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My dad's favorite past time is to find a field full of clover
and look for the rare four-leaf clover as a gift for both
my mom and me. He would always find them! I was
amazed. I could look for hours and never come up
with one.
The Shamrock (its name derived from the Celtic word for clover), the unofficial symbol of Ireland and Boston, MA, is the well-known symbol of St. Patrick's Day, here in America. I had an Italian teacher in high school that used to sell buttons on St. Patrick's Day that said, "Kiss me, I'm Italian." I always thought it was most peculiar, as she insisted that St. Patrick was Italian and not Irish. Now I know why she said this. St. Patrick, born in Britain and fathered by a Roman officer, was sent to Ireland in 432 AD as a missionary to convert the masses to Christianity. He supposedly drove the Druids, the Shaman and Magicians of the Celts (otherwise known as the 'snakes') from Ireland. Because no one agrees on what day he died, March 8 or 9, the holiday is celebrated on the 17th- the sum of 8 and 9. From the story of St. Patrick's life, it would be more likely to sell buttons that say, "Kiss me, I'm British." The Shamrock (clover) is quite easy to grow as a houseplant and perfect for planting all over your garden, after the growing season is over, as it creates wonderfully fertile soil for the next season of crops. You can find clover seeds at the following locations: Fourleafclover.co
m
Here you can buy a Shamrock growing kit called, "Good Luck Plant." Localharvest.org You can buy organic "Irish Shamrock Seeds" as well as any other seeds. This is a great location to find a local Community Supported Agricultural Farm near you. Now let's just see how Irish you are: Take the quiz below. The answers are on my website at www.yogabean.net/AnswerstoStPatsQuiz.html 1) If you are out looking for a pot of gold and you come across a Leprechaun with a Shillelagh (pronounced: Sha-lay-lee) that would mean he: Is carrying a big stick · Has a four-leaf clover · Is walking a pot-bellied pig 2) Which of the following animal legends is told about St. Patrick · He chased away rats by playing a flute · He could talk to birds · He drove the snakes out of Ireland 3) Legend has it that if you kiss the Blarney Stone you will: · Have seven years of bad luck · Gain the 'gift to persuasively gab' · Turn green 4) The name Patrick is derived from the latin word for: · The Father of the people · Hunter of snakes · Brilliant Light 5) The expression, Erin Go Braugh means: · Kiss me, I'm Irish · Ireland Forever · Everybodys Irish 6) If you catch a Leprechaun and take your eyes off of him, what happens? · He steals a kiss · He gives you all his gold · He vanishes 7) What is the language of Ireland? · Irish · English · Gaelic 8) In Ireland, what does the color green stand for? · Spring · Hope · Countryside 9) What colors are on the Irish flag? · Green, White, Orange · Blue, Red, White · Green, Red, White 10) What was St. Patrick's name at birth? · Patrick O'Malley · Maewyn Succat · Adam Danan 11) What rock band is NOT from Ireland? · U2 · Green Day · The Cranberries 12) Which American city holds the largest St. Patrick's Day parade · NYC · Chicago · Boston 13) According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is? · 4 · 14 · 24 14) How many estimated three-leaf clovers are there for every single four-leaf clover? · 300 · 5,000 · 10,000 15) Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for? · prosperity · luck · freedom Remember, use the link above to go to my website for answers! Have fun! |
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Dorothy looked at the Good Witch skeptically. But
she wanted very much to go home. So she put on the
silver shoes, clicked her heels three times, and
repeated-
A certain yoga teacher in India, with extensive training in yoga therapy, helps his students resolve various medical problems through a dedicated, highly intensive practice of yoga asanas (physical postures) 5-6 hours daily, six days a week. In 2-3 months, many therapeutic benefits become evident, certain medical conditions may be reversed, and some medications may be discontinued. After this initial period of intensive guidance, only a shorter one-hour daily self- practice need be continued to maintain the benefits of the yoga therapy. This yoga teacher signals to his students when their therapy period has been sufficient, and they no longer need to continue yoga therapy under his guidance, or when their medication is no longer necessary. To these congratulatory words, he adds- "But- only quit the intensive therapy (or medication) when you feel full trust that it will work. If you feel any doubt or fear that it will not succeed, then continue the therapy/medication until you trust fully- otherwise it will not work!" The effect of these words is, for the most part, devastating. A rush of skepticism, doubt, and disappointment floods over the yoga student, who had thought he was already cured by virtue of the good two or three months devoted to this practice, and the teacher's confident assurances that the asanas WORK. “Now the teacher says it all hinges on his TRUST?! He didn’t say that at the beginning! How can something REAL depend on BELIEF?! It must be bogus after all.” The teacher's words provoke a 'short circuit' in the logic of his Western yoga students, who have come to him for a very concrete medical therapy based on personalized series of physical postures, each having varied therapeutic effects. Practiced extensively and regularly, and under competent guidance, yoga therapy can over time have substantial effects, often backed up by medical tests. It is almost impossible not to be overwhelmingly impressed by the very tangible effects of an intensive yoga practice if enough time is dedicated. Yet suddenly the teacher says that it will not work at all if the student still has doubts or fears. We are taught early-on that 'real' is only that which can be observed neutrally. Something that exists 'because I believe in it' is on par with that imaginary friend and the monster under the bed- long ago banished as heresy. And so a mental struggle ensues. The warning to have 'full trust' sets off heresy alarms, and long- forgotten ridicule at having an imaginary friend or foe is remembered. The mind reacts immediately- "I've been tricked- the yoga therapy is imaginary!" And yet, having already personally experienced some beneficial effects of the yoga training, the student realizes, despite this unnerving 'call to faith', that he does have in fact a very real belief in the yoga therapy and in his teacher. Against his logical rationale, he decides to obey his teacher's last caution by mustering up the required 'full trust'. With the words "You no longer need to continue yoga therapy, but" seemingly signifying the end of therapy, the teacher is in fact moving the therapy into its most important stage, the one where the student becomes responsible for his cure. Until this point, the student needed only put in the hours and perform the asanas, leaving the responsibility up to the teacher. Now he is told his yoga therapy results lie entirely in his own hands, or rather, in fact, in his mind! The teacher is asking the student to investigate his mind and feelings and become responsible for his emotions. He doesn’t want the student to follow yoga therapy passively, without committing himself, but to choose consciously to believe in the therapy practice, his teacher, and himself, only after a deep analysis of his mind and his doubts. With the ability to analyze one's own mind and emotions, feelings become conscious choices rather than fluctuating states, like rain or clouds, over which we have no control. Even faith, often viewed either as something mythical and imaginary, or as something showered upon us from heaven, is in fact simply a conscious choice of the mind to believe, to trust, or simply to be happy. But what is faith? It is a mental quality, or better, a mental transformation allowing the mind to overcome its skeptical qualities of doubt and mistrust. As such, it is the 'gateway' emotion to the inner sanctums of all religions, where belief is the criteria for entry, allowing one to see that which is hidden to others. 'Faith', from the Latin root 'fides'- trust- is defined as a "confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing."(American Heritage Dictionary, from www.dictionary.com) As a quality, it is fairly easy to define. But as a mental state leading to bliss and rapture, it is not so easy to experience. A moment of real 'faith' involves a temporary suspension of all doubts, skepticism and worries, at least momentarily. For this reason, it is one of the five base mental components required in Buddhist psychological analysis for entering any one-pointed concentration level or blissful state. Faith is that acceptance allowing us bliss and rapture, it is that trust allowing us love and happiness. It is the trust that the world will not collapse or shut down while we let go of our worries and doubts at least momentarily. It is a trust in something, or somebody, or in ourselves, in something concrete or in something abstract, which brings us at least for one moment into positive thinking. The link of faith to happiness, one used by all religions and spiritual paths, is a cornerstone of Buddhist psychology. Minute and detailed step-by-step instructions typical to Buddhist meditation theory are given as to how to instill the mental quality of faith within oneself (with strong cautions to avoid blind faith, by balancing faith with discrimination) in order to reach minimum concentration level or blissful rapture. 'Faith', in Buddhist theory, is a mental tool chosen and developed consciously and used with discrimination, in order to concentrate the mind for deeper insight and mental bliss. It is considered a scientific component of the mental states of concentration and bliss. In the majority of Eastern cultures, faith is a quality that still comes naturally, often overflowing outside the defined limits of religion and culture. To be asked to 'have faith' is not an insult but an honor; to have faith in a total stranger based on no reason whatsoever is a spiritual practice. How many times, in a small shop in the East, when there is no change to be had around, the simple shopkeeper insists we take the merchandise and our large bill, and bring him the correct change the next day, when as tourists, he has no reason to assume we will come back? Why does he always refuse to keep the large bill himself, and give us back the change the next day? By insisting that we take the goods and our money and come back next day, he chooses to have faith in us, taking a highly honorable position. Whether we come back with the change the next day or not is secondary to this shopkeeper; the act of having faith is primary- whether we deserve his trust or not, this is not his concern. When of course we do return the next day, having entered into a pact of honor, the shopkeeper accepts the money with a silent nod, hardly glancing at us. There is no small talk in the games of faith- it is a tournament of knights. These silent old shopkeepers are of the highest order- they will never be convinced to keep the large bill and give us change the next day, though we try. They are, verily, the Holders of the Faith. While having faith is an honor for the secret knights of tiny shops and other surreal places where all small change for miles has mysteriously disappeared, to much of the Indian population it is also a well-known natural high. Who needs alcohol or drugs when the mind can create rapture? This ancient and mysterious technique has not yet been lost but is in fact fully thriving. Weekends, whole families pack into crowded vans to visit temples, where they pray and make offerings. It hardly matters who hears or answers these prayers; the best and most-overlooked benefit is the bliss and well-being that arises just by succumbing to this feeling of faith. In India, where the value of bliss is well-recognized, and the feeling of faith fully enjoyed, there is nothing wrong with grabbing any opportunity to be faithful. In Andra Pradesh, on the eastern coast of India, pilgrims of all religions come from all over India to pray to a statue of the Lady of Lourdes, 'Mary Mata' (Mother Mary) which was installed in 1923 in a small cave in Vijayawada by an Italian missionary. Masses of devotees come to heal their sick, shave their heads in sacrifice, break coconuts, and offer precious metals of gold and silver. Discourses given at the shrine quote from the scriptures of all the religions, to cater to all those that come for blessing. In a country where a good majority live on a constant faith 'kick', no one sees anything extraordinary in blurring the lines of faith. Faith here is not a rigid doctrine, but a joyous state of mind open to all. In the same area of Andra Pradesh, a practicing Moslem man has become the 'pujaree'- Hindu ritual priest- of a Hindu shrine. The man, a shepherd, happened to find an old statue of a Hindu goddess deity on the mountainside, and brought it to the village. When a priest started making daily 'puja'- ritual worship- of the statue, the shepherd, attending everyday, learned the chants and ritual worship, and eventually became himself the shrine's pujaree, while remaining at the same time a devout Moslem. In the West we may laugh at the festival of faith that is India, we may dismiss faith as irrelevant and non- existent, yet in doing this, we miss out as well on its magic. Perhaps if we just allow a little 'faith' into our lives- does not matter so much in what- we might discover that, all this time, there was in fact something 'more'! It need not be 'old Church' faith, or 'new age' faith, simply, anything positive. It may take practice, but with time, a good ol' bout of 'good faith' can give more de-stress relief than an expensive spa or massage. It is the old (ancient) ‘BYOB’- Bring Your Own Bliss- just 'have some faith.’ Faith is a window that we open, to let something in, a hand we give to somebody. It need not be deserved, but may be given freely and unconditionally. It is less important who receives it, than who gives it. |
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March, the month when adults and children start
getting spring fever. Here in America we want March
to be over so that April can come in and fill our hearts
with warmth and sun- hence the saying, “March- in like
a lion, out like a lamb.” Our winter depression lifts,
projects around the house seem ‘doable,’ your kids
and husband or wife don’t seem as annoying-after
being locked in all winter with them, and you feel as
though you suddenly have more energy. Well, at least
it seems your kids do! And they will be outside, as
soon as possible, playing on their swing set and
playground.
Are you sure that the playground or swing set in your backyard is a healthy place for your children to play? Why shouldn’t it be, right? Well it seems as though many of the wooden swing sets that you can buy are treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). They use this compound, essentially arsenic, to help preserve the wood of these playgrounds so they will resist weathering. And you wont just find this preservative in your kid’s playground but in the wood of your deck, picnic tables, and possibly the borders of your garden! In 1995 alone, approximately 500 million cubic feet of CCA treated lumber was sold in the US. In liquid form, CCA is a pesticide that is considered toxic to humans. This arsenic can pose severe health risks to adults, but especially children. Some of these health risks include; lung, bladder and skin cancers, lower levels of exposure can cause nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, and decreased production of white and red blood cells. Children have a higher risk of health problems, when in contact with this carcinogen, because they frequently have hand to mouth contact and thinner skin. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research organization, has stated that an average health 5 year old playing less then two weeks on a CCA treated wood playground can exceed the lifetime cancer risk for arsenic. Other studies have shown that the soil around the wood that touches the ground has arsenic levels that are 10 times higher than the safety standards of soil. CCA also poses a threat to pets and wildlife that are roaming around the arsenic ridden soil. Even if you take down the CCA treated playground, your soil can hold significant amounts of arsenic, possibly for a few years. If there is a water area near by a playground or where one used to be, the water may also be contaminated. But there is hope! There always is. Many companies offer environmentally safe alternatives that use playground building materials such as; rot-resistant cedar or redwood, recycled plastic, and metal or composite materials (composite materials have become very popular to use for decks). If you decide to reinvest in a healthier playground for your kids, then remove the old CCA preserved playground with gloves and handle it as a hazardous waste. Do not burn the set or saw, sand and reuse it for another project. Do not leave it in your garage until garbage day, either take it to the local waste management office or leave it on a cemented area until the garbage comes. If you don’t have the money to buy a new and healthier playground, to replace the old one that more than likely has CCA as a preservative, then there is an alternative. The Children’s Environmental Health Network recommends that you apply a water-based sealant or latex paint to the playground, every Spring, to provide a barrier between your child and the carcinogen. And consider changing parts of the set, such as handrails, that are frequently handled by your child. Regarding soil contamination, there are several kits that are sold that will test arsenic levels in the soil. Try your local hardware store for testing kits or use this link and buy a kit online: http://www.ewg.org/reports/poisonwoodri vals/orderform.php . Below is a list of companies that offer playground alternatives to CCA treated wood sets. Please note that these alternatives are more expensive than the unhealthy option, but isn’t everything when you are trying to be healthier! This company is wonderful. You will be jealous you are not a kid after seeing this site! Cedarworks Play Sets Chemical free, rot-resistant white cedar www.cedarworks.c om 800-Go-Cedar This company even gives you the amount of, let’s say, milk jugs that were recycled to make the set! So much fun. PlayMark Playgrounds Recycled plastic www.playmart.com 800-437-5297 There are many reports on the internet that debunk this idea that arsenic treated wood for playgrounds, decks, and other outdoor products is not strong enough, even over time, to get anyone sick. So why are most manufacturers of outdoor wood products no longer using CCA to preserve the wood? I think the best thing to do is test the soil for higher arsenic levels around the playground and also in another part of the yard that wouldn’t be contaminated. Then you will have your answer. |
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CABBAGE –Green, Red, Savoy: (Brassica
Oleracea) –
Cabbage originated in northern Europe and now it is eaten in almost every country around the world. Fermented cabbage dishes; like sauerkraut in northern Europe and Kim Chee in Korea, are forms of food preservation that nourished humanity for centuries. Cabbage is one of the oldest cultivated veggies around and one of the most versatile. Did you know that broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi are all cabbages? And did you know that Chinese cabbage is not in the cabbage family at all? Any leaves with curling veins can be persuaded to form heads, which produces a cabbage head such as milan, savoy, bell and similar varieties. The dense core of the cabbage is called the babchka. Medicinal Uses: Osteoporosis: Cabbage has only 15 calories per one cup serving (cooked), composed of 90% water and holds a significant quantity of vitamins and minerals. Boron, an element in cabbage, helps raise estrogen levels in the blood, helping to prevent osteoporosis. Cabbage ranks highest in Boron. Morning Sickness & Stomach Distress: Raw or cooked cabbage or sauerkraut are old-time remedies for stomach distress and overactive intestines that contribute to morning sickness. Ulcers: Cabbage contains considerable amounts of two compounds with anti-ulcer activity; glutamine and s- methyl-methionine. Heinerman, J. (1995). New Encyclopedia of Fruits and Vegetables. Paramus, NJ: Parker Publishing Comp.<br> Castleman, M. (2002). The New Healing Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press. RECIPES:
Here is a recipe from Epicurious.com that was rated: 95% of 114 people would make this recipe again! Not bad. Corned Beef & Cabbage for St. Pat’s Day 5 pounds corned brisket of beef 6 peppercorns, or packaged pickling spices 3 carrots, peeled and quartered 3 onions, peeled and quartered 1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges Melted butter (about 4 tablespoons) Place the corned beef in water to cover with the peppercorns or mixed pickling spices (in supermarkets, these often come packaged with the corned beef). Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add the carrots and onions and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and brush the vegetables with the melted butter. Serve with boiled parsley potatoes, cooked separately. (The stock can be saved to add to a pot roast or stew instead of other liquid.) Serves 6, with meat left over for additional meals. * My family are not big meat eaters, so my mom loved to prepare spinach pasta with carrots for St. Pat’s Day. She would always talk about the beautiful green color of the pasta and how “apropos” it was for that holiday! Her non-cabbage, but holiday related, recipe is below. Mom’s Vegetarian St. Pat’s 2 or 3 large carrots, sliced Spinach (green) Pasta Garlic, as much as you can stand. haha Olive Oil- to cover the bottom of the frying pan. Fresh Basil Salt and pepper to taste While the pasta is cooking, sauté carrots, garlic, and basil in olive oil. When carrots are tender, drop the cooked and strained pasta into the carrot mixture. After the mixture coats the pasta, turn off heat, add salt and pepper and serve. Hint: Never rinse pasta if you want the sauce to coat it. As soon as you rinse pasta, the ‘glue’ or starch, on the outside of each piece of pasta that holds the sauce to it, is washed away. * I have my own favorite cabbage recipe that is good any time of year. It takes a little preparing but it is delicious. Day Old Cabbage Pasta! 1 medium size green cabbage head Salt Garlic (probably about 3 or 4 cloves) Olive Oil ¼ stick of butter (I use “Soy Garden” butter actually and it tastes great) Linguini or regular spaghetti Slice entire cabbage head into long, thin slices. In a bowl, throw a layer of sliced cabbage down, salt, another layer of cabbage, salt, etc. until you run out of cabbage, then salt one last time on top. Cover the bowl with a paper towel or a clean drying cloth and refrigerate overnight. The next day the cabbage should be half as high up in the bowl as it was the prior day. The salt makes it shrink. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly. Sauté garlic in butter and olive oil. Add the cabbage and cook down only until the cabbage is soft. Cook pasta. Mix the cabbage and all liquid from the pan into the cooked pasta and serve warm. If you have any great recipes with your favorite foods, please send them to me and I will include them in this section of an upcoming issue. Just email me at tina@yogabean.net. Thanks! |
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Have you been wondering what the heck the difference
is between “free range” and “cage free” or “organic”
vs. “wild”? Well, you are not alone. I came across a
bunch of information that spells it all out for us, in
green and white (haha- bad joke). Eco-labeling can
be very confusing. There are three ways that eco-
labels are categorized.
A label can be: 1) (DR) defined and regulated/verified claim 2) (DU) defined but unregulated/unverified claim 3) (UU) undefined and unregulated claim I have selected some of the most widely used eco- labels on products and defined what they mean to us. I have also listed what category, from above, they fall under. They are all listed below. I hope you find this helpful. · Cage Free: Guarantees that chickens were not restrained in cages, but it does not guarantee that they spent any time outdoors. DU · Free Farmed: administered by the American Humane Association and testifies that dairy cows, chickens, cattle and hogs are raised humanely and under healthy living conditions. DR · Free Range, Free Roaming, or Pasture Raised (for beef and pork): Cattle that have continuous and unconfined access to a pasture throughout their life cycle, and swine have continuous access to a pasture for at least 80% of their production cycle. (Pending) · Free Range (for poultry): The chickens are allowed free access to the outdoors for a “significant portion” of each day. Significant portion is undefined! DU · Grass Fed: Applies to an animal that receives at least 80% of their primary energy source from grass or green or range pasture. (Pending) · Natural (only when applied to meat or poultry- otherwise it is meaningless): Containing no artificial ingredients or added color and minimally processed. DU · No Antibiotics Used or Raised Without Antibiotics (meat and poultry products): Animals were raised without antibiotics. DU · No Hormones (beef only): Have not received supplemental hormones, from birth to harvest. UU · Organic: Food produced or grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers, synthetic hormones, antibiotics, sewage sludge, GMOs or irradiation. “100% Organic” means all product ingredients are organic, “organic” means that 95% of the ingredients are organically grown. “Made with organic ingredients” means at least 70% of the ingredients are organically grown. “USDA organic” means accredited by the USDA –meeting all standards of organic. DR · Sustainable Fishery: One that has not depleted or harvested in ways that harm the ocean ecosystem. This is a very strictly enforced label, with very few fisheries making the grade. You can print a “seafood wallet card” that will help you pick the seafood, to eat, that is better for sustaining the ecosystem of the ocean. You can find the card at www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp . DR · Wild-Caught: This usually only pertains to Salmon. Wild or Wild-caught is not recognized by the USDA. Here’s the trick. Salmon farms aren’t allowed in Alaska, so the label reads Alaskan Wild Salmon, you can be sure it is caught from the waters of Alaska, in the wild, which makes it a very healthy fish to eat. Take a good look at the labels on all of these healthy products. You will now know what all of this labeling means. Have fun. |
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The Three Sisters
Spring is on its way. In fact, the “official” first day of spring, the spring equinox, is March 21. If you are like me and the arrival of spring announces to you the much anticipated start of the growing season, here’s an idea to try this year: plant a “three sisters” garden. The Three Sisters of the Iroquois and other Native American tribes are corn, beans and squash. They grow best when grown together and collectively they formed the main food supply of many peoples. Due to their importance in the diet, they also came to be important spiritually and are the subject of many stories. The following is one such story from the Bird Clan of the Cherokee (http://w ww.birdclan.org/threesisters.htm): The term “Three Sisters” emerged from the Iroquois creation myth. It was said that the earth began when “Sky Woman” who lived in the upper world peered through a hole in the sky and fell through to an endless sea. The animals saw her coming, so they took the soil from the bottom of the sea and spread it onto the back of a giant turtle to provide a safe place for her to land. This “Turtle Island” is now what we call North America. Sky woman had become pregnant before she fell. When she landed, she gave birth to a daughter. When the daughter grew into a young woman, she also became pregnant (by the West wind). She died while giving birth to twin boys. Sky Woman buried her daughter in the “new earth.” From her grave grew three sacred plants—corn, beans, and squash. These plants provided food for her sons, and later, for all of humanity. These special gifts ensured the survival of the Iroquois people. The Three Sisters are an example of a complementary plant community, where each member occupies its own niche and together the plants grow better than they would individually. Squash acts as a groundcover. Its broad leaves and scrambling nature shade the ground helping to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture and the prickly hairs that cover its stems and leaves help to discourage pests. Corn rises high above the squash vine, but needs very fertile soil to grow successfully. Beans, like all legumes, are nitrogen-fixers (plants that “fix” atmospheric nitrogen and store it in special nodes in their roots where it is gradually released into the soil as the plant decays). Corn provides support for the bean vine and the bean plant helps provide fertile soil for the corn. The Three Sisters are also nutritionally complementary. Corn is an important source of carbohydrates. Dried beans are a valuable source of protein. Squash fruits provide a number of vitamins and the seeds can also be made into delicious oil. Both corn and beans, when dried properly, can be kept for many months. Winter squashes (which include pumpkins) also keep well. Finally, the parts of the plants that have no value to people can be turned back into the soil to compost and support next year’s crops. A quick search of the web will provide a number of websites with directions to help you plant your own Three Sisters Garden. (http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.ht ml, http://www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas /projects/March02/mar02-pg1.htm, & http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/t each/2003045238014436.html are three good ones.) Although the exact directions are different, there are a number of consistencies. First, your garden should be at least 10’ by 10’ to allow for adequate cross-pollination of the corn. Second, the seeds are planted in mounds, or “hills”, and soil is further hilled against the new corn plants. This provides good drainage for all the plants and gives the corn deeper roots. Third, the corn is planted first and allowed to get some height before the squash and beans are planted. If the three were to be planted at the same time, the squash and beans would quickly overwhelm the baby corn plants. Remember to fertilize your garden well with compost the first year as corn is a heavy feeder and the beans won’t have fixed any nitrogen yet. Happy gardening! Bryn Richard is a licensed landscape architect with a strong interest in sustainable design. She can be reached at Bryn@BlueTrillium.net and welcomes your questions and suggestions for further articles. |
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Don't forget, please send this to your friends and family so that everyone can be a part of the Yoga Bean family. Talk to you next month!
Sincerely,
Tina LeMar
Yoga Bean
email:
tina@yogabean.net
phone:
610.805.6724
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