Sunday, 9 December 2018

RICE IN LOUISIANA

When we first came to the Acadiana area of Louisiana we were surprised to see rice paddies.  But we learned that Louisiana is the third largest producer of rice in the U. S., behind Arkansas and California. 

Added to Nat'l Register of Historical Places
The Conrad Rice Mill is an independently owned and operated rice mill located in New Iberia, Louisiana. Established in 1912, it is the oldest independently owned rice mill in the United States still in operationYou don't really think about how rice makes it from the field to your table, but this facility does a nice job at showing the entire process.

Formerly Conrad Rice Company
The name is an acronym: “Kon” is the “Con” in Conrad, “Ri” stands for rice and “Ko” is company.  It produces the Konriko brand of rice varieties.


In the country store, we watched a 20-minute video on Cajun culture and the beginnings of rice and the rice industry. We walked next store to the actual mill where the basic objective of a rice milling system is to remove the husk and the bran layers, and produce an edible, white rice kernel.

Designated in 1981
The old mill has been in operation since 1912 and is still growing strong today. The guide told us all the equipment still worked. A historic place must have historic context, must be original and must not be updated. We found it interesting that if a part breaks, a new one must be made or the mill could lose its historical status. 
The "Cupboard" Illustrates Milling Process
The tour guide had a model of the mill which showed how the rice looked after each stage of the process; cleaning, hulling, milling, polishing, grading, sorting, packing and storing. 
Rice Conveyor
It feels as though the mill is frozen in time because of its vintage appearance. The 105 year old cypress floors are covered in what looks like fine sand. But the dust is actually dust from rice hulls, the bran taken off the rice.  
Antique Equipment
It's a real historic working rice mill, complete with historic equipment, historic wooden beams and historic rust. Gravity does much of the work.


Note the Lanterns
This rice mill was built by P.A Conrad, an astute business man.  The building design was ingenious and most of the equipment used to process rice is the same today that has been used for over 100 years. This is not a fancy factory, but it is very unique, over 100 years old, and still producing quality products. 


F
Bagger Accommodated Different Farm Crops 

























I bought a two pound bag of wild pecan rice that tastes pecan-like when cooked. There are no pecans in the rice, they just call it that. It has to do with the milling process. LSU worked with growers to develop this hybrid rice, although it can't be classified as organic. I was cautioned to either freeze or refrigerate this rice.



Monday, 3 December 2018

VANDERHOOF, BC

August 11, 2011

Today is our last travel day with Adventure Caravans.  We had a farewell dinner celebration at the Country Inn Restaurant in Vanderhoof, BC.

After dinner were were each asked to tell what you got out of your trip. 
Many of the comments triggered recollections about destinations and personal experiences that would seal our memories of this trip of a lifetime.

The Wagon Masters and Tail Gunners offered their observations about this group of caravaners.  Everyone got along, no whiners, and all punctual.

A campfire finished out the day giving us one last chance to hang out together as tomorrow we all set out for different destinations.

RV Resorts 2015-2016

Fort Lauderdale,FL (Markham County Park)

At the Gateway to Florida Keys



Marathon, FL (Grassy Key)

Close Enough to Key West for a Day Trip

Chokoloskee, FL

Western Everglades

Ft Myers
3 Yrs Old Beautiful RV Resort, Drainage Issues


Sarasota, FL
Sarasota Sunny South (Capt Billy)
Free Saturday Breakfast & Wednesday Dinner



Grand Oaks in Lady Lake, FL

Nicolette, Rare Donkey
Beautiful Grounds

400 Acre Equestrian Resort







Bella Terra - Foley, AL

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh



MAKING LIFE SWEETER NATURALLY

Sugarcane Field
Jesuit priests first brought sugarcane to Louisiana in 1751 from New Guinea.  to Louisiana in 1751.  Sugarcane cultivation is successful on the alluvial spills in South-Central Louisiana, known as the "Sugar Bowl."  Louisiana's temperate climate allows this tropical crop to flourish.  It takes one full year to mature. The plant is six to 20 feet tall.
Burning Sugarcane Fields
Farmers burn sugarcane to reduce the any leafy material, including stalk tops, delivered with the cane to the factories for processing.


Harvesting Sugarcane
The sugarcane is harvested in early October around Acadamia. When cane is one year old, a chopper/harvester machine pulled by a combine tractor cuts the 8-foot tall cane and it spits it out into a side wagon as 6-8” pieces. When it’s filled, the wagon is brought to the sugar mill, within 12-24 hours, before it starts souring.


Trucks Haul Sugarcane to Mills
Once at the mill, the cane is cut into small pieces with a large cutter making it easier to squeeze the cane juice. The sliced cane pass through a series of 5 large roller mills, squeezing more and more juice out each time. This dirty juice is then boiled at high temperatures, crystallized through a spinning process using a large centrifuge and then left out to dry as a brown sugar. The sugar is stored in massive warehouses waiting distribution and refining.