Chenier Farm: Producing Something Special

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles

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.