Whether you’re bringing it home to enjoy with your family and friends or bringing it to work to start up a new tradition, it’s a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras and our Cajun traditions! Just make sure everyone knows the rule… Who every gets the baby, has to bring the next king cake!

Geaux get 'em while they're hot!

The farm sure has been bustling with the 2012 Cajun Crawfish season knocking at our door! With the mild weather we’ve faced in the past few winter months, those mudbugs have been out and about earlier than usual. Some people say that if there is an abundance of acorns that fall from the tree, there will be a wealth of crawfish in the season to follow… I hope those “old wives” knew what they were talking about!

We all know that crawfish are delicious, and some of you may realize that there is a “definite “season” for crawfish cooking and eating, but do you know what the life-cycle of these crawdads are? Now that crawfish season is finally upon us, lets look at just why these tasty little critters aren’t always available when we want them. The below info-graphic will give you insight into the life of a crawfish, how we grow them here at our farms, and how they end up in your cooking pot, or your table!

Embed this Info-graphic on your blog or website:

Copy the below code and Paste it into an area of your website that accepts html:

<pre class="brush: xml"><a href="http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/lifecycleofacrawfish.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-366" title="LA crawfish life cycle " src="http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/lifecycleofacrawfish.png" alt="Crawfish Life Cycle Graphic" width="720" height="720" border="0" /></a></pre>

Crawfish are a famous dish around the world! Though you may not know them as craw fish, I’m sure you’ve seen the little critters… most of you have even tasted a few!

Most Cajuns typically use the term crawfish, but people have created multiple names for them.  Maybe you’re more familiar with the word crayfish, crawdads, and mud bugs. These terms are typically used more by people living anywhere north of South Louisiana. Another term you may be familiar with is écrevisse; this term was used by our French ancestors and is still used by some traditional Cajuns today.

One thing is for sure, no matter if you call them, craw fish, écrevisse, crayfish crawfish, crawdads or just mud bugs, we love them! Can wait for Cajun Crawfish season 2012… coming soon!!

Laissez la Crawfish roulez!

It’s the prime time to harvest rice all over south Louisiana, and boy, have our farmers been busy!

The rice stalks have turned golden brown in coloring, indicating that it’s time to be harvested. The rice is harvested with a large machine known as a “combine”. These massive machines have an attachment on the front known as a “header” (this is where all the ‘cutting and separating’ work is done). The combine stores the cut grain/rice in its extremely large bin pulled behind one of the farm’s large tractors. 

The rice is moved from the tractor’s bin into the storage container on a ‘rice truck’. Rice trucks come in various shapes and sizes, some look like dump trucks with others are 18-wheelers with open top trailers.  The rice trucks then bring the grains to the rice bins. These metal bins range in size and are used as a safe storage area for the rice. The grains must be kept at a specific humidity and moisture level and temperatures in the bins need monitoring, to prevent spoilage of the rice.

  …”See y’all next time!”

A Heaping Pile of Health Food!

Did you know that boiled crawfish is incredibly healthy for you? Crawfish only has approximately 3% total fat! Of the fat in crawfish, most of it is Mono- and poly- unsaturated fats. These certain types of saturated fats do NOT raise the blood cholesterol levels and at modest levels are healthy for the body; while saturated fats do raise cholesterol and are much worse for the body.

Most health studies have shown a significant correlation with proteins leading to weight loss and leaner bodies, because proteins are a great way to satisfy hunger.  Crawfish is about 50% protein! Crawfish also provide many nutrients and vitamins
that our bodies need (Potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron,
folate, magnesium, copper, and several vitamins).

Next time you’re craving a delicious and nutritious dish, be sure
you consider some good ol’ Cajun Crawfish!

Boudin, pronounced boo-deh, is the definition of true Cajun cuisine and has been around for two centuries! When our Cajun ancestors, the Acadians, started the boudin legacy in the early 1800, they never expected it to be a dish we would be proud to share with the world.

The first noted link of boudin ever created used buffalo meat and other scraps.A more familiar type of boudin uses pork instead of buffalo. This more traditional type of boudin includes pork scraps, rice, onions, and seasoning all incased into pig intestines. Most places have become a lot more modernized and now use sausage casing as an alternative packing source. When boucheries (gatherings to butcher livestock, usually a pig) were held, the Cajuns refused to waste any usable parts of the pig; therefore the intestines were used as a sleeve.

Boudin was known for being economical, tasty, and convenient; now, boudin is known as a landmark in Cajun culinary culture. Now to spice up the flavor, southern cooks have been experimenting with other types of meat such as crawfish and shrimp. Another great spin on boudin is the boudin balls. Boudin balls take all the traditional ingredients of boudin, roll them into a ball, and deep fry them… Nothing says southern comfort like deep fried foods!

Whatever your preference for boudin, there’s no doubt about it…. Ç’est Bon!

Since we are in the peak of hurricane season, everyone is preparing for… Hurricane Parties!  Hurricane season typically lasts from June 1 through November 30, and leave it to the Cajuns to find something good about hurricane season!

Hurricanes are infamous for bringing lots of devastation via rains, winds, hail, and tornados, while people down south steadily prepare for the worst. When a hurricane chooses south Louisiana for its path, some people pack up and head for safety. Others stay home to defend their fort and prepare for a hurricane party with their friends and family! 

One thing you’ll find at almost every hurricane party are alcoholic beverages, hence the legendary mixed drink called a Hurricane. Some hurricane parties consist of feasts to clear out everyone’s fridge to prepare for long-term power outages.  

Whatever the reason may be for a hurricane party, they’re always fun for all and a great way to stay upbeat amidst all the destruction hurricanes bring.

Though crawfish season is over, there is no need to bury your craving for some hot boiled Cajun Crawfish, because we have a solution! We are now selling Pre-Boiled Crawfish.

These crawfish are first ‘par-boiled’, without seasoning, here on the farm in Branch, LA for preservation.  The crawfish are then packaged and frozen. The crawfish is shipped to your front door in a Styrofoam ice chest. Once you receive the crawfish, your first task is to defrost them without opening the bag they were packaged in.  

Now you’re ready to finish cooking the little critters! Bring your pot of water to a boil and add in your Fruge Seasoning Mix, this will be provided in the same ice chest as your crawfish.  Drain your bag of crawfish and place the mudbugs into the boiling water and… Voila! You may add more seasoning to taste, depending on just how hot you like ‘em!

There will be a full set of instruction with your order, and our friendly staff is always willing to answer your questions! So don’t wait until next season, get your Cajun Crawfish fix any time of year!

 Now that crawfish season has officially come to a close, it time for the fun stuff… cleaning up! The cleaning phase of operations includes the ponds, the traps, and the boats.

The crawfisherman must remove all traps from the ponds, until next season. Since there are thousands of traps, this can actually be a very tedious process.  Once all of the traps are removed, they must be cleaned and stored for the off-season.

 Lastly, once all of the boats have picked-up all of the traps, it’s time to strip them down. Our boats are stripped by using a chemical process. Once our guys are finished cleaning the boats, they look like new!