Heirloom Hunters: Louisiana’s Calhoun Watermelons

Prologue & Article by Debra Freeman | Photography by Joshua Fitzwater & Foto Works

Lead Photo: Leighton Compton of Compton Farms of Louisiana enjoying a Calhoun Sweet watermelon

Deb “Stone Fruit” Freeman and Joshua “Fruit Stand” Fitzwater, journeyed from the Old Dominion state in their horseless carriage to once again endeavor upon the tireless and ere going search for citrullus lanatus. However, in the year of our Lord 2021, another passenger accompanied the pair on their sojourn. Taylor “Double Shot” Shaw, the feminine offspring of Stone Fruit was tasked to chart the unknown path before them.

Crossing unknown terrain from the Carolinas of North and South and the Great Peach State, to the land of Tides that Roll, Ole Miss, and where the good times roll, the trio traversed over 1,000 miles to find the rarest melon of all – the aptly named Red-N-Sweet. Fitz had heard of the legend of the crimson flesh that caused many to seek out the sweetness encased in it’s striped outer rind and grew impatient to possess the storied melon.

(Top to Bottom) Fitz arriving at Compton Farms of LA | Freeman driving | Fitz photographing the Compton family | Fitz driving | Shaw sleeping on the road | Fitz photographing horticulturist Kerry Heafner at Compton Farms

After stopping at taverns across the southern half of the New World to replenish their spirits and stomachs, our weary travelers arrived. Fitz was ecstatic. Deb was hot. Taylor slept.

At long last the Red-N-Sweet was spotted in a field by the Virginians. The guardians of the garden recognized the true spirit of the heirloom hunters and granted permission to take the emerald orb. The precious cargo was guarded for safekeeping for the travel back to the commonwealth. The melon was deemed worthy. Here endeth their quest – until the next elusive melon breaks through the earth.

You’ve heard of the Bradford watermelon, the Moon and Stars watermelon, and the Crimson Sweet, but perhaps the greatest melon of all might be the one you’ve never heard of. It’s the Red-N-Sweet, and it can only be found in North Louisiana. However, that’s about to change because of the dedication of farmers and a horticulturalist who are determined to bring the nearly extinct watermelon to its rightful place as one of the great Southern fruits.

Above: Red-N-Sweet watermelon grown at Belle Haven Kids Farm

The story of the Red-N-Sweet dates back to when the Louisiana State University Agriculture Calhoun Research Center opened in 1888 as a part of the Louisiana State University agricultural system. The town of Calhoun was considered to be ideal as it was the mid-way point on the east-west railroad line between Monroe and Rustin, and at the Calhoun Station, scientists, workers, and researchers studied poultry, livestock, crop rotation, a variety of vegetables, and developed a new watermelon called the Calhoun Sweet.

Above: LSU AgCenter Extension Office watermelon file

The Calhoun Sweet watermelon was created in 1951, and bred because of its resistance to fungus. Many local farmers grew it, but because of its soft rind, it was rarely found outside of north Louisiana. The horticulturalists then paired the Calhoun Sweet and Charleston Gray to create the Calhoun Gray. Ultimately, the Red-N-Sweet emerged from crosses of Calhoun Gray, Summit, Calhoun Sweet, and La Queen cultivars. The last of the Calhoun watermelon varieties, which include the Calhoun Sweet, the Summit, the Calhoun Gray, and the Louisiana Queen, the Red-N-Sweet was released in 1987.

The outside of the melon is striped and has a relatively thin rind, but is ideally named, as it’s vibrant crimson flesh and sugared taste are immediately evident. The melon is so sweet that it routinely measures between twelve and fourteen on the Brix scale, while the average watermelon averages between eight and nine.

Above Clockwise from the Top: Saved Red-N-Sweet watermelon seeds at the LSU AgCenter Extension Office and Heafner holding a Red-N-Sweet at Belle Haven Kids Farm

Unfortunately, the Calhoun Research Center closed in 2011 due to budget cuts, and because of its shut down, many varieties of what was grown there became lost. However, a serendipitous moment happened when horticulturalist Kerry Heafner gave a presentation about heirloom apples at the Marion Garden Club in Union Parish. At the end of the presentation, a woman named Lula Shurtleff told him that she was given some watermelon seeds she thought might have been created at the Calhoun Station.

Above Clockwise from the Top: Red-N-Sweet watermelon weighed at Indian Village Harvest Farm, the closed Calhoun Research Center and Saved Red-N-Sweet watermelon seeds

After visiting Shurtleff’s home to pick up the seeds, she pulled out a cracker tin out of her freezer – inside were bags of seeds. “That got my attention because I had been on the hunt for the Calhoun Sweet. They turned out to be the Red-N-Sweet seeds…there were some okra and cantaloupe seeds, but the watermelon was the real prize,” said Heafner.

Heafner is horticulture’s answer to Indiana Jones – much like the famed archeologist, Heafner is passionate about tracking down elusive treasures. Donned in a button down shirt and khaki shorts, standing in the Louisiana Kitchen Garden at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, he darts throughout the garden, pointing out heirloom okra and yellow creole corn, noting that everything that’s been planted is similar to what a Louisiana garden would have looked like two hundred years ago.

Above: LSU Horticulture Extension Agent Kerry Heafner

“The story of the Red-N-Sweet isn’t just about the watermelon itself, it’s about how food can help tell the stories of people who have come before. Take the Calhoun Sweet or the Red-N-Sweet…finding these things and reintroducing them, you’re not just talking about a fruit, but you’re telling a story of the people who left something there. These varieties that we’re finding have a story to tell,” said Heafner.

Originally from North Carolina and trained as a botanist, Heafner has been the greenhouse manager at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for five years, and has been the associate area agent for the LSU extension office since 2014. “Being an agent is the greatest job in the world,” said Heafner. “No two days are the same. You get to be on TV and write articles for magazines and teach. There’s a chance for things like this, bringing back the Red-N-Sweet…not many people get to do that.”

Above: Calhoun Grey watermelon at the Louisiana Purchase Zoo

After word got out that Heafner was on the hunt for the Calhoun watermelons, growers and farmers began looking into who might have seeds. Eventually, seeds were found for the Calhoun Grey and Calhoun Sweet as well, and were planted at two local farms. Indian Village Harvest Farm grew the Calhoun Sweet and the Red-N-Sweet, and Compton Farms grew the Calhoun Sweet, while the Calhoun Grey was grown for seeds at the Louisiana Purchase Zoo.

Clockwise from the top: Heafner with a cross cut Calhoun Sweet watermelon | Brent Compton | Calhoun Sweet saved seeds | Compton Farms chickens | Calhoun Sweet on the vine | Lissy Compton | Phoebe Compton | Marking ideal traits of Calhoun Sweets at Compton Farms of LA

Compton Farms is run by Brent and Lissy Compton in West Monroe, Louisiana. The Comptons started growing pumpkins in 2018, and moved to their farm in 2019. They typically grow okra, tomatoes, and a variety of greens, and this year they grew about 70 Calhoun Sweets, with approximately 45 watermelons that were exceptional. Compton Farms was an ideal place to grow the Calhoun Sweets, as the Comptons are passionate about organic growing and want their produce to be as natural as possible.

Counter clockwise from the top: Heafner with a cross cut Red-N-Sweet | Red-N-Sweet on the vine | Calhoun Sweet seeds | Rebecca and William Cook | Shane Hofler of Belle Haven Kids Farm | Kids enjoying a Red-N-Sweet at Belle Haven | Saved Red-N-Sweet seeds

Heafner brought 50 Red-N-Sweet plants to William and Rebecca Cook of Indian Village Harvest Farm, who planted them at neighboring Belle Haven Kids Farm. Although William grew up gardening, he married into farming, as his wife grew up on a neigh- boring farm. The pair has been farming since 1997, and Indian Village Harvest Farms has been in operation for four years. The Cooks are also known for making hand made ice cream using some of the fruit they grow, and this year they made a Red-N-Sweet ice cream.

Additionally, they planted two 40 foot rows of Calhoun Sweets for seeds. The Cooks believe that putting your hands on everything they grow versus relying on things that can be purchased is a better way to farm.

Above: Handmade Red-N-Sweet ice cream by Indian Village Harvest Farm

Because of the work of Heafner, farmers, and a woman who came to a presentation about apples, the legacy of the Red-N-Sweet will no longer be a thing of the past. The unique work of scientists and horticulturalists decades ago will live on into new generations, and if one is lucky enough to be in North Louisiana, you’ll be able to taste the sweetest piece of Southern history.

For More on the LSU AgCenter Extension Office, visit: http://www.facebook.com/LSUAgCenterOuachita

For more on Compton Farms of LA, visit:  http://www.facebook.com/comptonfarmsofla

For more on Indian Village Harvest Farm, visit: https://www.facebook.com/Indianvillagehf/