Allison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, wrote in her newsletter about "Honoring The Three Sisters" at our dinner tables. This day after Thanksgiving in November which is National Native American Heritage Month, is a good time to recognize and honor the culture, traditions, and achievements of the original inhabitants of North America.
New Jersey is no different from the rest of the country in having significant Native American history. We are reminded of that by place names in the state, some of the land we visit, and food we eat,
For NJ, it is the first people here, the Lenni-Lenape, who lived here at least 10,000 years ago that started planting using “The Three Sisters” which are corn, beans, and squash. According to the National Agricultural Library, the intercropping method of planting corn, beans, and squash together has been studied and described by scholars of anthropology, history, agriculture, and food for many years. This method involves planting pole beans, squash, and corn together in a mutually-beneficial arrangement. The sturdy corn stalks provide support for the climbing beans, while the squash vines spread out to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Meanwhile, the beans enrich the soil with nutrients, the broad squash leaves offer shade, and the corn adds structure and stability. This traditional companion planting system fosters a harmonious relationship between the three crops, enhancing their growth and supporting a thriving ecosystem of plants and animals.
Mitchell points to Michaeline Picaro and her husband, Chief Vincent Mann, of the Ramapough Munsee Lenape Nation, Turtle Clan who have leased 14 acres of farmland to create The Three Sisters Munsee Medicinal Farm. It serves almost as a charity feeding, nurturing, and healing members of the Turtle Clan.
Many different Native American tribes practiced this traditional gardening technique, which is believed to have originated with the Haudenosaunee (hah-dee-no-shownee) of upstate New York, or "People of the Longhouse." At least 15 different indigenous nations in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada planted The Three Sisters, including the Native American women of New Jersey who were responsible for planting.
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