Columns

Tiger Sauce

My friend Butch and I have a lengthy set of “Gameday Rituals” for LSU football and baseball games. Heck I guess most intense fans do, too: Favorite shirt or hat, lucky appetizers or foods, cheers or chants and on and on. In our minds we all know that any lucky habits like these ultimately have no effect on how young men play a game but in our hearts we still don’t want to chance it. One of my gameday rituals is to make a big Bloody Mary after breakfast with Zing-Zang mix and extra hot sauce. Zing-Zang is excellent with only ice and vodka but you know I have to add a dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce, and (of course) Tabasco. This is where the title of Tiger Sauce comes in. Butch’s nephew, and mine kinda too, is Bake Barron son of Gay and Roy Lee Barron who were from right here in Mansfield, La. He asked Butch if I would do a little research on and write about Tiger Sauce.

What was the Louisiana State Fair in Shreveport, La. in 1940 for three senior boys out of school for the day with five dollars each to spend? DeSoto Parish schools were off for Fair Day and the three boys called themselves the “Do-It Trio”. The buses left Logansport High School at 8:00 am and John who was a football player, J.L. who was a basketball player, and this writer called “Senior” who was a boxer spent their first 25 cents for the bus ride still leaving $4.75 left for the Fair.

The month was October with the world famous “Royal American Show” waiting. It took 80 train cars to move the Show and after seeing all the rides, sideshows and food stands it was easy to see why it took so many cars. In addition to the large group of Carnival workers that traveled with the show there were many local people employed for the 10 days selling tickets, working in food booths, & etc.

“…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 NASB1995 A friend of mine sent me something that read, “Focus on Progress not in Perfection”. So often we forget that we are imperfect. Change will only occur when we completely understand perfection is impossible. Our best selves emerge with growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“Faith of our fathers, living still; In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword.

O how our hearts beat high with joy; whenever we hear that glorious word!

Faith of our Fathers; holy faith. We will be true to thee til death.”

Yesterday over the television, I heard the most disturbing announcement that on the average 105 men daily commit suicide in America! I just can’t believe such a terrible statement as that. Soon we won’t have any men in any of the home in America, save in the jails or nursing homes!

South ern Folklore Is A Combination Of Beliefs, Myths, Charms, Superstitions, And Many More Things. It Has Been A Way Of Life In The South For Many Years. Southern Folklore Usually Deals With The Unsophisticated Folks, A Category That Most Of Us Fit Into If We Were Truthful. The Sayings Varied Some From One Region In The South To Another As The Older Generation Came Up. Some Say That It Is A Dying Art.

An Old Saying About Folklore Is “You Can Get A Southerner Out Of The South But You Can’t Get The South Out Of The Southerner.” Imaginary Tales Are One Form Of Folklore. One Old Man Used To Tell About The 1949 Tornado The Came Through Western And Central Desoto Parish. He Said, “The Twister Was So Strong It Pulled The Water Well Right Out Of The Ground. It Blowed So Hard It Made The Road Straight And Scattered The Days Of The Week So Bad That Sunday Didn’t Come Around Until Late Tuesday Afternoon.”

Drying the Harvest: The Low and Slow Way

Dehydrating is like the tortoise in the race — it may be slow, but it gets the job done with quiet confidence. While canning often steals the show with its bubbling pots and dramatic pressure gauges, dehydrating works in the background, quietly tucking away the harvest for another day.

It’s one of the oldest preservation methods we have. Our ancestors used sunshine, shade, and patience. These days, we’ve got dehydrators, oven trays, and even air fryers that get the job done faster and with a bit more precision.

If you’re new to drying foods, start small. Apple slices are a good first project — they dry beautifully and taste like candy without the guilt. Bananas, strawberries, and even zucchini chips are easy wins too. A little cinnamon or sea salt can dress them up, and suddenly, you’ve got snacks that rival anything in the grocery store aisle.

The Lesser-Known Crop—Louisiana Blueberries

Let’s get shakin!!!!!

When you think of Louisiana you think of cotton, sugarcane, rice, even corn, but how about blueberries?

Absolutely, especially if you are over 40 years old and from DeSoto Parish Louisiana.

It conjures memories of the Blueberry Festival, half the town covered in Blueberry signs, teens picking blueberries in the summer for extra money, and even the Blueberry Cafe.

Those days are all but memories now, or at least for most, but all is not lost. Louisiana and parts of east Texas still produces amazing blueberries and have blueberry farms, several in DeSoto Parish like Hillcrest Blueberry Farms in Gloster, Louisiana. Hillcrest was even featured in Southern Living Magazine.

Blueberries have a short season, and we are sadly coming to an end for this season but if you hurry fresh ones are still available for another week or so and even after that you can get them frozen.

It’s hay season in and around DeSoto Parish and that means that motorists will see an increase in tractor and hay equipment traffic for the next few months as producers move from field to field. Motorists are asked to please be respectful to our farmers and ranchers while sharing the highway with the increased presence of farm equipment. Please keep in mind that most tractors reach their maximum highway speed at around 18 to 20 mph. Motorists should only pass farm equipment when it is safe and legal to do so. Producers should always use flashing caution lights and all equipment should have the slow moving vehicle emblem displayed while traveling on public roadways. Please be careful and share the roads this hay season. The operator of that tractor that is slowing you down is working to put food on your table and they would like to go home to their family at the end of the day as well. Safe travels!

History is much more than dates like 1492 or 1776 or 1843. As important as these and other dates are to us they do not represent history in its entirety. Several years ago a lady asked me to write an article on Hopscotch since as a young girl she enjoyed many hours playing that game with her girlfriends and she had forgotten some of the rules and details. A game that young boys played in the 1930’s which has apparently disappeared today is marbles. Youngsters played two games with marbles and after giving some thought an attempt will be made to reconstruct the rules as I spent many hours enjoying playing these while in grades 3 to 6.

Hydrangeas: A colorful springtime staple for shady Louisiana gardens

Hydrangeas have long been a staple of Southern gardens, and it’s no wonder why. These beloved flowers, with their unique clusters of delicate blooms, offer a late-spring and early-summer splash of color to shaded areas — something that’s not always easy to find.

Hydrangeas are deciduous shrubs. Like most shrubs, it’s best to plant them in the fall. But you can appreciate their beautiful blooms right now — or soon.

There are many species of hydrangeas out there, but in Louisiana, you’re most likely to encounter three. Each has its own unique characteristics, care requirements and bloom times.