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Let’s get Shakin’ Hope everyone is enjoying those Grand Bal’s, and parades. That’s right it’s Mardi Gras Season here in the south. I’m looking forward to January 27th and attending the Krewe of Hebe Grand Bal in Jefferson, Texas for my second time as a member. Over the last few weeks since the twelfth night I have been sharing some of my favorite Mardi Gras Season recipes and this week is a treat for sure.

Love cornbread, of course, you do. Love crab cakes, who doesn’t? Stick with me here and let’s “mix it up” we are going to do them together for an awesome twist on the traditional crab cakes.

Cornbread Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup mayonnaise (prefer Dukes)

What To Do In The Garden After A Freeze?

Put down the pruning shears.

With freezing temperatures across Louisiana and a dose of ice, sleet and even snow in some places, all of our gardens probably have suffered some damage. It’s tempting to rush outside to prune away unsightly damaged sections or even rip out entire plants — but you will have better results in the long run if you just wait.

Give plants time to recover. What seems to be dead now may show new signs of life later. And remember that winter isn’t over yet. We could still have more freezes — and more freeze damage.

Spring will be here soon enough. That will be the best time to prune plants that need a little help and remove those that didn’t pull through.

As Paul Harvey used to say in his syndicated radio program, “AND now you know the rest of the story!” Most readers of this article know the details of the Battle of Mansfield when Gen. Taylor’s Confederate Army soundly defeated Gen. Banks’ larger Union Army on April 8, 1865. Taylor suffered less than 1000 casualties whereas Banks lost 2200 men. His hasty retreat allowed Taylor to capture 20 cannon, 200 wagons full of supplies and hundreds of rifles. General Kirby Smith, the general over all of the Trans-Mississippi region, was in Shreveport, La. He told Taylor to not engage the Union forces in Mansfield but wait until just south of Shreveport which was the capital of Louisiana at that time. “Too late, Sir”, replied Taylor, “The battle is over and the Yankees are on the run”!

Unleashing innovation while reining in wild hogs: Grants helped jump start research that reaches a milestone

In the fight against feral hogs, Ann Reiley Jones calls herself a fundraiser and cheerleader. She is also the spark that ignited research on controlling what has become a $91 million problem for Louisiana farmers.

About 10 years ago, Jones noticed an uptick in the pig population on her East Feliciana property, which is adjacent to the LSU AgCenter Bob R. Jones-Idlewild Research Station, named in honor of her late father. Station director at the time Dearl Sanders noticed the same.

“They are so nasty, so ugly and so mean, and they carry all kinds of diseases,” Jones said. “Dearl and I decided, let’s try to do something about the pigs because they were horrible then, and of course, they are 100 times worse now.”

From time to time it is interesting to write about an outstanding person that helped to establish and contribute to the formation of DeSoto Parish. There are many but none surpassed John Wagner who served as the first President of the DeSoto Police Jury. John Wagner was a self-made man of high intellect and character. He was born in Pennsylvania on March 31, 1802 of Dutch/American parents. At the age of 16 he traveled by boat to New Orleans and then up to near Alexandria. There he learned cotton growing and found that he could get credit to purchase land from lenders in New Orleans. With this knowledge he patented land about three miles south of present Grand Cane. With his ability and work ethic he soon became a large land owner of some 60 sections.

Let’s get shakin’!

January 5th was Twelfth night and the beginning of a magical time here Mardi Gras Country Twelfth Night is a Christian festival on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the Feast of the Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men visited the Christ child. In Louisiana it also means the launch of Carnival season.

Mardi Gras Grand Bal’s (yes, it’s only got one L) as well as parades and street festivals will flow in towns and cities alike from now until midnight on Fat Tuesday which this year is February 13th. It will be followed by Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

Flavorful Herb Harvest

Nothing elevates a delicious recipe quite like the burst of flavor from fresh herbs plucked straight from your garden. Ever found yourself searching for a specific herb in the grocery store, only to be disappointed by the quality? Homegrown herbs to the rescue!

Growing herbs at home is easy and doesn’t require much space. Whether in containers on your patio, in landscapes, raised beds or even trendy aerogardens on your kitchen counter, there are plenty of options.

Herbs are plants valued for their aromatic, flavorful and medicinal properties. They are commonly used in cooking, for fragrance and in traditional or alternative medicine. Herbs are distinct from vegetables in that they are usually the leaves of the plant rather than the stems, roots or seeds.

The small towns and communities have contributed so much to DeSoto Parish through the years. As our early settlers moved from the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi looking for good and inexpensive farmland they selected our area. It was a rough life but they were determined to make good communities to raise their families. They encouraged everyone to be a good citizen. The following are a few of these areas but space will not allow all communities nor all family manes to be mentioned but everyone was important to our growth and culture. Some of the smaller towns and communities of the Parish will be discussed in this article.

I’m having a real good Christmas week – one of the best ever – and I hope all of you are, too. My Daughter and Granddaughter came down with friends to share presents and Christmas Eve Dinner. I did my standard roast turkey and Mama’s cornbread dressing but the kids brought scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, spinach soufflé and a big ham. Whow! Surprisingly we had few leftovers because several guests stopped by to “snack”. That’s just fine because now I need to start getting ready for New Years with another ham, boiled cabbage, a big pot of “Hoppin’ John” blackeyed pea jambalaya and, of course, a good skillet of cornbread. I may do ‘hot water cornbread’ this year?

Dear Editor and Broadband Stakeholders, Our recently approved initial proposal for the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program includes significant plans for workforce development. Particularly in Louisiana, building broadband infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of locations require robust workforce that is well prepared and ready to take on the challenge.

One way we are preparing workers and businesses for these projects is by partnering with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to offer fiber optic training programs to students who want to find work in the telecommunications industry. This story in our success series highlights just that. Enjoy!

Veneeth Iyengar Executive Director, ConnectLA