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Have you and your family been looking for something different to do? Something outdoors now that this beautiful fall weather is upon us? A guided swamp tour may be just what is needed! It’s a change of pace from everyday activity and is also offered in several cities throughout Louisiana. Plus you get the chance to airboat, kayak or cruise through some of the country’s most fascinating landscapes.
Whether it’s on the Atchafalaya Basin, or several different muddy waters in and around New Orleans, Bayou Teche and the Vermillion River which runs through Lafayette, plus many more locations- you can spend an entire day exploring and learning about all that the beautiful Louisiana Swamps have to offer. For more information on several guided tours throughout Louisiana, click here.
As stated by Outdoorchannel.com, “Venison roasts are often labeled tough and boring, which usually leads them to the meat grinder. With the right recipe, these overlooked cuts of venison can be tender and very good table fare.”
So what are you waiting for!? Save these disregarded slabs of meat for a delicious slow cooker recipe that will be ready for you by the end of a long work day. You can find the recipe here as well as 9 other scrumptious deer recipes here.
Also, don’t forget this amazing recipe can be served over buttered noodles, cooked rice, mashed potatoes or bread slices.
Spray a large crock pot with vegetable oil. Add the cream soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley together; whisking until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the mushrooms.
Place the venison roast into the crock pot and spoon some of the mixture over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (8 hours on low). If the roast is frozen, cook on high for 8 to 10 hours; or until meat falls apart.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, just bake the roast at 275 degrees for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.
As the owner of Cenac Marine Services, Benny Cenac Jr.’s roots are tied very deeply to all forms of recreational aquatic activity and restoration. This explains perfectly why he has become a longtime member of the Center For Sportfishing Policy (CSP) based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The mission of the CSP “is to maximize opportunity for saltwater recreational anglers by organizing, focusing and engaging recreational fishing stakeholders to speak with one voice to shape federal marine fisheries management policy.”
The CSP is made up of a board of directors, all with a common goal in mind. They are constantly listening to the angler’s feedback not only to look out for the betterment of the fishermen but the marine life as well. Mr. Cenac has spent years as an avid benefactor for the gulf coast region and strong supporter of coastal wetland restoration. He is especially fond of his involvement with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. It is for that reason, Mr. Benny’s innate passion for marine conservation and advancement corresponds directly with the duty of the Center For Sportfishing Policy.
There is a lot of work done behind the scenes that many people aren’t aware of when it comes to recreational saltwater fishing. While there are decisions being made on Capitol Hill that could positively or negatively affect ocean wildlife, the CSP is there to bring a wealth of knowledge and preparation to fight for the best outcome. And these decisions are not light ones absent of controversy. Recreational anglers provide a greater economic impact than industrial commercial fishermen: America’s 11 million recreational saltwater anglers make a combined economic contribution of $63 billion annually, spend $26.5 billion each year, and generate 440,000 American jobs. Recreational anglers have led the way to maintain sustainable fish populations and protect habitats. Recreational anglers contribute to habitat restoration, and their license fees pay for management and restoration conducted by state agencies. They, along with fishing equipment manufacturers, have developed fishing tackle and best practices that reduce fish mortality. Building and preserving healthy fish stocks is in the best interest of all Americans. This plays a huge role in the reasoning behind Benny Cenac’s support of the organization.
Current law favors industrial commercial fishing at the expense of recreational anglers by severely limiting access to our waters. In some cases, recreational anglers are only permitted to fish a handful of days each year. This is a dramatic decrease from past policy.
A most recent issue that was shared on the Center For SportFishing Policy facebook page involves a federal decision that was made that threatens swordfish, one of the most sought after sports fish, and leaves conservationist astonished. The CSP, along with several other concerned organizations are said to be working to encourage the Administration to take another look at this controversial and contradictory decision. The Center for Sportfishing Policy aims to make fishing fair by fixing marine fisheries management. Our goal is to sustain healthy fish stocks and ensure our ocean fisheries remain truly public resources available to all Americans.
To read more about the CSP, click here, and to read more about Benny Cenac’s support of other local organizations, please read here.
In Louisiana, we have multiple festivals year round for anything and everything imaginable. People travel from all over the world for many of them to get a taste of our unique Cajun culture that is unlike any other. In a few weeks, September 20th-24th, the Sugar Cane Festival will be held in New Iberia, Louisiana. American Sugar Cane is arguable the most successful crop in Louisiana.
Mr. Alen “Benny” Cenac Jr., owner and operator of Golden Ranch Farms (GRF), possesses almost 1000 acres of Sugar Cane on the farm itself. So it is safe to say, GRF plays their part of vitality when it comes to the important role the sugar industry plays to Louisiana’s economy. According to the American Sugar Cane Leage, Sugarcane is produced on more than 400,000 acres of land in 22 Louisiana parishes- with production of approximately 13 million tons of cane yearly while also providing jobs to over 17,000 people. This is explains exactly why we make a long weekend of celebration over sweet sugarcane.
This year’s festival marks 76 years of celebrating sugar! The activities kick off on a Wednesday lasting until Sunday leaving no room for boredom as it is packed full of parades, a carnival, live Cajun and Zydeco music, car show, sugar cookery, photography, artistry competitions, a horticulture show, crowning of the Sugarcane Queen and more. For a full list of this year’s events, click here. This is one experience you would not want to miss out on. Just as they would say in Cajun Country, where life is sure to be sweeter, Laissez le bon temps rouler!
This past August, Nicholls State University was nationally recognized for their Geomatics program. Geomatics is the study of the branch of science that deals with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data relating to the earth’s surface. The award recognizes programs advancing licensure for surveyors to preserve public health, safety and welfare.
This is the second year in a row Nicholls has been presented with this honor along with being one of only five programs to have been honored both years. According to Nicholls State University, schools are chosen based on their student outcomes, student involvement, outreach and recruitment.
Congratulations to Nicholls State University on this wonderful and prestige achievement! You can find more information on this wonderful accomplishment, as well as the different programs that Nicholls State University offers, here.
Duck hunting season is right around the corner! And if you’re lucky, you still have some in your deep freezer from last year- but it’s time to clear those out to make room for this years kill. We stumbled across this delicious recipe when we were looking for an alternative way to cook duck besides rice and gravy. Although this method takes a little more time, it is well worth the wait. It is the perfect technique to prepare on a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon now that football has started. For step by step instructions with pictures included, you can click here, or see ingredients and recipe below. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Duck
6 lb whole Pekin duck
salt
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lemon (small or medium), chopped
Glaze
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
freshly squeezed juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup honey
Instructions
If you purchased frozen duck, make sure to defrost the frozen duck in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Once the duck is completely defrosted (in the refrigerator), take the duck out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring it more or less to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You will be roasting the duck for a total of 3 hours (3 hours will be divided into 4 time chunks where you will be flipping the duck, brushing it with glaze, etc. – see the instructions below).
Prepare the duck:
Remove the giblets from inside the duck. Rinse the duck, inside and outside, with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Set the duck on the working surface. Score the duck’s skin on the breast in a diamond pattern, making sure you only cut the skin, without reaching the meat. Poke the other fatty parts of the duck with the tip of the knife all over, to ensure fat release, especially in very fatty parts. You don’t need to poke the duck legs as the skin is pretty thin there (except for where the duck legs connect to the duck body). Season the duck very generously with salt both inside the cavity of the duck and outside on the skin, legs, all over. Place the duck breast side up.
Put 5 chopped garlic cloves and lemon slices inside the duck cavity (these are just for flavor, not for eating – you will discard them after cooking). The duck will have flapping skin on both ends – fold that skin inwards, to hold the garlic and lemon inside. Tie up the duck legs with butcher’s twine.
Roast the duck for 3 hours in 4 distinctive steps:
Place the bird breast side up on a large roasting pan with a rack (roasting pan should have a roasting rack to lift the duck from the bottom of the pan and allow the fat to drip below the duck). Roast the duck, breast side up, for 1 hour at 350 F.
After 1 hour of roasting, flip the duck on its breast and roast it breast side down (roast the other side) for 40 minutes, at 350 F.
Remove the roasting pan with the duck from the oven (you now have roasted the duck for 1 hour + 40 minutes), carefully remove the duck to a platter (making sure the lemons and garlic from the cavity do not fall out – keep the skin on both ends of the duck folded), and carefully pour off all the duck fat juices from the roasting pan into a large heat-proof bowl or container.
Flip the duck breast side up again on a rack in a roasting pan (the pan will have no fat juices now). In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Brush all of the duck with the balsamic mixture (especially the scored duck breast) and cook the duck breast side up for another 40 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the mixture.
Now, in a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup honey and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar lemon mixture that you will have left over from the previous step. Brush the breast side of the duck with this honey-balsamic mixture, and roast for another 40 minutes, brushing the duck breast side every 10 minutes with honey balsamic mixture. You can even carefully broil the duck for the last 10-15 minutes if you like (do it carefully, checking the duck regularly to make sure it doesn’t char too much).
After the duck is cooked, remove it from the oven, let duck stand for 15 minutes. Then, carefully remove and discard the lemon from the cavity (being careful not to get burned). Carve the duck and serve!
TOTAL COOKING TIME:The duck should be roasted for a total of 3 hours at 350 F. These 3 hours of roasting are divided into 4 distinctive time chunks (1 hour breast side up + 40 minutes breast side down + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with balsamic-lemon mixture + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with honey-balsamic mixture).
