Three Sisters Stew for a Vegetarian Feast

The Three Sisters is a farming technique wherein winter squash, corn, and climbing beans are planted in a mound to develop symbiotically. This trio of staple crops has been used collectively by many Native American tribes all through historical past. (Picture: John S. Quarterman, Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

The Three Sisters are a trio of staple crops which have performed an integral function in lots of Native American tribes all through historical past. Corn, beans and squash develop collectively in a symbiotic farming relationship. Chef Stephen Looney talks with host Steve Curwood concerning the historical past and significance of those crops and suggests some recipes from his personal Chickasaw heritage.

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DOERING: We’re again with our Reside Off the Land Thanksgiving particular, I am Jenny Doering.

CURWOOD: And I am Steve Curwood.

Effectively, in order for you a vegetarian or vegan possibility for Thanksgiving or need one thing that goes past all of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, we have you coated. Three Sisters Stew is a Native American dish impressed by the Three Sisters of corn, squash, and beans historically grown collectively. Becoming a member of us now’s Chef Stephen Looney from Aaimpa Cafe on the Chickasaw Cultural Heart in Sulfur, Oklahoma. Chef Steven, welcome to Residing Off the Land!

Lonnie: Thanks for having me, Stephen. It is nice to be right here.

CURWOOD: After I was a child, I went to farm and wilderness camps the place they taught us agriculture by ramming the bottom and placing corn seeds in it after which placing bean seeds and squash seeds and making them develop collectively. We have been advised that this was a standard Native American manner of rising meals. They name it one thing just like the Three Sisters. So how are these three crops grown collectively, Chef Stephen?

Lonnie: Historically, the Three Sisters are a symbiotic farming system. So what’s going to occur is that when the corn grows, it supplies a stalk for the beans to trellis and offers them roots to allow them to proceed to develop. The beans will then present nitrogen to the squash and corn soil. So every plant helps the opposite plant develop and supplies it with vitamins that the opposite plant could receive because of its lack within the soil. In order that they help one another like a household would.

CURWOOD: So it is colder now. I believed it could be enjoyable in case you may inform me what soup I may make?

An inventive illustration of the Three Sisters’ cultivation technique. (Picture: Jarlan Miles, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lonnie: Positive. So one of the crucial superb issues concerning the Three Sisters is corn, now we have one thing known as pashova. The pashova is a white pearl that has been dried. So, I wish to take pashova, and slow-cook it for about 16 hours with pork, often pork butt. After which often over the last hour and a half of the cooking course of, I will typically add black beans and yellow squash, however I actually like including butternut squash to it as a result of it holds up loads higher. So you might have a very intense corn flavour, balanced by the fats and saltiness of the pork. Then you might have the sweetness of the butternut squash in there. And then you definately get these good little hits of beans, and it is a very complicated and deep dish as a result of you realize one thing that solely you realize, corn, beans and squash.

CURWOOD: Effectively, Chef Stephen, how a few easy vegetable stew with the Three Sisters?

Lonnie: Oh, positive, positive. You may take all these very same issues. As a substitute of utilizing pork, you may add spinach to it, and you may add cabbage to it. For those who’re match sufficient, you may add wild greens like poke there, or ramps to it. These are all issues that may very well be obtained in Oklahoma or within the homelands that the tribe would definitely have used, eaten, and consumed.

CURWOOD: So, Chef Stephen, let me ask you what is a easy recipe that begins with corn kernels, say one thing vegetarian?

Lonnie: You may eat corn potash, which is a kind of corn soup. You may solely eat recent corn or canned corn in order for you. Whether it is canned, it is best to drain it and take away all the surplus water. And you may merely fry this in a inventory pot with some onions and garlic. Add some vegetable base to it or some plain water after which cut back the warmth. After it begins boiling, you may add onions and carrots, and you may add peppers, onions and potatoes. Then, as soon as they’ve cooked for just a few hours on low, take away about half of them and mash them till they’ve their very own cream. This manner you do not even have so as to add cream to the soup. The greens themselves primarily turned their very own sauce.

The Three Sisters rising technique has been adopted by many house gardeners, who typically incorporate their different harvested produce into recipes that use the Three Sisters as a base. (Picture: Margaret, Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)

CURWOOD: Mm, excellent. In fact, initially, these three meals have been grown collectively. However these days, most individuals will discover them within the produce part of a grocery retailer. What recommendation do you might have for anybody eager to adapt conventional recipes to right this moment’s kitchen?

Lonnie: You understand, it is humorous, after I was rising up, I wasn’t linked to my Chickasaw heritage as a lot as I’m now. To me, it’s extremely stunning to be taught what number of meals are literally native meals. So, you realize, all of our historical past is oral. So it is not like with French historical past, I can go get a sixteenth century cookbook and I can discover out what King Louis XV ate, or what Marie Antoinette ate. Sadly, my folks, we solely alternate issues verbally. So a variety of it’s simply primarily based on pure creativeness. Now, in case you actually wish to strive the meals that the tribe was consuming, you realize, you could not use clearly processed meals, you realize, you could not use, you realize, all types of extracted oils like olive oil, palm seed oil, issues like that . You should use lard, you realize, when you have entry to that, you need to use it. However a variety of meals can be thought-about what a humble particular person would say, proper? They did not essentially have particular knives or particular cooking tools, you realize, they might smoke stuff, boil it, dry it, treatment issues like that. So a variety of what they ate is what some would say rustic, some would say humble. Somebody would possibly say one thing easy, however that is the type of meals my folks eat.

CURWOOD: Stephen Looney is the chef at Aaimpa Cafe on the Chickasaw Cultural Heart there in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Stephen, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us right this moment. I will strive a few of these in my very own kitchen.

Lonnie: Effectively, I respect your time, Steven. It was a pleasure to have the ability to communicate with you right this moment.

Notice: Chef Steven’s statements mirror his private views. He didn’t communicate on behalf of the Chickasaw Cultural Heart or the Chickasaw Nation.

Hyperlinks

Learn extra concerning the Three Sisters of the First Nations Institute of Expertise