Oranges below the levee
Plaquemines Parish calls itself a proud hub of Louisiana's citrus legacy and the home of the Creole tomato. It runs down both banks of the Mississippi toward the Gulf, and the parish credits its mild climate and rich river soil for the orchards and nurseries that line Highway 23. Buras sits on the west bank among those groves, fishing camps and the river levee.
Satsumas are what people drive down for. One fourth generation family citrus nursery on the parish's farm stand list sells them October through January, along with oranges, lemons, kumquats, pecans and Creole tomatoes. Another family stand has sold local oranges, satsumas and lemons on Highway 23 for generations. LSU AgCenter horticulturists describe fall as satsuma season, when the trees fruit while most other plants are going dormant.
This is hard country for weather, and it has a long military history. Fort Jackson was built on the west bank in 1822, at Andrew Jackson's urging, as the first line of defense for New Orleans. In 2005 the National Hurricane Center placed Hurricane Katrina's first Louisiana landfall near Buras on the morning of August 29, at the top of Category 3 strength. The fort and its festival are still here.
The Orange Festival
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival has honored the parish's citrus farmers for more than 75 years. For three days on the first weekend of December it fills historic Fort Jackson on the banks of the river with live music, carnival rides, local food and a run of contests you will not find anywhere else.
The contest list reads like a Plaquemines resume: kumquat stuffing, orange eating, orange peeling, duck calling, shrimp de-heading, catfish skinning and oyster shucking. Citrus and seafood share the bill because both come out of the same parish, and a good Plaquemines supper in December often uses both. Squeeze a satsuma over boiled shrimp once and you will see why.
