Louisiana Eats: Farms From Near And Far

On this week's show, we're looking at farming across the state and the Americas.

Bob Engel, Chef Liaison of Gourmet Mushrooms, shows off a bottle filled with sawdust and mycelium while giving a tour of the farm.

TERRY MCCARTHY

We begin on the West Coast, with a tour of Gourmet Mushrooms in Sonoma County, California, where they are mimicking natural growing conditions to cultivate specialty mushrooms indoors. This farm harvests eight different varieties of organic mushrooms for food wholesalers, gourmet grocers, and restaurants all across America.

Then, we return to an urban farm in our own backyard. Three years ago, in the shadow of US 90 and the Crescent City Connection, Jordan Bantuelle and his partner, Ian Willson started Southbound Gardens on a keyhole lot almost invisible from the street. We take a tour of their urban farm and its unexpected bounty.

Next, we venture up to North Louisiana and visit with Rebecca Krefft, owner of Delta Delivered. Rebecca scours farmers’ markets in the Shreveport area in search of the best local produce to deliver to Shreveport residents, challenging the idea that healthy food can't be easily accessed.

We also spend an evening at Paradigm Gardens, a farm that caters exclusively to chefs. Paradigm hosts a seasonal concert series pairing farm-to-table cuisine with live music.

Finally, we have a chance meeting with a banana farmer from Guatemala. Fernando Garcia owns and operates two banana plantations in a country that is hugely impacted by the banana industry, both economically and culturally.  

We’re betting the farm that you’ll learn something new on this week’s Louisiana Eats!