Three Sisters Stew

 

The three are corn, beans, and squash.  The Native Americans taught us to plant the three sisters together.  They help each other like we people should do. The corn is a straight stalk.  The bean vine will wrap around the corn stalk.  This makes the corn stronger and the beans have support to grow upon.  The squash with its broad leaves covers the ground and hampers the weeds.  

This recipe uses corn, beans, and squash, plus carrots and spices.  It is vegetarian and delicious.

The Three Sisters: 

A Stew of Beans, Corn, and Squash By Chef Traci Barr, JustFaith Grad, and Facilitator.
Of all the recipes, why does this humble one matter to me so much? Because it metaphorically represents the most important aspect of what I’ve learned during my JustFaith experience. First recognized by the inherent wisdom of indigenous North Americans, the Three Sisters is a quintessential example of “companion planting”—a perfect agricultural (and nutritional!) synergy. Considered sacred, this symbiotic technique is even represented on the reverse side of the very first Native American U.S. dollar coin.

 As the Three Sisters story goes, beans are planted right next to corn, whose tall stalks create a natural “trellis” for their upward-climbing vines. In return, the bean plants capture nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil through their roots, replacing what the corn plants naturally take from the Earth. With their large, prickly, and low-to-the-ground leaves, squashes make for edible ground cover, keeping away weeds and insects—and also providing shade for the roots of the corn and beans. Even tenacious critters like hungry raccoons stay away from the vexing leaves of a squash plant. In turn, the corn grows taller, which helps the bean plants produce an even greater yield. And, of course, more people eventually get fed at the dinner table—the best possible outcome. But … the real lesson? We are all connected. Even when we are as “different” from each other as are corn, beans, and squash. We can do so much more when we work together. Our lives are enriched when we intentionally engage with—or purposefully plant ourselves next to— people who experience the world in an entirely different way. There is no “us” or “them”—unless we choose to label and think of ourselves as so. In this context, the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

Just like a really good stew! The Three Sisters Stew

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions,
diced 2 large carrots,
diced 2 large celery stalks,
diced 2 bay leaves
4 large garlic cloves,
minced 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cups cooked pinto beans (canned, drained, rinsed beans are fine)
1 quart vegetable stock (you might not need it all)
 2 cups corn kernels (freshly cut from the cob is best, but frozen is fine, too)
½ cup rough chopped parsley, if desired, to garnish 

Instructions
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large Dutch-oven style pot. Add diced onions, carrots and celery. Sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables have started to get tender and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add bay leaves, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and minced rosemary. Sauté until garlic is very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add butternut squash chunks, pinto beans, and half the vegetable stock to the pot. Stir everything together. Add more stock at this point if you think it’s necessary — but remember that the squash will release a bit of liquid as it cooks. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes (longer if chunks are bigger).Add stock if necessary, to maintain stew-like consistency. Add corn to pot and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and remove bay leaves. Season with additional kosher salt and black pepper, if desired. Garnish with chopped parsley.