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Ketchup or Catsup?

How do you pronounce this famous American condiment? It probably depends on where you’re from – kinda like the different pronunciations of ‘Pee-Can’, ‘Pa-Con’, or ‘Pee-cOn’. AND we Louisianans love to make fun of Yankees saying ‘Cray-fish’ instead of ‘CRAW-Fish’ as God intended.

Anyway, February’s National Geographic had a big article on “How Ketchup Made Food Safer” by Deborah Blum. She belives that we don’t really know where the name came from but, perhaps, from a 6th century Asian sauce made from fermented fish and called “Ke-Tsiap” (Ga- Aaak!). She reports that our “Ketchup” first came on the market in the late 19th century but it was a thin sauce made from tomato scraps and thickened with anything from ground pumpkin rinds to apple pumace and dyed a deceptive red or put in colored glass containers to hide the appearance and condition of the contents.

In case you’ve forgotten, we have three dogs. No, that’s not true. we have two dogs, and Ruger has one. But, as with most family pets, only one person cares for all of them, Rebel is Ruger’s dog, but I feed her and pet her and let her outside and…well, you get the idea.

Recently, John found seven puppies wandering around Firetower Road. I won’t go into the irresponsibility of the action. It happens everywhere and it’s beyond contempt. But one puppy stole John’s heart, and he named the dog on the way to Animal Services. He even texted me pictures, and told the lady at the shelter if no one claimed the puppy she should let him know.

My first reaction was, “We have three dogs – we don’t need a fourth!” John shoved the photo of the brown and black tiny bit of a thing into my face, but I stayed strong. Well, I repeated my words but with less assurance.

History is in many forms and today’s article takes on a whimsical form yet is about one of our true icons of the mid 1900’s – Burma Shave. They introduced in 1925 a different and unique method to advertise their products. Originally a liniment and aftershave made from “Ingredients from the Malay Peninsula and Burma”. It grew into the top shaving creams through a series of road side signs that entertained the children and adults all over America.

Basil Lime Trout

While trying to decide what to cook for a Saturday dinner Susan and I agreed on Healthy, Simple, and Something we could cook together. While knocking several ideas around she asked me if I had any original recipes that I created that would fit the bill? After thinking a minute I remembered one I’d done back when I lived in Baton Rouge and suggested my Basil Lime Trout. She suggested a real Caesar Salad side and adding a Chardonnay we were on!

In cons i d ering local history our neighbor to the south is a must for us to consider. Sabine Parish has been a good neighbor to DeSoto since 1843 and the founding of the two parishes. Sabine was organized two months before DeSoto and it was taken solely from Natchitoches Parish whereas DeSoto took the southern half from Natchitoches and the north from Caddo Parish which was organized in 1838 from Natchitoches. There was some exchange of property with Sabine that straightened the southern boundary line of DeSoto.

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.