Acadian brown cotton bolls.
T
here’s more to Acadiana than red beans and Cajun music. For the past thirty years, Elaine Larcade Bourque has carved out a corner of her garden and planted a small batch of Acadian brown cotton. Her gardening regimen is inspired by her love of the soil, her love of weaving, and a deep commitment to preserving a Cajun textile tradition. For years, Bourque suspected she was likely the last in a long line of southwest Louisiana spinners and weavers to cultivate this Cajun varietal, so she carefully harvested the seeds each fall. Just five years ago, Bourque, seventy-seven, was one of the only people left in the world 104 Wild Fibers Magazine 2018
