1st Sister

August 27, 2024

Since I confessed my cantaloupe (Cucumis melo, honey melon variety) and cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) have been overrun with squash bugs, I may as well begin a final report on the 3 Sisters (i.e., corn, beans, and squash).  I was excited when I put the four mounds of 3 Sisters along the back bed of our house.  Melissa supervised as I moved some of the flower bulbs that had been transplanted from her grandmother’s flower beds by her mom so they would not be overwhelmed by the new mounds.  I cleared the tangled mess of ground cover and laid down a 4 inch (20cm) layer of compost and an additional 1 inch (2.5 cm) of garden soil I had purchased in bulk.  I planted 7 corn seeds in the center of each of the 4 hills.  Even though I had presoaked the seed as suggested, only a total of 7 seeds sprouted.  I replanted the corn knowing this would throw the timing off for planting the other sisters, but it felt good to know the 1st sister was in the ground.

When I looked online, I found the Iroquois had planted maize/corn (Zea mays) for grinding as their 1st sister.  I chose another variation known as sweet corn (Z. mays var. rugosa), sugar corn, or pole corn.  This variety is grown for human consumption with a high sugar content.  Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel.  The secret to a good sweet corn, is to pick it when it is still immature (milk stage) and can be prepared and eaten as a vegetable.  Field corn is grown for consumption by livestock and is harvested when the kernels are dry and mature (dent stage).  Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.

My problems continued with the 1st sister in July when most of the corn stalks suffered from leaning.  This is usually caused by high winds that topple the stalks.  While they are “said” to re-right on their own, mine never did and I ended up staking them to provide support.  I could tell the ears were maturing on the stalks, but they were also being obscured by the voracious leaves of the Kentucky pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) which they were designed to support.  I finally picked one of the small ears to see if they were ripe.  Unfortunately, I had allowed them to mature too long on the stalk and they were beginning to dry out.  I went ahead and picked them, and the result was only 15 ears of corn from all of my stalks.  When I shucked the husks, I saw the ears had not completely filled out.  Even that would have been enough for a meal or two for Melissa and me, if it had not become tough and starchy.  If I had been relying on this corn for subsistence, I would have ground the kernels into meal.  Since I am not near to that point yet, it will become bird seed.  If I plant corn next year I will use a fresh pack of seed.       

THOUGHTS:  I was disappointed with the harvest of this year’s 1st sister.  I had been dreaming of ears of sweet corn that I could eat and share with friends and neighbors.  I had put many hours into the preparation and care of the beds.  I had protected them from Loki (fence), nature (leaning), and the heat (daily water).  Once again, I learned (hopefully) the lesson of hard knocks.  I still have expectations of the other 2 sisters coming to maturity.  Hope is defined as” an optimistic state of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large”.  While there are times when events seem (or are) against you, there are always ways to alter the circumstances to try and produce a positive result.  I could have ground the corn into a meal.  The outcomes often rely on your attitude and willingness to persevere in order to succeed.  Humans are a world community and as such we can overcome the challenges before us, when we act together.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.