Contents
MARCH 2022
Events
13 6 8
VO LU M E 3 9 // I SS U E 3
Features
48 53 56
SPRING TO LIFE Events worth heading outdoors for
REFLECTIONS Spring Chickens by James Fox-Smith
NEWS & NOTEWORTHIES
Publisher
RAISING CANE The secrets to growing, maintaining, and cooking Louisiana-grown bamboo by Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux
THE BROMELIAD CRAZE ENDURES An enclave of enthusiasts and their collections by Kristy Christiansen
James Fox-Smith
Associate Publisher
Ashley Fox-Smith
Managing Editor
Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Alexandra Kennon
Creative Director
THE WORM LADY Rethinking how we recycle in Acadiana by Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux
Kourtney Zimmerman
Contributors:
Kristy Christiansen, Paul Christiansen, Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux, Ed Cullen, Beth D’Addono, Paul Kieu, C.C. Lockwood, Harriett Pooler, Ruth Nasrullah
On the Cover
GARDENING & OUTDOORS
Cover image by Paul Kieu As we put the final touches on this issue during the last week of February, hundreds of “bambouistes” were planning their annual pilgrimage to Avery Island for the Louisiana Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Bamboo Society’s Avery Island Moso Bamboo Grove Grooming Event. Held on the last weekend of February, the conference of sorts brings together bamboo-lovers from around the region to clear out dead canes and fallen debris from within one of the oldest, most well-established Moso groves in the country. It’s an event motivated by the purest of human desires: to ensure that our natural treasures are cared for, maintained, and appreciated. Such enthusiasm for our photosynthetic friends lives at the heart of this year’s Outdoors & Gardening issue, where we meet one woman who has made a business in worm poop and another who uses flowers as her artistic medium. For those who have a particular affinity towards Louisiana’s native flora and fauna, we’ve curated a guide to the region’s best preserved and curated destinations fostering them. And in our Escapes section, we focus in on the Louisiana State Arboretum, where an impassioned group of folks who adored Louisiana’s natural environs carved out a piece of paradise in the diverse landscapes of Evangeline Parish. In Kristy Christiansen’s story, “The Bromeliad Craze Blooms On” on page 53, we spend some time wandering through wonderfully-weird greenhouses and waxing nostalgic on the flowering plant’s early origins as a muse in Louisiana. One long-time collector of miniature bromeliads put the profound effect of plants on people very simply: “I love them to death. These plants make me so happy. They make me want to get up in the morning.”
Cuisine
60
LE CHAT NOIR Chef Seth Temple raises the bar for a locallysourced menu. by Beth D’Addono
Culture
62
BATHING BEAUTIES What happens when a Carolina wren discovers your potted plants? by Harriett Pooler
39 4
64
AN ODE TO CATALOGUES The temptations of remote shopping, pre-internet by Ed Cullen
65 66
OUTDOOR & GARDENING
AUTHOR Q&A Osha Gray Davidson is visiting Louisiana. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
THE HISTORY THAT BOOKS FORGOT Chris Dier explores new media to teach untold American history. by Alexandra Kennon
Special Advertising Section
M A R 2 2 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M
Escapes
68 71
LOUISIANA’S STATE ARBORETUM The evolution of Ville Platte’s best-kept secret by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
BAYOU STATE TRAIL A case for Louisiana’s first long-distance trail by Ruth Nasrullah
74
PERSPECTIVES Preservation Press indulges in the magic of dried botanicals. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Cover Artist
Paul Kieu
Advertising
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Sales Team
Heather Gammill & Heather Gibbons
Custom Content Coordinator
Lauren Heffker
Advertising Coordinator
Laci Felker
President
Dorcas Woods Brown
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