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Mobile Alabama’s Mirliton Man

by | Nov 10, 2018 |

The Mirliton Man of Mobile Alabama

This blog entry is by David Hubbell. It tells the story of his efforts to grow mirlitons in the Gulf coast South. We welcome other growers to send in their stories, growing methods, and photos of the varieties they are growing. You can reach him by sending me an email at Lance@mirliton.org)

David Hubbell with his Boudreaux-Robert heirloom mirliton variety.

My Mirliton Story by David J. Hubbell

Part I – Initial Attempts

Since my early teens I have been fascinated with my Louisiana ancestry. I learned early on that I am descended from the Germans and French that arrived in the early 1700s, as well as the Acadians that settled in St James Parish in 1765. Despite this long pedigree, I have never actually lived in Louisiana for any appreciable amount of time. After marrying and settling down in Mobile, it became one of my goals to create a Louisiana garden at my home in south Alabama. One of the items I started trying to grow back in 2006/2007 was mirliton (AKA chayote squash or vegetable pears).

I scoured the internet for where to acquire the seeds and how to grow it. Well, I learned in short order from the LSU AgCenter site that one doesn’t extract the seed, but simply set the fruit or seed mirliton in a cool, dark place wrapped in a paper bag and within a few weeks, you should get roots and a vine will start. Now the question was “where to get it?” According to some folks who grew it in California, I simply needed to find a grocery store that sold them and plant those. So now I had a mission. Where to find one? Well, I really had to go no further than my Mom (don’t they always have the answers?) She mentioned that she had seen them at several of the local grocery stores, in particular a large one stop megastore. Now I should add at this point that as a kid growing up in Texas we rarely ate these. Similarly, on visits to Metairie, Louisiana at Christmas, I never was interested in trying mirliton. Therefore, I had a twofold challenge: 1) figuring out how to grow them and 2) how to eventually cook them. So off I went and lo and behold, I found them for about $1.29 apiece. Well, even though I rarely had seen them, my memories from my childhood and the images from my research didn’t quite match the ones I had found. Most of what I saw looked pretty close, but it was more of a “snubbed nose” version. The sticker on them indicated they were a product from either Mexico or Costa Rica. I found 3 that closely resembled the images in my head, purchased them, and then brought them home.  I then promptly followed the directions from the good folks at LSU and within a few weeks’ time, I was delighted to see that two of the seed mirliton had roots and vines were emerging. This was around December and by late February; I planted the two into the ground next to a very ornate trellis I bought for them to grow up. I had some conversations with my Pepere (grandfather in Louisiana French) who had grown them a while back and he mentioned to be careful where you plant them.  I believe he mentioned having them too close to a tall oak and having to use a ladder to get the fruit. As a result, I tied a rope between my trellis and a large oak in my back yard, which was around 30 feet away. Well the first year, the vines emerged and started to grow. They grew all spring and summer and while they didn’t get quite as long as the information from LSU indicated, I figured it was due to them being young (FYI these vines will come back year after year if protected from the freezing weather). Well in addition, I finally started to see some male and female flowers on the same vine; however, it was now early September and I had read that one should be harvesting them from late September until late November (or until freezing weather hits). Eventually some small fruit did appear, but they never seemed to get much larger than a raisin and by then, freezing weather arrived in south Alabama.  So, my first attempt turned out not to be a fruitful one.

Store bought Mirliton

Despite not producing any fruit, I had actually gained quite a bit of knowledge on how to start these plants and what to look for. So as December of 2007 approached I cut back the vines and covered up the root system in preparations for them to come back. In addition, I also bought 3 more seed mirliton to propagate. Well, these fruit also successfully started to root and produce a vine. In the meantime, spring finally arrived back in south Alabama and I was pleased to see the mirliton vines from the previous season were coming back. This time the vine grew and grew and grew, reaching the 50+ feet I had read about. In fact, it climbed the trellis, the rope, and up the tree, about 20 feet above my head. Surely with such phenomenal growth, this vine would flower earlier this year and I would succeed in getting fruit. Well, it did start to flower early in September and had a lot of small fruit on the vines, but for some reason, they still never grew beyond the size of a large raisin. Well, the freeze came and I had to cut the vine back. I now was questioning the location I had chosen to plant my mirliton vine.  Since my yard is partially shaded, I figured it might have something to do with that. Thus, in December of 2008, I repeated the same ritual of the past two years and started some more vines. The following February, it turned that the original vines I planted weren’t going to come back. One appeared to have a fungus and rotted the root structure, the other just never emerged. So, into the ground went two new plants. Same growing pattern as the year before, however this time with a lot of flowering earlier and one mirliton on its way to full maturity (as opposed to 50-100 reported each vine should bear). I had also noticed the squirrels in the yard had developed a taste for the vine and apparently the small fruit. To remedy this, I put up a lot of bird netting to tangle them up. On Thanksgiving Day, this mirliton was now up to the size of a walnut and I was ecstatic. I woke up on Black Friday morning to go somewhere and as I was pulling out of the driveway, I spied something light green on the ground. No! It couldn’t be! It was!!! My one chance at a mirliton lay on the ground with… teeth marks from a blasted squirrel. So here it was 3 years of trying and not a single mirliton.

Part II – The Mirliton Man and Mr. Boudreaux

I was about ready to give up when I came across a Times-Picayune article discussing someone in New Orleans they called the Mirliton Man (Dr. Lance Hill) and his Adopt-a-Mirliton program. Upon reading his interview it turned out that he discovered that the mirliton vines that had once been a common fixture in backyards in the New Orleans area had all but disappeared due to Hurricane Katrina and the effects of the salt water as well as perhaps a lack of interest in growing them.

The article about the Mirliton Man also revealed that those local farmers in the area who grew mirliton for a living were also greatly affected by Katrina. Since they didn’t have any surviving vines or fruit, they started to plant the ones from Costa Rica and Mexico, but weren’t having too much success. It appeared that these varieties needed a lot more chemical fertilizers to keep them going in Louisiana. That is when he started his Adopt-a-Mirliton program to try to see if he could get some seed mirliton from those surviving south Louisiana vines and help jump start the mirliton production. That is when the light bulb went off in my head. I bet all of my issues had to do with variety and not necessarily the technique or partial shade.  I tried to contact him to find out where I might try to find some of these types of mirliton, but was unsuccessful in getting up with him.  In the meantime, my Mom mentioned that my late Pepere’s good friend had been growing these in Metairie for years. Well, she asked my uncle to see if he could get in touch with him and find out if he had any mirlitons during the Fall of 2009. Turns out he did and was able to give us 10 seed mirlitons.

These mirlitons definitely had a different shape than those I had been trying to grow. They were more pear shaped, had some deep creases, and a few tiny spikes on the bottom. The goal had now become to try to grow and propagate these to see if we could start a new crop in south Alabama. Of the 10, only 4 developed a vine. I then suggested that my Dad plant 2 in his yard in Fairhope and I plant 2 in Mobile. His yard had a lot more room and sunlight, so if that had been a factor, surely this will eliminate it. Well since these 4 had well developed vines by Valentine’s Day, we decided to replant them in pots until we could get them into the ground. As it turned out, by March only one vine survived. We planted that into my Dad’s yard and hoped for the best. Then throughout the course of the year, I would ask my Dad several times a month (if not weekly) how the vine was doing. In addition, I would go check it out whenever we would visit. As the Fall 2010 approached I started inquiring about the flowers. Around late August, he mentioned it appeared to have some small buds starting and upon a subsequent visit, I confirmed they were both male and female flowers on the vine. With a few weeks he started to see a dozen mirliton growing. To say I was pleased would be a bit of an understatement. It finally looked like we would get some mirliton after 4 years of trying. After Thanksgiving Day, I took a few days off and my Dad and I were debating on going fishing. A cold front was moving in and between the wind and rain we decided it would be better to just prepare the mirliton vine for the freeze. He and I went into the back and started to pick the mirliton. Well, the more we worked our way through the leaves and vines, the more mirliton we found. In no time at all, we had surpassed the dozen Dad had seen. In fact, the 5-gallon bucket he brought out started to overflow. After about an hour, we counted up what we had 65!

https://web.archive.org/web/20160324121558im_/http:/riverparishcajunreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mirlitons-enhanced-265x300.jpg

65 Mirlitons Harvested from a single plant.

We were in disbelief. I had read how these vines can produce between 50-100 and here we were within that range. In addition, there were still another dozen or so smaller ones we left to continue growing until a freeze came. After we brought them in and cleaned them up, we set them on the counter. Now we had an even bigger dilemma. How were we going to possibly cook so many?

Anyway, it has been close 10 years since that first successful harvest. I am happy to report that I was able to start some seed mirlitons in pots the following January and in the Fall of 2011 had my first fruitful harvest of mirliton in my yard in Mobile. I planted three of these Louisiana Heirloom Mirliton in my yard and today one of these is still alive and thriving. Since that time, I am happy to report that I have been fortunate enough to get in contact with Dr. Hill and we have established that the variety I have been growing were similar to some he had studied but didn’t quite match any of them exactly. From our initial correspondence and subsequent conversation, he indicated I could name it mine as I saw fit, so in honor of my Pepere’s friend whom I received the initial seed mirliton I have named it the Boudreaux-Robert mirliton (the origins on where Mr. Boudreaux got it will have to be told in another post). Since 2010, I have tried over a dozen different mirliton recipes, shared close to 25 mirliton seedlings with family and friends, and created lots of great memories sharing the story of the miriton with folks here in south Alabama. Growing mirliton represent more to me than just growing something to eat. Doing so helps to keep me connected to my Father and Pepere, who have both passed since I started this adventure in 2006, my Louisiana heritage as well as learning, sharing, and helping preserve one of south Louisiana and the Gulf Coast’s most iconic and endangered vegetables.

H

 

Shade Cloth to Protect First-Year Plants from Summer Heat

by | Jul 30, 2016 |

First-year plants can sometimes succumb to intensive heat in the summer, especially in July and August. Mirlitons are vigorous vegetative growers but sometimes get ahead of root-growth necessary to uptake moisture. Keep in mind that most garden vegetables do not have the exposure to heat and water-loss that mirlitons have: one vine, even at this early stage of growth, can have hundreds of square feet of leaf space. Roots have to supply the these leaves with a tremendous amount of water since water evaporation, called transpiration, is an integral part of photosynthesis and leaf helps regulate plant temperature reduce internal heat. Most mirliton water uptake occurs at night, so watering the leaves directly–giving them a “good bath”–does not provide much water to the plant.

A plant that exhibits leaf wilting and drooping in the last afternoon heat can be a sign of dehydration. First-year plants tend to wilt occasionally during the heat of the day and then regain leaf shape in the evening. As long as the plant has adequate moisture (test the soil around the base of the plant) and is not waterlogged (too much water), then a little wilting is not a problem, especially if it rapidly regains shape as temperatures cool. But if your plant is properly watered and is wilting extensively during the day, consider protecting it with a standard garden shade cloth. You can but these by the roll or by the yard at most big-box stores: for gardening purposes, these will be rated at blocking out from 60% to 70% of the sun, while allowing water to pass through and air to circulate.

Some of our growers have experimented with shade systems. Bernardez Marcus, a member of the Capital Area Technical College in Baton Rouge, directs our heirloom mirliton project at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Marcus reports that they were losing plants to the heat this summer, but when they covered their horizontal trellis with shade cloth, the plants quickly began to flourish. How long you need to cover the plant depends on how well it responds to the shade covering–in the long run the plant will need more sun than the shade cloth permits during long-term use. But it is safe to say that the plant will no longer need the protection in September. Shade cloths absorb heat so keep the cloth a few inches above the plant if possible. In this post, I have included a photo of a vertical shade that I used one year on a young plant.
So if you are planting in full sun, consider shade cloth for first-year plants. ( A special thanks to Marcus and the inmates at Angola who developed and tested this technique).

We Regret the Passing of Ishreal Thibodeaux

by | Aug 28, 2013 |

We are sorry to learn of the passing of Ishreal Thibodeaux who for more than forty years preserved the rare pure-white mirliton that we named in his honor.  Mr. Thibodeaux donated many seed to the Mirlitons.Org project to ensure that his variety would survive.  He would be pleased to learn that several “Ishreal Thibodeaux” mirliton variety plants are now thriving.  Here is his obituary and below are two photographs that I took during my last visit: once includes an enlarged photo of the Thibodeaux fruit which he framed and proudly hung in his house.

 

 

“Madam of the Mirliton”:New Orleans Mirliton Garden on Formerly Vacant Lot

by | Jul 5, 2013 |

Jeanette Bell is doing some remarkable work on bringing fresh food to inner-city neighborhoods in New Orleans.  I first learned about her work from this short video about her mirliton vine in her Fleur d’Eden on Baronne street in New Orleans. It turns out that she received her mother plant from Pam Broom last year (see below), which means that it was the “Joseph Boudreaux” Louisiana heirloom variety that we provided to Pam two years ago.  Jeannette distributed 70 plants from her mother plant last year, so the Boudreaux variety in expanding exponentially in New Orleans!  Jeannette also runs the Garden On Mars project that instructs people how to convert abandoned lots into urban gardens. Here is a recent article on Jeanette’s work.

Jeannette Bell

Re-Seeding Mirlitons in New Orleans: A Gift From Broussard, Louisiana

by | May 26, 2012 |

(Joseph Boudreaux with his home-grown mirliton variety)

Part of the inspiration for forming Mirliton.Org was the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans the the Louisiana coastal parishes. Mirliton plants will die if the roots are submerged in water for more than 48 hours: The Katrina flood destroyed all the vines in flooded areas in New Orleans and some coastal parishes.

To renew the tradition of backyard mirliton growing, we had to find traditional heirloom mirliton varieties grown outside New Orleans.  The mirlitons sold commercially in grocery stores (as Chayote) could not be used as seed: they are largely imported from high altitude sites in Costa Rica and Mexico and although they will sprout and grow a few stems, like many high-altitude plants, they normally succumb to our  unique growing environment and plant diseases.

Since 2007, we have searched for growers of what we call traditional “Louisiana heirloom mirlitons” by advertising in the Louisiana Department of Agriculture publication “Market Bulletin” and contacting Parish (county) Agricultural Extension Service staff–thanks to the assistance of the Louisiana State University extension service.  We also simply drove the roads along the bayous where mirlitons were traditionally grown on bayou banks (that’s how we found the Mister Rock mirliton variety).

We eventually found growers who had been growing the same variety for decades, although they are few and far between and a disappearing breed.  With the discovery of these growers–most of them older gardeners in their eighties who were upholding a family tradition of mirliton growing, we knew now that the traditional locally-grown varieties would once again thrive in New Orleans and rest of the state.

These growers would donate seed mirlitons to re-seed New Orleans and, as the demand grew, we would also buy from growers and give away the seed as sprouts and plants.  As word spread of our project (which began under the name “Adopt-A–Mirliton”), we ended up distributing seed throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississipi, and Alabama.  We decided to feature some of the success stories on this blog from time to time.

In 2010 a reader of the Market Bulletin called me and said he knew of a grower in Broussard, Louisiana who had several vines of the same variety that he had been growing for decades.  I visited Joseph Boudreaux in Broussard and he donated a few of his mirlitons and I purchased several more.  Later, after an early freeze, he donated a few dozen freeze-damaged fruit that he assured us would germinate and grow: he was right.

We always name the variety after the person we first found growing it so that we can track the variety’s  progress as we distribute it throughout the region; heirloom varieties have different qualities that we are testing for, such as fruiting habits and disease resistance.  Naming the variety also allows us to find new growers who will “adopt” a specific variety and commit to growing it so that we will always have a reliable seed source and can preserve the genetic diversity of the locally grown varieties.

In 2011, Mirliton.Org donated three container plants of the Joseph Boudreaux variety to Sun Harvest Garden in New Orleans on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard.  A small Central City community garden built on a cleared lot, Sun Harvest is run by Pam Broom, a long-time community activist and urban farming advocate.  Planted in the spring of 2011, the vine produced a small crop later that fall.  During the warm winter of 2012 (we never got a frost in central New Orleans), Pam harvested even more fruit and the plant is still producing during the traditional spring crop cycle.

Pam has distributed some of the the new fruit as seed to other gardeners in the area and her vine is, as mirlitons are inclined to do, rapidly taking over more of her garden.  But she’s happy with the prolific new arrival.  “One of the things that inspires me most about receiving mirliton plants from Mr. Joseph Boudreaux,” says Pam, “is that thanks to him, I am experiencing growing a beautiful, sweet and delicious variety in the heart of the City of New Orleans.”

From Broussard to New Orleans: mirlitons are making a comeback thanks to people who appreciate this iconic Louisiana plant.

 

Pam Broom with her Joseph Boudreaux mirliton variety vine at the Sun Harvest Garden in New Orleans

 

Lance Hill

Mirliton.org

Anthracnose in Mirlitons Update

by | May 7, 2012 |

The hot and rainy weather has brought out the annual anthracnose disease for mirlitons.  See the last summer’s blog entry here on this disease (I have added a photograph and link to more photos) which discusses how to recognize the different signs of powdery mildew and anthracnose. The growers guide on the web site has additional information.  Anthracnose infects almost all mirliton plants, especially in their first year, but depending on proper care and hopefully a low rate of evening rain showers, the disease will only affect a few stems and when those die, new stems will return.

 

 

Mirliton leaf infected with anthracnose plant disease. Note different browning pattern and the distinctive “shot hole” in the middle of the brown tissue, which does not occur with powdery mildew (anthracnose, unlike powdery mildew, can live on dead plant tissue and literally “eat a hole” through the plant)

Link to “Identifying and Managing Powdery Mildew in Mirlitons”

by | Apr 30, 2012 |

I just posted to our FAQ page a comprehensive article on powdery mildew in Mirlitons.  I tried to get it to fit on the blog but apparently blogs are for concise thinkers–that rules me out.  Visit the FAQ page and Garden Blog for new useful information.

Lance Hill, Mirliton.Org

 

Ishreal Thibodeaux Variety Mirliton.  This is the only pure-white mirliton that we know of in the South.

How To Plant A Distressed Mirliton In Hot Weather

by | Apr 21, 2012 |

Mirlitons (Sechium edule) in the United States south have two main fruiting seasons that begin after the spring and fall equinox, which generally means flowering begins in May for several weeks and again in October until December.  The plant initiates flowering in response to leaf signals when leaves detect equal periods of light and darkness (photoperiodism).  This stimulus is combined with temperature changes (thermoperiodism) in the fall: a cold snap after the equinox can help stimulate flowering.  Spring crops are normally much smaller than the fall crop.

This early crop has created an opportunity to use the winter/spring fruit for seed. But these cool-weather mirlitons can be a little cranky if panted in hot weather.

Spring fruit can be used as seed but must be planted using special methods.  The goal is to get the sprouts into the ground as soon as possible so they can develop a root structure sufficient to meet the water needs of the top growth when temperatures reach 90 °F as early as May.   Unlike containerized plants or seeds that were planted the previous fall, these sprouts begin the summer with no root structure.

Spring fruit should be allowed to mature for at least three weeks on the vine and meet the “thumbnail test”: press your thumbnail into the skin and if the fruit flesh is soft and the nail leaves a dent, then the fruit is not ready to pick.  Also if you are familiar with the heirloom variety that you are growing, you will know the average size of a mature fruit.  The fruit must be mature to be able to germinate and sprout.

Hot Weather Planting of Sprouts:

During normal growing cycles, the fruit may not be ready to pick until late May and won’t sprout until June or later.  Temperatures over 90°F. can suppress shoot and root development and dehydrate the seed fruit that is exposed to the sun.  I’ve done that in the past–planted a sprout in June and watched it sit there and do nothing. When I excavated it, I saw how distressed the seed had become by the scorching sun. Instead of coming up, the shoot stayed below ground and wound in a circle.

So sprout-planting in May and June should be done as you normally would, but place a milk crate over the planted sprout and cover it with shade cloth. This will protect it from the intense solar heat.  The milk crate will also protect the mirlitons from squirrels and other rodents that like tender young fruit.

Once the shoot begins to grow, you can remove the crate and stake the vine.

 

 

 

 

Leaf Footed Bug Damage to Mirliton Fruit

by | Apr 20, 2012 |

Because of the warm winter, we have been getting an early crop of mirlitons that started in February.  I noticed these gelatinous clear growths on the immature fruit and then spotted an immature and mature leaf footed bug (stink bug) that feed on the fruit.

Fruit fluids (cytoplasm) leaking from fruit and jelling. Note flower and fruit are dead

Dr. Dale Pollet of LSU identified these growths as the cytoplasm (fruit fluids) oozing from the fruit after the leaf footed bugs have penetrated the fruit skin to feed on it.  In this case, attacking the very small immature fruit kills the fruit.  I have seen the insect also try to feed on mature fruit which does not display any immediate damage but will manifest as brown bruising after the fruit is picked.  They also spread plant diseases. The best method of control is to pick the insects off by hand, but they can be treated with organic fungicides.  If you use an organic pesticide, be careful that it is not toxic to bees (it is pollination season) and that it is not phytotoxic (can damage leaves in high temperatures).  Test it on a few leaves for one week first.

69

Immature Leaf footed Bug on Mirliton Leaf

Leaf footed bug feeding on flowers. They can block pollination tubes.

Mature Leaf Footed Bug (stink bug)

 

Lance Hill

Mirliton.org

Lance@mirliton.org

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Mobile Alabama’s Mirliton Man

Nov 10, 2018

The Mirliton Man of Mobile Alabama This blog entry is by David Hubbell. It tells the story of his efforts to grow mirlitons in the Gulf coast South. We welcome other growers to send in their stories, growing methods, and photos of the varieties they are growing. You...

Shade Cloth to Protect First-Year Plants from Summer Heat

Jul 30, 2016

First-year plants can sometimes succumb to intensive heat in the summer, especially in July and August. Mirlitons are vigorous vegetative growers but sometimes get ahead of root-growth necessary to uptake moisture. Keep in mind that most garden vegetables do not have...

We Regret the Passing of Ishreal Thibodeaux

Aug 28, 2013

We are sorry to learn of the passing of Ishreal Thibodeaux who for more than forty years preserved the rare pure-white mirliton that we named in his honor.  Mr. Thibodeaux donated many seed to the Mirlitons.Org project to ensure that his variety would survive.  He...

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Anthracnose in Mirlitons Update

May 7, 2012

The hot and rainy weather has brought out the annual anthracnose disease for mirlitons.  See the last summer's blog entry here on this disease (I have added a photograph and link to more photos) which discusses how to recognize the different signs of powdery mildew...

Link to “Identifying and Managing Powdery Mildew in Mirlitons”

Apr 30, 2012

I just posted to our FAQ page a comprehensive article on powdery mildew in Mirlitons.  I tried to get it to fit on the blog but apparently blogs are for concise thinkers--that rules me out.  Visit the FAQ page and Garden Blog for new useful information. Lance...

How To Plant A Distressed Mirliton In Hot Weather

Apr 21, 2012

Mirlitons (Sechium edule) in the United States south have two main fruiting seasons that begin after the spring and fall equinox, which generally means flowering begins in May for several weeks and again in October until December.  The plant initiates flowering in...

Leaf Footed Bug Damage to Mirliton Fruit

Apr 20, 2012

Because of the warm winter, we have been getting an early crop of mirlitons that started in February.  I noticed these gelatinous clear growths on the immature fruit and then spotted an immature and mature leaf footed bug (stink bug) that feed on the fruit. Fruit...