Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles This time of year, Gerald and Brenda Miller of Evangeline should be knee-deep in grapefruit and oranges. But thanks to two years of North Pole-style freezes, the Millers do not have a single bit of citrus to sell.
Will Santa be giving any of us delicious Louisiana citrus this Christmas? My mother used to tell me that the jolly old elf would leave an orange in her Christmas stocking. Back in the 1930s, oranges were growing commercially down in balmy Plaquemines Parish, but they were obviously a precious commodity in the slightly colder climate of Crowley. These days, with improved varieties of satsumas, navel oranges, grapefruit, and kumquats, most home gardeners south of Highway 190 try their hand at least once at growing citrus. Some trees in the northern regions of southwest Louisiana stay alive for years. But often they succumb to cold weather, such as what happened to the Millers during last winter’s brutal Arctic chill. Back in 2017, Louisiana Farm & Ranch Magazine featured Gerald Miller’s expansive and extremely successful orchard. “But look at it now,” he said, pointing to rows of sawed-down tree trunks. “I had about 350 mature trees. I grew tons of satsumas, tangelos, tangerines, red and white grapefruit. I had navels, mandarins, Valencias, and blood oranges. After these last couple of big freezes, all I have left are seven kumquats, maybe ten satsumas, and a navel or two.” “But we do have a lot of healthy blackberries,” Miller said, proudly standing by two long, lush rows of arching plants. In season, the Millers also sell blackberries. “After the freeze we bushogged the bushes down, and they look as healthy as ever. You can’t kill these blackberries. We’ve had these for years.” Miller then guided me through rows of rotting satsuma stumps. “I retired from Citgo and took over this place from a relative about 13 years ago,” he said. “It took a lot of bushhogging to clean things up, and I’ve never made much money. But I’ve really enjoyed producing beautiful fruit.” Working under the mentorship of Acadia Parish Ag Extension Agent, Jeremy Hebert, Miller had many highly productive years. “One time we had so many tangelos we couldn’t keep up with picking. My tractor got bogged in the fruit that fell.” Gerald and Brenda used to sell their bounty directly from their home, and wholesale to roadside and farmers market vendors. “Most of the time we had so many oranges and grapefruit,” he said, “we’d end up giving a lot of it away, especially to the VA Home in Jennings.” A little greenery was growing from the base of a few stumps, and I asked if there was hope that a few trees might come back to life. He leaned down and solemnly picked a trio of leaves. “This is called trifoliate,” he said, referring to the three-lobed leaves growing from the navel orange’s cold-hardy rootstock. “I need growth from the top, and that’s not going to happen.” Even though the Millers won’t have baskets of citrus to sell for Christmas giving, there is some good news from southeast Louisiana. Anna Timmerman, Extension Agent in Plaquemines Parish, says that her area thankfully dodged last year’s freeze. “The problem we’re having,” she says, “is drought. Orchards were dry most of the year.” According to Timmerman, those that received late-year rain are producing. The ones that stayed dry are not. So that you can grow oranges for future gift-giving, what do you need to know before you plant trees? According to Acadia Parish Assistant Extension Agent Paul Bongarzone, January and February are the best months to plant citrus in south Louisiana. “It’s important to keep trees healthy, and to be mindful of where and what you are growing,” he says. “Citrus likes full sun, appropriate drainage, and loose soil.” Unfortunately, any citrus planted in the relatively colder parishes north of Acadia, Jeff Davis, and Lafayette won’t have much chance of a lengthy survival. However, there are exceptions, such as a 20-year-old satsuma in Eunice owned by an acquaintance who sprays his tree’s leaves with water during cold snaps. Since kumquats and satsumas are the most cold hardy, they’re the logical choice for the Acadiana region. Bongarzone also advises to cover your trees during a freeze and allow light to come in. Container growing is another option, because the trees can be moved indoors. (You can find the Ag Center’s “Louisiana Home Citrus Production” brochure online at lsuagcenter.com.) I lost four of my five precious citrus trees to last year’s freeze. Although Gerald Miller tells me he is giving up on citrus, this past February I replanted “just one more time.” In the meantime, I am headed to a few farmer’s markets to seek out the ideal gift for my relatives, bags of fresh Louisiana citrus. Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at noblescynthia@gmail.com. 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. Grapefruit Boneless Turkey Breast Makes 6 servings 1 (3-pound) boneless turkey breast, thawed 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ cup chicken stock ½ cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice 1 grapefruit, cut in ½-inch slices A few tablespoons orange marmalade (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. Combine the Creole seasoning, olive oil, and mustard. Without removing the netting, lift the skin away from the turkey and spread half the seasoning paste under the skin. Rub remaining seasoning paste all over the meat. 2. Pour the stock and grapefruit juice into a roasting pan. Arrange the grapefruit slices on the bottom of the pan and put the seasoned turkey on top of the grapefruit slices. With the netting still on the turkey, roast, uncovered, until the skin is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F on a quick-read thermometer, 1½-2 hours. 3. Remove the turkey from the oven. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest 15 minutes. Remove the netting when ready to serve. 4. Pour the juices from the pan into a bowl and serve with turkey. For a sweeter sauce, stir in a tablespoon or so of marmalade and boil 1 minute. Ambrosia Trifle Makes 12 servings Pull out your fanciest glass serving bowl for this showstopper. (You can make it a day ahead.) 2⅔ cups cold whole milk 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant vanilla or coconut pudding 1 cup sour cream ¼ cup orange marmalade 1 (16-ounce) fresh or frozen pound cake, defrosted if frozen 3 cups assorted citrus segments (navel orange, satsuma, grapefruit, mandarins) 1 (15.25-ounce) can pineapple chunks, well-drained, or 1½ cups fresh pineapple 1 cup shredded coconut 1 (15-ounce) can sweet cherries in syrup, drained 1 cup chopped pecans 2 cups whipped cream (homemade, Cool Whip, or Reddi-Wip) 1. In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding and whisk 2 minutes. Let sit at room temperature 2 minutes. Whisk in sour cream. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding mixture and refrigerate 4-24 hours. 2. In a small saucepan, melt the marmalade with 1 tablespoon water. Slice the cake in half horizontally and brush the 2 cut sides with the marmalade. Cut the cake halves into 1-inch pieces. 3. Place ½ of the cake pieces on the bottom of a trifle bowl or tall glass bowl that holds at least 3 quarts. Evenly layer on ½ the orange sections, ½ the pineapple, ½ the coconut, ½ the cherries, ½ the pecans, then ½ the pudding. Make a second layer with remaining cake pieces, orange sections, pineapple, coconut, cherries, pecans, and pudding. 4. Chill, covered with plastic, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream. Lemon and Rosemary Olive Oil Cake Makes a 9-inch cake I turn to this recipe often for food demos, because it is different, is easy to package as a gift, and tastes surprisingly good. 2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon iodized salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs (room temperature) 1¼ cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated zest from Meyer lemons or regular lemons ¾ cup light-tasting olive oil ¾ cup sour cream (room temperature) ¼ cup freshly squeezed juice from Meyer lemons or regular lemons 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary For serving: confectioners’ sugar 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut parchment paper to fit inside the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and place the parchment in the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs on medium until foamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and lemon zest and whip on medium-high speed until fluffy, a couple of minutes. Reduce mixer to medium and drizzle in the olive oil. 4. Use a large spoon or spatula to gently incorporate half the flour mixture into the olive oil mixture. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour. Gently stir in the sour cream, lemon juice, and rosemary. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. 5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and peel off parchment paper and cool completely. When ready to serve or wrap as a gift, sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar. Satsuma Pepper Jelly Makes 6 (4-ounce) jars Adapted from a recipe from Betty Leger of Iota. 3½ cups satsuma juice, strained 1 small lemon, thinly sliced 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 (1.75-ounce) box Sure-Jell 5 cups sugar 1. Sterilize 6 half-pint (4-ounce) canning jars and lids and set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine satsuma juice, lemon, jalapeno, pepper flakes, and Sure-Jell. Bring to a boil, then add sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 2. Bring to a hard boil, then boil 1 minute. 3. Fill jars with a ¼-inch headspace. Place lids on jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and screw down lids tightly. Test the seals, and if not sealed properly, store in the refrigerator.
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