Bird houses perched atop a cross shaped apparatus above the ladies of the Hammond Garden Club.
From left: Glenda Bice, Colleen Scott, Lee Collins, Linda Broussard, Sue Parrill, Mary Thornhill, Brenda
Daussat, Carolyn S. Todd, Paulette Hebert, Maisie Parker, Karen Nelson, Deborah Garafola, Jewel Jamal,
Marta Lichtl, Jennifer Allen, Karen Granier, Ann C. Simmons, Cathryn Rossie, Leah Sadden, Johanna
Dagro, Phyllis Mire, Gayle Bornholdt and Shirley Pellichino.
From left: Glenda Bice, Colleen Scott, Lee Collins, Linda Broussard, Sue Parrill, Mary Thornhill, Brenda
Daussat, Carolyn S. Todd, Paulette Hebert, Maisie Parker, Karen Nelson, Deborah Garafola, Jewel Jamal,
Marta Lichtl, Jennifer Allen, Karen Granier, Ann C. Simmons, Cathryn Rossie, Leah Sadden, Johanna
Dagro, Phyllis Mire, Gayle Bornholdt and Shirley Pellichino.
April is usually the Hammond Garden Club's month for a road trip, not instead of a meeting but to learn even more as we visit other venues and many times to see the glorious beauty of Mother Nature.....and this trip was one of the best! As usual we met in Dillards parking lot. The weather couldn't have been any more perfect; blue skies, slightly warm and a mild breeze blowing most of the day. We caravanned to Chef John Folse's and the White Oak Plantation for a tour of the spectacular grounds and attended a luncheon after the tour. We were met in front of the plantation by Jordan Panepinto (no relation to our mayor), the lady I contracted this event with.
Burt Tragesser, who was our tour guide, was just great at describing in his Tennessee accent the beauty of all the different gardens, streams, ponds and babbling brooks (sic)! that were sprinkled throughout the grounds. I wish there was enough room in this column to see all the pictures and even that wouldn't due it justice or come close to it's beauty in person!
If I may begin...and there won't be enough room for the content of what is on this property; the vegetable garden, the herb garden, the cutest little goats, the turkeys, the chickens (eggs) and roosters, all of which are used in preparing the fantastic meals they serve at different events. There is a bird sanctuary, including two "Turtle Doves" that were nesting on two eggs. Did you know that each one, male and female, take a 12 hour turn sitting on the nest...and they know when their turn is over!!! (They must have a tiny little watch attached to their legs, how else could they know when their turn was up)?
To get back to some of the water ponds and the flowers; there were deep velvet purple irises rising up from the edge of the ponds, lazy weeping willows softly swaying nearby this oasis. One of the bridges, and there were many, had a fountain shooting up in the air probably 20' that the sun was catching and glistening on and a remarkable thing appeared.....a most beautiful sight...a double rainbow! I still want to call it the "Rainbow Bridge"! However my favorite was the "babbling brooks" which seemed to wind aimlessly through the property, tree boughs hanging gracefully over its edges, cement benches nearby to rest on. I wanted to sit at the edge of the brook and dangle my feet in the cool, clear water that I remember catching minnows in many years ago.
Wish I could remember the names of all of the flowers but alas that's impossible, one I do remember Burt almost preaching to us to make sure we plant, were the marigolds! Good to eat, great for keeping the bugs off other plants. There were many other plants that he would pull some leaves from and give to one of the ladies to try. Deer frequent the gardens so some of the flowers had to be screened with chicken wire so they couldn't eat them.
There were also many statues in various places in the gardens, some cast in cement, some of tin and various other alloys, each beautiful in it's own right, each enhancing the area they were in. The place we took a picture of our group from the garden club was in front of a huge T-shaped apparatus lined with bird houses, each splendidly painted, all in a different color, some decorated with flowers, a unique piece amongst this grand Monet-like garden!
One more unprecedented creation in "The Garden" is the Grist Mill! In a small butter yellow trimmed in white house sits the Grist Mill.....yes grits, are made in the Grist Mill! Many hundreds of pounds daily are made going to many restaurants in Louisiana, Cracker Barrel being one of them. They make white, yellow and blue (yes I typed that right) grits. We were told the blue ones were the most delicious.
There are so many more things I could expound on about the grounds at White Oak Plantation but I must get to the luncheon before I run out of space and I don't want to do that until you hear about our lovely luncheon.
We were greeted at the door by Jordan and 3 or 4 waite staff all dressed in black dresses or pants with white aprons and French maid hats, pointing the way to the dining room. There were tables of eight elegantly dressed in long white table linens and set with the finest silver, china and crystal. We were first served a cup of delicious Crawfish, Corn and Potato soup, the menu described it as Louisiana Crawfish Boil in a Bowl and that was a perfect description of it, it included everything. The Entree next was Rice and Cornmeal-crusted and Pan Fried Catfish Filet topped with Crawfish Etouffee and served with Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Squash and Zucchini, absolutely scrumptious! It said filet of catfish but it was a huge piece and the veggies were crisp tender in a light sauce...fantastic! And now the piece de resistance.....DESSERT! Traditional Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake garnished with Fresh Berries and Twin Sauces! Oh My Goodness! I have eaten a lot of cheesecake in my lifetime but none this smooth, none that tastes like this, just the right amount of creole cream cheese, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and the embellishment with the berries and sauces were out of this world! There was also iced tea, coffee or iced water which was constantly filled by the waiters all during the meal. What an element of creativity, a gastronomic experience! It was an aesthetic feast and the ambiance just enhanced the flavor of the entire meal!
What a high peak of experiences that entire day was! Perfect weather, wonderful tour in what must be God's country, a meal fit for a king (I mean Queen) and a whole day with friends you love being with. Could anyone ask for anything better!
The Hammond Garden Club is a proud member of the District VI, Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. and the Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. doing our best to unify and beautify our homes, gardens, our city and our nation every day to the best of our ability. God Bless Hammond and God Bless America!
by Linda Broussard
she is a member of the Hammond Garden Club
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