Blazing Light, Love's Song

The Mountain Spinach (orache) is in that wonderful phase of its life where, established by eeking out its ground, it is spreading large delicious leaves and secondary shoots. For would-be eaters, the large leaves are sumptuous food; and, thoughtfully picked, make room for the secondary shoots to mature.

At this time of the season, its a conversation with each plant about respectable harvest – just enough for that day – plus thinning of smaller plants when helpful. The Orache tends to grow in sets of 2-4 plants from windblown seeds of 6 ft. parent plants from previous Fall. They spread and are welcome to do so in my garden. All manner of Beings partake of the Mountain Spinach: larvae-catapillars too small to see but whose presence is declared by munched leaves, pollinators when it flowers – which each secondary shoot heralds, finches who tear off leaf sections, and myself. I rotate the daily gathering of greens by meandering through the garden each morning. The options are chard, collards, kale, hon tsai tai, and yukina, plus mountain spinach. Oh, and for a few weeks, calite (lambsquarters). YUM! Eggs, a newly concocted bean soup, tacos, or thrown into a smoothie: Yum again. Not to mention high in fiber, Vitamin A, C, E, and folates. This morning’s gathering was destined for an egg dish and then for tacos for supper.

In Braiding Sweetgrass, the Honorable Harvest is described. My heart sang with knowing this way of being with the plants and their gifting: only take what is given, never take more than needed, honor each plant-donor, respect their ways of Being. By rotating and meandering through the garden for daily yummies, no one plant is over picked, and all plants that can go to seed are encouraged to do so. The variety of other recipients of the Plant’s gifting are left with plenty for their well-being. The result: mutual excellence and well-being! The Wisdom of the Elders is great wisdom; all beings thrive, all systems of life are nourished and honored, and no greedy taking for taking sake.

Is your garden the by-product of listening? No doubt, yes, for many of you/us. I have often thought when watching a documentary or YouTube on regenerative-permaculture-biodynamic-Natural processes that, in addition to whatever right brain skills and know-how someone has brought, that it is those who listen who support and induce the most success. This morning I was planting out the Three Sister seeds which had been soaked together overnight. Right brain knows how the sun tracks across the garden and what food crops would benefit from the shading that the growing corn would provide, but it was left brain listening that determined where the Three Sisters of corn, climbing bean, and squash would go. All beings above, below, and around the newly seeded locations cheered.

I had been out for almost two hours. Early morning sun was giving ‘way to mid-morning intensity, so this body was making the labored march back to the house. The soil in a specific part of a raised bed called out “Here.” “Really?” I questioned. The “yes” was unequivocal. “Alright. Happy to listen.”

When my body weakens (MS), it is total body all at once. Nothing can be done about it except get to cooler and shaded before the legs cannot move at all. Yet, the call was undeniable and right response necessary. As I brushed away leaf mulch to pull away the soft soil with my fingers, my heart-mind heard “only Corn”. “Okay then! So it is.” As the seeds were placed and covered, I wondered if the garden wants to display both planting methods: Three Sisters together and corn by itself. Each season the calabasa (squash) and climbing beans have done well, but I have yet to put Corn in the garden. But, yesterday I stopped at an Amish plant shop and they had their Corn seeds. This is the year, then!

The Native Peoples of North and Central America have planted the Three Sisters together since forever. The gift of the seeds from three women who saw the People starving is common across Native lore and wisdom. In the stories, the women inhabited the color of their Gift: yellow for corn, green for bean (the vine and leaves), and orange for the majority of winter squash and pumpkins. The wisdom-stories tell the People to plant them together, that Corn will pioneer, Bean will follow up Corn’s trail, and that Squash will shade the soil and nutrient-giving Beings under the surface so that all three will be bountiful. Then the People will have food even if little or no game or fish is honorably procured.

Here is a fun and informative short video: The Three Sisters, Companion Planting of the North American Indigenous Peoples

https://youtu.be/UeGRftRk0Uc?si=QK55goBFlsE8gftU