Mayhaw season is here and if you want to buy some, go visit Bill Jackson. He has a bunch in the freezer. The Jackson fruit farm is on the edge of the Big Thicket in Livingston. Bill Jackson grew up on this farm raising cotton and the food his family lived on. It was a hand to mouth existence. He tried growing peaches here, but a virus killed the trees. So he needed to find something else to grow.
Hawthorne trees grow in woods around his farm. So when he heard that farmers in Louisiana were farming mayhaws (as the fruit of the hawthorne tree is known), he decided to try it himself. Jackson has grafted wild strains of mayhaws from the nearby woods onto sturdy rootstock and is experimenting with several hybrids.
I bought a couple of gallons. I’ll show you how to make mayhaw jelly soon. So go get your mayhaws.
H.W. “Bill” Jackson
Jackson Fruit Farm
422 Jackson Fruit Farm Rd.
Livingston, Texas 77351
(936)685-4658
jfarms@eastex.net.
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Mayhaw Jelly makes a most excellent glaze for roasted chicken and pork and can also be used like Apricot Jam to finish off those fancy pastries.
Mayhaw Jelly and Queso Fresco Empanadas also rock. Jalapeños optional.