Misc Need some help with info on a new story idea (Louisiana)

[Kathy in FL]

Not sure if I should put this here or in a general Chat thread but here goes …

You folks from Louisiana or who are familiar with the area, I need to borrow your brain cells 'cause mine just isn't find what I want. Normally my research-fu is strong ... eh ... this time not so much and this story rolling around in my head is really calling to me.

Won't spill the beans but I have a main character that has to go to Louisiana because life has happened. I even know the area I want them to wind up in ... Breaux Bridge. But what I need and can't find is the kind of wild forage in that area. So, if you folks have first hand knowledge, or some links to websites, that would at least give me a framework to work with I would really appreciate it.

Thank you thank you.

Kathy

 

[Sandcastle76]

Atchafalaya basin and bayou teche is the area you need research in. I found the following:

Weaving Alliances with Other Women Chitimacha Indian Work In The New South by Daniel H. Usner
Marcelle Bienvvenu, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune article dated 4/27/11
Bayouwoman.com
Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Washington - 1883
Barataria Preserve Unit:Historical Park and Preserve Louisiana (1996). (I found items I think you‘re looking for around page 46)

My quick look came up with:
Wild Cherry - used to make “Cherry Bounce” when steeped in bourbon if not jammed/jellied and the wood is used to smoke meat
”graune a voler” (American Lotus) - seeds: raw, fried, roasted, boiled...starchy also be cooked in soup/stew. Pods edible also
”chardons or chandrons“ - thistle
oyster mushrooms
chantrelles
pistaches (?)
wild beans
kupinu (Indian word ?)
womans potatoes
the seed of the pond lily
grains of the palmetto
persimmons (plaquemine in creole)
wild grapes
cane-seed

 

[moldy]

If you need help with herb stuff, I'd be happy to help. If you can work in a mimosa tree (Albizzia julibrissin), it is fabulous for anxiety.

 

[Texican]

Kathy,

Don't forget the gumbo....

Texican....

 

[Kathy in FL]

Thanks! This was perfect and gave me some to do my research with.

 

[Freebirde]

As far as fauna, just about everything.

Difference between a regular zoo and a Cajun zoo, a regular zoo has a sign at each enclosure that names the animals and tells about their habitat. The signs at a Cajun zoo includes recipes and preparation tips.

 

[Texican]

Kathy,

Don't forget:
Alligators, which are fished for and good to eat....
Water moccasins, which are good to eat....
Mosquitoes....
Hurricanes.... Best way to survive is to get out of the way before it hits.... Remember the traffic jams and lack of fuel coming out of Houston where those that drove through the back woods had no problem....
Moon Shiners....
Cajuns - Red Necks - Good ol' boys
Deep swamps where the bad guys never leave for a reason....
The Mississippi River....
Gigging for bull frogs....
And don't forget gumbo and ettufe....

Texican....

 

[Kathy in FL]

Added to the list Texican. LOL

 

[Sandcastle76]

Don’t know if y’all know it yet... but there is a lady making boudin filled king cake w/ a crawfish n seafood bisque / gravy topping.
It went viral on the internet and she can’t keep up w demand. Looking to go full time making n selling them. I would like to sample one, that’s for sure.

 

[Texican]

Don’t know if y’all know it yet... but there is a lady making boudin filled king cake w/ a crawfish n seafood bisque / gravy topping.
It went viral on the internet and she can’t keep up w demand. Looking to go full time making n selling them. I would like to sample one, that’s for sure.

Me too....

SC, do you have a link????

Texican....

 

[Sandcastle76]

I’ll have to go a hunting...lol. I’ll see what I can dig up.

 

[Sandcastle76]

Kathy, please excuse this “bread drift”.... She only can be reached on Face Book at the moment. She is setting up a Shopify Acct. You can messenger her on Facebook just type in Megan Cheramie in the search bar (LaRose, LA) to get info to place an order. I believe they are around $25

 

[ejagno]

Sassafras trees grow wild. I have several in the woods behind my house.

 

[BenIan]

I live in the same parish as Breaux Bridge. Animals: alligators, ducks, chains, all kinds of fish, snakes, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, possums, coons, coyotes (that’s just within a few hundred yards of my house). Wild edibles: cleavers, clover, wood sorrel, thistle, pointed leaf plantain, chick weed, Wild persimmon, pecans, blackberries & brambles, cattails, sassafras, tons and tons of acorns. Also have American Beautyberry & daisy flea bane.

 

[Kathy in FL]

I live in the same parish as Breaux Bridge. Animals: alligators, ducks, chains, all kinds of fish, snakes, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, possums, coons, coyotes (that’s just within a few hundred yards of my house). Wild edibles: cleavers, clover, wood sorrel, thistle, pointed leaf plantain, chick weed, Wild persimmon, pecans, blackberries & brambles, cattails, sassafras, tons and tons of acorns. Also have American Beautyberry & daisy flea bane.

Sorry I haven't responded before now. Thank you very much for taking the time to help. I saw one you pick farm (D&D) that had blackberries from May into July according to their FB page. That's all I saw. I might take some artistic license with their name and location. I also see a bunch of open land that looks like pasture from google maps but also looks cut in rows or similar so it might be hay but it doesn't look like it. And the "Produce Stand" might make an appearance as well.

Realtor.com, TripAdvisor, and Yelp have given me a hand with locations as well. But that list you just gave me has helped immensely.

Thank you again. Wow. Ask and you shall receive.

 

[BenIan]

It’s sugar cane. 99.9% of the farm land you see around here is engaged in the constant production of sugar cane.

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m very familiar with the area. Know right where the berry farm is that you referred to.

 

[Texican]

Kathy,

Texas is to the west of Louisiana, Arkansas to the north and Mississippi to the east along with the Mississippi River....

Texican....

 

[Laurane]

I checked the route that Ava took from Bradenton to Breau Bridge - also saw the Isabelle B&B and the Tiger Gas Station where she worked for a day......love books where I can actually see where the characters live or are going.

You stuck to the geography really well - I appreciate your thoroughness.

 

[Kathy in FL]

I checked the route that Ava took from Bradenton to Breau Bridge - also saw the Isabelle B&B and the Tiger Gas Station where she worked for a day......love books where I can actually see where the characters live or are going.

You stuck to the geography really well - I appreciate your thoroughness.

I tend to try and make that part as real as possible. It makes it "real" for me and gives me an endless supply of ideas and details to include in the story. I just have to use a little artistic license here and there so I don't get in trouble. LOL

 

[Millwright]

Most peeps think Cajun food is just a culinary delight (which it is).

How it originated is from po folks trying to feed a family with what they could catch, pick or grow, on the bayou.

Most of the classic dishes are served over rice as flour was brought from elsewhere. You see it used to make a roux, but okra could be cooked down for the same effect.

I learned a lot of food history while researching the classic Cajun recipes.

Creole cooking is more of a New Orleans thing, it is somewhat different, but closely related.