal part of a Louisiana farm landscape. This ubiquitous backyard structure began disappearing in the mid-1900s, when advances in chicken breeding spawned commercial production powerhouses. 
 
Then came the 1980s natural food movement, and the recent covid shortages, higher food prices, and an outbreak of avian bird flu. Lo and behold, egg-laying chickens have once again become a hot commodity. Even residents of our state’s large cities have been getting in on the chicken-raising act.

If you want to raise chickens from eggs, you must first have fertile eggs. You can actually buy fertile eggs online, or ask a friend with roosters to sell you some. For a successful hatch you’ll need an incubator. The eggs must be “set” at the right temperature and humidity, and turned 3-5 times a day until day 18. Chicks typically hatch at day 21. 

Landry’s Feed Store in Crowley sells hatched baby chicks. “During the last six months I’ve seen a much larger interest in raising chickens,” says store manager, Ken Landry. Some of the most popular egg-laying breeds Landry’s sells are Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rock, White Leghorn, Buff Orpington, Golden Sexlink, and Easter Eggers, a hybrid whose eggshells can come out of the chicken blue, green, brown, olive, or pink. Landry’s also sells the slightly less productive but more showy variety call Silver Laced Wyandotte, as well as other exotics. 

“We order chicks and receive them when they’re two days old,” Landry says. “Just remember, when you buy them that young, you have to raise them until they’re old enough to lay.” 

​The prime period for nurturing chicks to adulthood is mid-February through May. From chick to egg-laying hen takes 16-28 weeks, depending on breed. Getting a chick to that stage involves an investment in a brooder, which is a container to keep the chicks safe. You also need heat lamps, litter, and a feeder and drinker. 

“Chicks definitely need special feed and supplements,” Landry says. They can be prone to maladies such as the gut disease coccidiosis, as well as vitamin deficits, leg problems, feather picking, and deformed beaks. You also have to remove poop buildup from the brooder vent daily, or your chicks can succumb to the uncomfortable-sounding disease called pasty butt, which develops from too much heat. And aside from the sexlink hybrid, it's hard to tell a hen from a rooster in young chicks. 

Your best bet for finding mature hens is to locate a nearby farmer who has a flock. Full-grown chickens thrive best in a secure coop that opens to the outdoors and a fenced area known as a chicken-run. “Hens also need special feeds, as well as occasional supplements of vitamins and electrolytes,” say Landry. “You also have to watch for evidence of worms. If the egg shells are soft, you need something to harden them, like ground oyster shells.”

Obviously, raising chickens requires a steep learning curve. And although it seems like an economically sound step to take, according to my sister Judy Burton and her husband, James, the savings aspect of raising chickens for eggs might be overblown. 

These relatives live a short distance down my rural Acadia Parish highway, and a few months ago James bought six pullets, the term for a teenage female. The hens are finally laying a few dozen eggs a week, but James tells me that the cost of feed, fencing for a chicken-run, and a chicken coop “sure ain’t chicken scratch.” 

Then there’s the commitment of time. Hens need physical attention two times a day. In the morning they should be let out to peck in the grass. At dusk, they need to be penned and locked back up. 

When Judy and James recently went on vacation, I was assigned the daily tasks of getting their “girls” in and out of the coop. This hen-sitting duty was surprisingly stressful, mainly because Henrietta, a friendly Rhode Island Red, had recently been decapitated in broad daylight by a mink that somehow squeezed through the chicken-run fence. Fortunately, on my watch the remaining five hens survived. 

Even though raising hens requires a little patience and discipline, there are unexpected perks. Aside from laying eggs, they provide free fertilizer. Since chickens are omnivores, they eat table scraps, as well as weeds, grubs, bugs, and other pests. Chickens are also a source of entertainment, as they are for my sister’s three-year-old granddaughter, Madeline, who likes throwing them treats, and who excitedly checks the nests for eggs every day. 

Not surprisingly, James and Judy’s chickens have become part of their family. And that brings up another problem. Chickens lay best for only 2-4 years, but they live from 5-10 years. Some chicken owners have no problem relegating older hens to the gumbo pot. But I do not fear that fate for the chickens down the road — Judy has already assured me that her hens will spend retirement as pets.      
 
 
​Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
            
 
 
Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 
 
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ teaspoon ground dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely minced red onion
2 teaspoons minced green onion, tops only
Garnish of your choice, such as paprika, minced red bell pepper, chives, thinly sliced pickled jalapeno, or even caviar!
 
1. In a large saucepan, add eggs and top with enough water so it covers them by at least 1 inch. Over high heat, bring water to a boil, boil 1 minute and remove pan from heat. Cover pan and let eggs sit 12 minutes. Run eggs under cold water while peeling.
2. Slice eggs in half crosswise, remove yolks to a bowl, and reserve egg white halves. Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in red onion and green onion. Spoon mixture into egg white halves. Cover and chill 30 minutes to 8 hours. Garnish just before serving. 
 
 
 
Pickled Eggs
Makes 12 
 
1 dozen hard-boiled large eggs, peeled
2 cups white vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
8 black peppercorns
2 peeled garlic cloves
1 tablespoon whole pickling spice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 
1. Sterilize a quart jar and lids. Place boiled eggs in jar, making sure there’s at least 1 inch of space from neck of jar.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, black peppercorns, garlic, pickling spice and red pepper flakes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. 
3. Remove pickling liquid from heat and pour over eggs in jar, making sure all egg surfaces are completely covered. Place lid on jar and refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate 2 weeks. Consume within a month and always keep refrigerated.
 
 
Scotch Eggs
Makes 8 (Recipe is by Melinda Winans of Baton Rouge)
 
Common in British supermarkets and convenience stores, these sausage-coated boiled eggs are a great finger food for parties or with a salad for a light lunch.
 
1 pound lean ground pork sausage
2 raw eggs, in separate bowls and each beaten
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon dried dill
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
¾ cup fine bread crumbs
For serving: English Hot Mustard, or any mustard
 
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix sausage with 1 raw egg and divide into 8 parts. Flatten each portion into a round. 
2. Mix flour and dill and lightly coat boiled eggs with seasoned flour. Shape a portion of the sausage completely around each coated egg.
3. Roll each sausage-encased egg in the remaining beaten egg and then in bread crumbs. Press crumbs gently into the sausage.
4. Bake eggs on a rack in a shallow pan until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool eggs completely and slice into quarters. Serve with mustard. Can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to cut.
 
 
Egg, Chili, Sausage, and Potato Breakfast Casserole
Makes 8 servings 
 
This make-ahead dish can be assembled the night before it’s baked.
 
1 (28-ounce) bag frozen, shredded hashbrowns or mini tater tots, thawed
1 pound spicy bulk sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained
2½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilis, drained 
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
8 large eggs
1½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
 
1. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 350°F. In either case, grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a very large bowl, gently mix together the hashbrowns, cooked sausage, 2 cups cheese, onion, bell pepper, green chilis, and cilantro. Spread evenly into the baking pan. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the hashbrown mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining ½ cup cheese. (If assembling the night before baking, at this point cover the casserole with aluminum foil and refrigerate.) 
3. Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the center is set, 55-65 minutes. If refrigerated unbaked, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before putting in the hot oven and allow an extra 10 minutes baking time.

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles 

Any cook worth her pralines is familiar with Bergeron Pecans, the New Roads company that packs its nuts in those clear cellophane bags that many South Louisiana grocery stores carry. What you might not know is that Bergeron’s is Louisiana’s largest pecan sheller, processing half of our state’s product. It’s also remarkable that this family-owned company has been in the pecan business since 1910.

On a recent visit to Bergeron’s processing plant along False River, Andre Bergeron, part owner and manager of the company, took me around. The tour began in the retail store, which mostly sells a variety of shelled pecan grades, including the popular plump and flavorful Elliott, as well as bulk unshelled pecans.

Andre proudly pointed to walls of framed black and white photos, and one lined with portraits. “That’s Horace, my grandfather,” he said, nodding to a painting of his bespeckled ancestor. “The building we’re standing in was his general store. In the early 1900s he’d trade merchandise for local pecans.”

Horace’s pecan business steadily grew, and in 1941, his sons decided to take the family venture nationally. Bergeron’s invested in top-end machinery and expanded the shelling plant. In little time the United States Pecan Shelling Association had awarded them with the coveted title of “Highest Quality Pecans.”

Today, Bergeron Pecans buys and processes pecans from growers around the state. “We used to have a lot of our own trees,” Andre said, “but hurricanes have wiped them out.” He also said that Pointe Coupee Parish alone used to produce over 6 million pounds. Now the region averages only about 1.5 million. This past growing season has been particularly depressed, with heavy rains and scab disease causing local tree stress.

A walk through one of Bergeron’s massive warehouses began with a machine that graded by size. At a washing station unshelled pecans were scrubbed in a 180-degree water bath. They went on to a cracker that cracks 400 pecans a minute. Then it was on to a sheller that divided pecan meat from shells. An infrared “eye” sorted them by size. “The pecan shells,” Andre said, pointing to a dozen or so large barrels, “go to a plant in DeRidder that uses them for fuel.”
            
After another wash and dry, shelled pecans go through final grading on a conveyor belt manned by workers who pick, sort, and pack into boxes. At the computerized bagging machine, workers seal shelled and sorted pecans into 8-ounce, 12-ounce, and 16-ounce cellophane bags, the company’s most popular size. During pecan picking season, October through December, Bergeron’s can shell about 40,000 pounds of pecans a day.

“Pecan pieces mostly go to wholesale customers who use them for commercial goods,” Andre said. “Grocery stores want halves. And we have a big mail-order business that sells pecan halves and pieces, and roasted and candied.”
           
As we wound through a maze of warehouse rooms full of more machinery and barrels of cleaned pecans, I couldn’t help but notice how everything looked so tidy. “We’re inspected by the state and the federal government,” Andre said. “We’re proud of passing those inspections.”
           
 Andre reflected on how the pecan business has changed over the years. “In the beginning, we’d ship by rail to New Orleans and even Chicago.” Shipping now is mostly by contracted truck lines that deliver from farms and to retail outlets. 

“In the 1960s, Louisiana could produce 40 million pounds a year,” Andre said. “Now a good year only makes 12-15.” Fifteen states produce pecans commercially. Georgia, which produces 170-200 million pounds a year, tops the list. At the last available reporting, Louisiana is sixth. “And Mexico has jumped in in a big way,” Andre said. “They’re really cutting into our market.” 
           
In spite of growing competition and massive setbacks from Mother Nature, Andre says that national pecan demand is as strong as ever. “Although we’re struggling to find product,” he says, “business is extremely good.”
            
That’s not at all surprising. Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats, and they’re loaded with essential amino acids, as well as a boatload of minerals. Besides that, this native Louisiana nut just plain tastes good. 
            
Horace Bergeron would be proud of his legacy. It’s worth the drive to New Roads to load up on a few boxes of his descendants’ pecans. Pecans keep well frozen up to a year. But if you’re like me, you never give them the chance to merit freezing. 
             

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
            
 
 Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard
Makes 4 servings
 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons paprika
1½ teaspoons salt, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup Dijon mustard, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon melted salted butter
¼ cup honey
 
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil the bottom of a sheet pan or line with parchment. Flatten chicken breasts to ½ inch. In a plate, mix together flour, paprika, 1½ teaspoons salt, black pepper, and cayenne. In a shallow bowl beat together 1 tablespoon mustard and eggs. In another shallow bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, pecans, and butter.
2. Dip chicken breasts into flour mixture, then egg mixture. Firmly press on pecan mixture to coat. Lightly sprinkle coated chicken with salt. Bake until browned and cooked through, 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted reads 160°F.
3. While chicken is baking, combine remaining mustard and honey. Serve chicken warm drizzled with honey mustard. 
 
 
 
Heavenly Hash Candy
Makes 64 pieces
 
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped toasted, salted pecans
 
1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, letting a few inches paper hang over the sides. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine condensed milk, chocolate chips, and salt. Over low heat, stir mixture just until chips are melted. (Do not let boil.)
2. Remove from heat and spread ⅓ of chocolate mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle on marshmallows and pecans, and top with remainder of chocolate.
3. Refrigerate until just firm, about 2 hours. Grasp paper overhang and lift candy out of pan. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 1 week; in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks; and in the freezer up to 2 months.
 
 
 
Italian Cream Cake
Makes a 9-inch, 3-layer cake
 
This iconic coconut and pecan showstopper is perfect after a holiday meal. 
 
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2¼ cups cake flour
1 cup shredded coconut
2⅓ cups finely chopped pecans, divided
Italian Cream Cake Icing (recipe follows)
For garnish: pecan halves
 
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease insides of three 9x2-inch round cake pans (or a 9x13-inch pan). Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper and grease them. Dust insides of pans with flour.
2. In a large bowl, add butter and sugar and beat using medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
3. In a small bowl, sir together buttermilk, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Alternate stirring flour and buttermilk mixture into batter, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into batter. Divide batter among prepared pans, and smooth the tops. Bake until center bounces back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove layers from oven and cool in pans on a rack 5 minutes. Remove layers from pans and cool completely on racks.
6. To frost, spread ½ cup icing on top of bottom layer and sprinkle with ⅓ cup of remaining chopped pecans. Place second layer over bottom layer and spread with ½ cup icing and ⅓ cup pecans. Place third layer on top and spread icing on top and sides of cake. Decorate with remaining chopped pecans and pecan halves. Can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
 
 
Italian Cream Cake Icing
Makes enough to frost one 3-layer or sheet cake
 
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ sticks butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1½ cups shredded coconut
 
In a large bowl, use medium mixer speed to beat together the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Beat in vanilla and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Stir in coconut.
 
 
Pecan Granola
Makes 10 cups
 
Crispy clusters of homemade granola taste nothing like storebought. 
 
2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup honey
½ cup coconut or vegetable oil
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
 
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, letting a few inches foil hang over the pan’s rim. In a large bowl, combine the oats, pecans, coconut, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and coconut oil. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the mixture into the sheet pan. Bake, stirring thoroughly and re-spreading twice, until medium brown, 25-30 minutes.
3. Remove from oven. Using the foil overhand, lift the granola out of the pan and lay it on a heatproof surface. Use a spatula to mix in the raisins. Press into an even layer and cool to room temperature. Break the granola into clusters and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer up to 3 months.
 
 
Roasted Pecans
Makes 4 cups
 
1 pound pecan halves
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
 
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, mix together the pecans and melted butter. Spread pecans in one layer on a sheet pan or rimmed cookie sheet. 
2. Bake 15 minutes, then stir and spread again in an even layer. Bake 10 minutes, stir again, and spread evenly. Sprinkle on salt, stir the pecans, and spread evenly again. Bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet. Store pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 months, or in the freezer up to 1 year. 

Betty and John “Black” Chenier know about growing produce — from common sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and collards, to the more exotic, like kabocha squash, bok choy, napa cabbage, and roselle hibiscus, which Betty dries to make tea. 

For over 30 years the couple has been growing specialty crops on 10 acres of their 40-acre farm north of Opelousas. I first met the Cheniers about 25 years ago at the Baton Rouge Farmers’ Market, where their vendor stand always seemed the most crowded. I would make a beeline there early, to pick out the biggest melons. I would also snatch up honey and eggs and whatever unusual vegetables they happened to bring along.

When I recently toured their St. Landry Parish farm, the visit started out with me, Betty, and a sleepy Australian shepherd named Brandy easing into a 4-seater side-by-side. On our way to look at mustard greens and cabbages we trundled past a greenhouse and a row of fig trees. Further down the dirt road sat a large chicken house. A herd of 30 cattle grazed in a lush fenced field.  

Betty told me that she and Black have been married 40 years. “Black is from Plaisance,” she said, “and he grew up in a family of 22 children. He had to learn how to grow things. That’s the only way his parents could feed so many mouths.” 

Betty, originally from Oberlin, spent 16 years doing office work, then convinced her husband that she’d be more productive and happier growing vegetables. “I got tired of dressing up every day. I wanted to dig in the dirt,” she said “That’s when we bought this land. And I made this my full-time job.”

For 43 years, Black worked in private industry. “But with every spare minute he had, he’d work on our farm,” Betty said. “And he just retired. Nowadays, all he does is work with me.”

The Chenier farm has rich sandy loam soil, which the couple plows into rows irrigated by drip lines. A few of their summer staple crops include snap beans, peppers, cucumbers, corn, and white, Yukon, purple, and new potatoes, and some 500-600 tomato plants. “In season, we pick up to 1,000 pounds of tomatoes a day,” Betty said. They also plant okra, including longhorn. “Longhorn is a variety the old Creoles and Cajuns know. It’s good in gumbo and smothered.” 

Some of this year’s fall and winter-maturing crops are beets, cauliflower, spinach, turnips, green onions, acorn squash, broccoli, and 2 acres of sweet potatoes. Then there’s the unexpected, such as rows of different-colored pumpkins, and arugula, red mustard greens, and mizuna, a stunning Japanese mustard green that’s good for salad. 

Black laughs that he lets Betty buy any seed that strikes her fancy. Betty says she loves studying seed catalogs and ordering unusual things. “I also like planting with different cultures in mind,” she says. “And I always have an eye on nutrition.” She stresses that consumers are health-conscious these days. “I research what’s inside the vegetables I plant. I like talking vitamins and minerals with my customers.” 

This past year the Cheniers faced challenges from coyotes, which ravaged persimmons and their celebrated watermelons. October’s unusually early frost killed plants that should have produced another month.

The Cheniers also have the universal agricultural concerns of high fuel and fertilizer costs and a lack of labor. Fortunately, they have a teenaged grandson who helps out. “It’s hard to keep hired help on a farm like this,” Betty says. “Weeding, picking, and packing by hand is hard work.”

The day ended with Betty and Black sending me off with several bunches of Florida Broadleaf mustard greens, a couple of bags of Evangeline sweet potatoes, a Cinderella pumpkin, and a teardrop-shaped variety of squash called red kuri. If you’d like to purchase some of their spectacular produce, stop by Baton Rouge’s Saturday Downtown Farmers’ Market. They’ll also sell you bulk orders directly from their Opelousas farm. (phone: 337-945-6944, address: 248 Chenier Road, Opelousas)
 
 
Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
Thai Winter Squash Soup
Makes 1 quart
 
A 1½ to 2-pound red kuri, butternut, or acorn squash
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups chicken broth
½ cup tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon chili paste or crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
 
1. To prepare squash, preheat oven to 375°F. Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and place halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined shallow baking dish. Cover with more foil and bake until squash flesh pierces easily, 30-50 minutes. Cool, discard any liquid, and scoop out pulp. 
2. Sauté onion in butter in a large heavy saucepan until onion is translucent. Add squash, broth, tomato sauce, garlic, ginger, honey, and chili paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes.
3. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour back into saucepan and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve soup hot. 
 
 
 
Broccoli, Bacon, and Cranberry Salad
Makes 6-8 servings
 
This is my go-to salad for large gatherings. The recipe doubles easily and can be made a day ahead. 
 
1 large head broccoli, cut into small, bite-sized florets 
10 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
½ cup toasted pecans or walnuts
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
 
In a large bowl, toss together broccoli, bacon, onion, cranberries, and pecans. Make dressing by mixing together mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing over salad and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
 
 
Mustard Greens Gratin
Makes 6 servings
 
Any mustard green bitterness miraculously disappears in this holiday-worthy side dish. 
 
1 pound washed, stemmed, and roughly chopped fresh mustard greens (1 packed gallon)
3 large eggs, beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
½ cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
12 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup panko bread crumbs
 
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil a shallow 2½-quart baking dish and set aside. To dry the mustard greens, give them a whirl in a salad spinner, or blot them thoroughly with paper towels. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and black and cayenne peppers to taste. Set aside.
3. In a large Dutch oven set over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon melted butter and the onion. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté until mushrooms are cooked through and have released their liquid, 5-6 minutes. Add the greens and stir until they are completely wilted, 3-4 minutes. Lower heat and add the cream cheese chunks and stir until melted. Remove pot from heat. 
4. Add the greens mixture and the crumbled bacon into the egg mixture and stir to combine. (If mixture seems dry add a little milk or cream.) Pour into the prepared baking dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake until crumbs are golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. 
 
 
Walnut Sweet Potato Cookies
Makes 3 dozen
 
These spicy, cake-like cookies would be a great addition to your Christmas cookie platter.
 
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
¾ teaspoon iodized salt
1¼ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
 
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, use medium electric mixer speed to cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, scraping down sides and beating well after each addition. Add sweet potato and vanilla, and beat on medium speed 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.
3. Gently stir in flour mixture until it is completely absorbed. Chill dough at least ½ hour.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop chilled dough by 1-inch balls set 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet. (Refrigerate dough between batches.) Bake until just brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Remove cookies to a rack and cool completely. Keeps in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 1 week. 

For a bit of Napa Valley right here in Louisiana, jump in your car and visit the tasting room, winery, and vineyards at Landry Vineyards in West Monroe. 

Jeff and Libby Landry have been growing wine grapes for 22 years. Throughout that time, Jeff has not only learned how to coax vines to produce in Louisiana’s challenging climate, but he’s also mastered the winemaking ropes. The result of his labor is an impressive portfolio of 24 dry and semi-sweet whites and reds, and a few ports. Some red wines, such as an elegant Cabernet Franc and a fruity Petite Sirah, are French oak-finished and full-bodied, and stand up to comparables costing twice the price. 

The Landrys started their business slowly. In 1999, they bought 2 acres of farmland in the southeast Louisiana community of Folsom. “We wanted our 4 sons to gain an exposure to agriculture,” Jeff said.
“I had a vision for growing a small-acreage commodity. And I wanted to refine a product from it to sell directly to customers.” So, he and Libby began by growing a disease-resistant, French-American hybrid white wine grape, Blanc Du Bois, that they planned to sell to nearby Pontchartrain Vineyards. 

​The couple quickly learned that growing grapes is expensive. “It costs $20,000 in labor and materials to get 1 acre in production,” Jeff says. Each growing season is called a “leaf,” and it’s not until the “third leaf” that vines produce a successful harvest. “When we finally had grapes,” Jeff said of the first 10 marketable tons they had proudly raised, “Pontchartrain didn’t buy them. With all those grapes on our hands, we decided to make our own wines.”

Libby scrambled to find winemaking equipment, and she came up with a crusher destemmer, a press, and an old dairy tank they used for fermentation. From their barn they made their first batch in 2001, and they were licensed as a Louisiana Native Winery in 2002. In those early days, they paid Amato’s Winery in Independence one dollar per bottle for processing. They sold their first 6,000-bottle batch of Blanc Du Blanc at Farmers Markets. 

Then came Hurricane Katrina, which may have been a blessing in disguise. In the storm’s chaotic aftermath, Jeff and Libby moved their family to where his brother was living, just south of West Monroe, and where rolling hills and decreased precipitation are more favorable for a successful vineyard. “The weather up here is great for growing grapes,” said Jeff. “And it hardly ever gets too cold. Sometimes when big fronts come through, they seem to go all around us.”

He points out that West Monroe’s soil, too, is ideal. “It’s all sandy loam. Between the soil and the hills, we don’t have a problem with drainage.”

Although Landry Vineyards’ grapes are fungus resistant, Jeff does have a spray program. Naturally, grapes are irresistible to predators, especially raccoons, birds, and squirrels. Netting is a good pest deterrent on slow-growing red grapes. But white grape canes eventually grow through netting. “For white grapes,” says Jeff, “we use recorded sounds. That does a good job of scaring away birds.” 

Depending on grape variety, harvest begins in late July and ends at the end of September. Until five years ago, grapes were cut by hand. Now the Landrys harvest using a machine that uses fans to automatically take out bad fruit. “Since we started harvesting mechanically,” Jeff says, “we’re seeing a big improvement in quality.”

Nowadays, the Landrys grow grapes on 16 acres of their manicured 50-acre site. They produce 50-70 tons of grapes per year, including Blanc Du Bois, the black-skinned Lenoir/Black Spanish, and Crimson Cabernet, which produces full-bodied wines. Since so many premium wine grapes don’t grow well in Louisiana, they purchase grape juice from California for most of their hand-crafted, barrel aged red wines. 

Landry Vineyards produces 200,000 bottles of wine a year, and they are aged and bottled on site. In addition to their premium oak-aged line of reds, a few labels include a light, semi-dry Rosé, a semi-sweet Blackberry Merlot, a caramel-woodsy dessert wine called Louisiana Heat, and their popular smooth and fruity white called Blanc Du Bois Dry. 

You can find the Landrys’ wines at over 640 Louisiana locations. If you visit Landry Vineyards, expect to find a modern winery with a first-rate tasting room that’s open Monday-Saturday. You can schedule Saturday tours of the vineyard, cellar, winery, crush pad, and bottling facility. Several cottages and camper sites are available for rent. The Landrys also host a wildly popular spring and fall series of outdoor music concerts. 

Address: 5699 New Natchitoches, Road, West Monroe, Louisiana, 71292. You can contact them through their website at landryvineyards.com, or call at 318-557-9050.
 


Blanc Du Bois BBQ Shrimp and Cauliflower
Makes 4 servings (Adapted from a recipe by Libby Landry of Landry Vineyards)
 
This recipe calls for a cup of Landry Vineyards’ Blanc Du Bois dry white wine. The term blanc du bois in French means ‘white of the wood,’ which nicely describes this wine’s light and smooth profile — fruit and honeysuckle forward, with a hint of wood. It’s perfect with seafood dishes, so be sure to serve the rest of the bottle with your meal.
 
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
1 large bell pepper, sliced
1 large head cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces
3 large banana peppers, sliced
3 bay leaves
1 cup Landry Vineyards Blanc Du Bois dry white wine
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
½ cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 teaspoon fresh
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, or ½ teaspoon fresh
Creole seasoning, to taste
1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
For serving: French bread or rice
 
1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high, then sauté the garlic 1 minute. Add onion and sauté 1 minute. Stir in bell pepper and sauté until garlic is caramelized, until the edges have a golden color, about 2-3 more minutes.
2. Stir in cauliflower, banana peppers, and bay leaves. Add Blanc Du Bois wine, barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and Creole seasoning. Stir well and cook until cauliflower is just tender, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add shrimp and cook until they are curled and pink, 2-3 minutes. Serve in bowls with French bread or hot cooked rice.
 
 
Mushroom and Wine Smothered Pork Chops
Makes 4 servings (Adapted from a recipe by Libby Landry of Landry Vineyards)
 
Libby says that this dish tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have soaked thoroughly into the meat.
 
4 (¾ to 1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (can substitute chicken breasts)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, drained, or ½ cup sliced fresh
1 cup Landry Vineyards Blanc du Bois white wine
1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup strips of red, green, or yellow bell pepper (optional)
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped green onions
For serving: rice, pasta, or steamed vegetables
 
 
1. Blot the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high and heat the olive oil. Brown both sides of the pork chops well. Transfer the pork chops to a platter and cover with foil. Save the drippings in the pot.  
2. Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the pan drippings. Lightly brown the garlic, about 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms. Add the white wine, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Add mushroom soup, optional bell pepper, and the parsley, green onions, and black pepper to taste. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
3. Place the browned pork chops and any accumulated juices back into the skillet with the sauce. Cook over low heat, covered, until pork is completely cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with rice, pasta, or steamed vegetables.
 
 
 
Italian Wine Cookies
Makes 4 dozen
 
These crisp, rustic cookies are perfect with a glass of port or cup of coffee. If you’re not a fan of anise, leave it out. 
 
1 cup Landry Vineyards Crimson Cabernet or Bayoutage Red Blend Wine
¾ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon or so of anise seed, ground or finely crushed in a Ziploc bag, optional
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon iodized salt
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
 
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the wine, oil, as much anise as you like, vanilla, and lemon rind. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the wine mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until well combined.
3. For each cookie, pinch off 1 tablespoon dough and roll pieces into 5-inch logs. Pinch the ends together to form a circle. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until brown on the bottom and slightly hard on top, 25-30 minutes. Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. 
 
 
Blueberry and Wine Sorbet
Makes 1 quart
 
Wine not only adds flavor, but it acts like antifreeze and keeps sorbet from freezing rock solid.
 
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
2 pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
¾ cup chilled Landry Vineyards Sweet Red or Blueberry Merlot Semi-Sweet wine
 
1. In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool a few minutes. 
2. Place sugar mixture into a blender. Add blueberries to the blender and puree. Strain, pressing hard on the solids, and discard blueberry skins. Stir in lemon juice and chilled wine and chill until cold. 
3. Process blueberry mixture in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions. Store covered in the freezer at least 8 hours before serving.

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles

Every once in a while, I come across a bottled seasoning sauce that tastes better than anything I can make from scratch. Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Finishing Sauce & Marinade is one such time-saving gem.  

Surprisingly, Leonard’s Carolina sauce is made right here in Louisiana. Chris Leonard is from the western part of North Carolina, but his mother grew up in Lafayette. About 9 years ago he moved to Lafayette to look for work in the oil business. 

​“That plan didn’t pan out,” Chris says. “So I worked on an MBA at the University of Lafayette. And I fell in love with the region.” He also fell in love with fellow MBA student, Camille Autin, who became his business partner and fiancée. (The two are getting married this November.)

It was during the 2020 pandemic that the homebound couple entertained friends and wowed them with this new (to Louisiana) flavor. The accolades and requests for the recipe prompted them to bottle and commercially sell Chris’ family’s sauce.  

“My dad created this recipe years ago,” Chris says. “He took the vinegar sauce common to Lexington and gave it a little more seasoning and body.” 

“Diesel” Dan Leonard, Chris’ father, based his recipe on Carolina Red Sauce, the sweet, spicy, cider vinegar- and ketchup-based concoction that is the pride of the western part of North Carolina. In this region, this thin style of sauce is used to mop big cuts of smoked pork and ribs. It’s also used as a “dip,” for dunking in finished bites of meat. Dan Leonard’s version is thicker than what’s traditional, which makes it more versatile. It also has enough heat to keep any Cajun from reaching for the cayenne shaker. 

To get their product to market, Chris and Camille worked through the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator. LSU’s food incubator program has helped many fledgling Louisiana food companies test, produce, package, and market new products. Chris says he and Camille had access to the center’s professional kitchen, processing facility, and food safety and packaging experts. “And we all designed the label,” he says. “Camille and I had lots of input.” 

During my conversation with Chris, I picked up hints about just how serious barbecuing is in North Carolina, even down to the coleslaw. “The eastern and western halves of the state prefer different coleslaws for pulled pork sandwiches,” he said. “The west eats red slaw. It’s chopped really fine and seasoned with red sauce. The east likes white slaw.” 

​Further research reveals that in North Carolina, barbecue discussions can be as toxic as talk about politics. The basic differences between the state’s two major barbecue regions are that the east likes smoking whole hogs using a vinegar and pepper sauce with no tomato. The accompanying coleslaw is made with mayonnaise. The western part of North Carolina (Piedmont or Lexington style) prefers to barbecue pork shoulder, and they use Red Sauce, or “dip”, which contains ketchup and lots of pepper.

At first I thought it was the sweetness and the just-right heat level that drew me to Leonard’s BBQ Sauce. I also thought back to the barbecue cooking contests I’ve judged over the years, and I realized that my taste buds naturally gravitate toward entrants with sauces based on vinegar. Then there’s the ease of using only one bottle of something for seasoning. I concluded that I probably like this product because of the combination of everything. 

Chris gave me a partial list of dishes that his sauce can enhance: grilled crabs, raw oysters, crawfish dip, skewered shrimp, chicken wings, eggrolls — you get the delicious picture. 

You can find 16-ounce bottles of Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Finishing Sauce & Marinade at 35 locations in Acadiana, including Acadian Superette, Fresh Pickins’, and Rouse’s.

To find your closest retailer, go to www.leonardsbbq.com.
 

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 

Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
Easy BBQ Black Beans
Makes 4 servings
 
Leonard’s BBQ Sauce has plenty of kick, so there’s no need to add the usual list of peppers and spices that give beans taste.
 
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
½ cup finely chopped onion
⅓ cup Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce
 
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower to a brisk simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is cooked through and the beans are creamy, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
 
 
 
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Red Coleslaw
Makes 15 sandwiches
 
6-8 pounds Smoked Pulled Pork (recipe follows)
15 hamburger buns
Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce
Red Coleslaw (recipe follows)
 
Place generous portions of pulled pork on the bottoms of buns. Top with additional sauce and coleslaw. Cover with remaining bun half and serve warm. 
 
 
Smoked Pulled Pork
Makes 15 sandwiches
 
This is Chris Leonard’s recipe for authentic North Carolina-style smoked pulled pork.
 
6 to 8-pound pork shoulder
1 (16-ounce) jar Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce
 
Prepare a smoker with hickory or oak wood to 250°F. Place the pork, fat side up, on the middle rack and cover the smoker. Smoke the meat, basting every hour with Leonard’s BBQ Sauce, until it is pull-apart tender, usually when a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 200°F. This can take up to 8 hours. Remove from the smoker and wrap in foil. Let rest 1 hour. 
 
Shred the pork with your hands or a fork. Add 1 cup barbecue sauce to the meat and toss to coat. 
 
 
 
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Makes 4 servings
 
For this recipe, use the biggest shrimp you can find.
 
4 wooden or metal skewers
1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small zucchini, in ¼-inch slices
1 small yellow squash, in ¼-inch slices
1 cup Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce
 
1. If you’re using wood skewers, soak them in water 15 minutes. Thread the shrimp, zucchini, and squash onto the skewers. Brush both sides with sauce and set aside.
2. Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook one side of the skewers 3 minutes and baste with sauce. Turn over, baste, and cook the other side until shrimp are pink and curled, 2-3 more minutes. (To broil, place on a foil-lined pan and broil on high 2-3 minutes per side.) Serve at the table with more Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce.
 
 
Red Coleslaw
Makes 10-12 sandwich servings
 
This is Lexington-style coleslaw, also known as barbecue slaw. The “red” comes from ketchup, not red cabbage. (Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce already has ketchup in it.) 
 
1 medium head green cabbage, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup Leonard’s Carolina BBQ Sauce
 
Combine cabbage and onion and toss well with barbecue sauce. Chill at least 4 hours.