adopt-a-mirliton
The Adopt-A-Mirliton project goal is to restore the traditional heirloom mirliton varieties that have grown in South Louisiana for decades, but were almost entirely wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. Mirlitons are a perennial squash that have been grown for two hundred years in Louisiana. Commonly referred to as “chayote” in rest of the Western Hemisphere, the botanical name for the mirliton is Sechium edule. Since 2009, the Adopt-A-Mirliton project has distributed hundreds of free heirloom plants to growers throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Plant recipients are asked to donate half their crop to re-establish the mirliton, a culturally significant, sustainable backyard food source. Here, Dr. Lance Hill, Executive Director of Tulane University’s Southern Institute for Education and Research and local mirliton enthusiast, offers a comprehensive Guide to Growing Mirlitons below and annual updates. Read the Times Picayune article about the Mirliton Man, or see how the Associated Press picked up the story here.
Download the Guide to Growing Mirlitons here!
Download Updates to the Guide here!
For more information on how you can Adopt-A-Mirliton, contact mirlitons@marketumbrella.org.