[Mother Nature's note: Now this page is even more out of date. Please see the Hurricane Katrina page until this pages gets an update.]
[Webmaster's note: I really really really need to update this page.]
You missed it! The 2004-2005 harvesting season has come to a close, so come back around October to place your order for the 2005-2006 Louisiana citrus season.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, yes it’s true – I do in fact live on a farm. It’s a citrus farm to be exact. Did you think the only places in the United States that grew citrus were in Florida, California, and Texas? Well for the most part, you’re correct; the overwhelming majority of domestic citrus you’ll find in supermarkets comes from those three states. However, the borderline temperate/tropical climate of southern Louisiana combined with the rich soil of the Mississippi River delta, make Plaquemines Parish fertile ground for growing a variety of both native and non-native fruits, vegetables, and citrus.
Due to the relatively small number of farmers in the area and limited annual harvesting season (roughly November through February), Louisiana citrus doesn’t have much recognition outside of the region. Nevertheless, anyone who’s had the opportunity to taste our citrus will tell you that it’s head and shoulders above the rest. In comparison to some of the larger farms in the area (does “Becnel” ring a bell to any locals?), we have a small family-run grove of about 200 trees. In all honesty, it’s really my Grandfather’s pet “project.” My grandparents lived in lower Plaquemines Parish for a really long time (i.e. losing-a-house-to-both-Betsy-and-Camille long time), where they ran a farm of over 1000 trees. Although they sold their home and farm just days after Andrew (pure coincidence), my Grandfather never lost interest in citrus. So when we moved to our current home in 1997, there was no doubt that the well-fertilized former horse pasture in the back would become the home to a new grove.
With trees in the front and back parts of the property, our farm contains a vast assortment of citrus varieties including Satsumas, navels, Louisiana sweets, sour kumquats, sweets kumquats, Meyer lemons, grapefruit, tangelos, tangerines, mandarins, and who knows what else. We also have a couple of vegetable gardens to round out the self-sufficient farmer effect. Since the first trees just came into maturity within the last couple of years, we take pictures during every harvesting season (usually) to keep track of our/their progress. And in case you were wondering, the above-ground hick pool was there when we bought the place, so don’t make any silly accusations.
In case you’re interested, below you’ll find some useful links I’ve thrown in about the things I’ve mentioned above. If you have any other questions specific to the farm (yes, we sell and ship oranges and gift boxes during the season), please send an e-mail to info@cedargrovefarms.biz.
NOTE FOR YANKEES: Every time I have Satsumas shipped to me up here in Rhode Island, the first question every person asks is "Are those clementines?" I have never eaten a clementine in my life, but since I always get the same question, I assume they are similar. Well, on one dark, cold, and obnoxiously windier than normal fall evening here in Providence I decided to Google it to get my answer. Now I'm typing this sentence an hour after the previous one because I had to photograph, exterminate, and send a lengthy e-mail complaint (again) to ResLife about another centipede that appeared on my dorm desk. Where was I? Oh, the difference between satsumas and clementines, right. Here's the deal: Both are types of seedless mandarins that are still closely related to clementines, but satsumas are a special cross-bred variant originating in Japan. Also, Louisiana Satsumas tend to have a few seeds in them. If you want to know more about the satsuma versus clementine thing (or orange history in general), go to The Fruit Pages.
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