Squash are not known being team players in the garden, but are we giving them a fair chance? Squash will grow out and over everything in it’s path, but if you plant other vegetables at the base of your squash you solve many things at once, let me explain.
For example, the Three Sisters method was a smart interplanting solution invented by the Native Americans, including the Iroquois. Don’t believe me? Well, squash stars (well assists) in the beautiful flip side of the 2009 US Dollar coin. That is right, not only I say that squash can play fair in the garden, the evidence is minted.
Though I was not yet able to do a true, successful Three Sisters Native American planting technique, I’ve been able to keep true to the underlying truth that considered what plants need, and how those needs can be connected in a self caring system. I add in cherry tomatoes, or tomatillos, along with beans, corn, and squash. At times I add plantings of okra or sunflowers in lieu of corn. Tall stands of okra become an excellent resting spots for small birds that feed upon the pickle worm moths and other flying foes. They use the okra as a lookout spot before diving in for a bug. So for those of you who think that a squash farm is just squash, you are missing a lot of the fun, and a lot of the harvest. Not only does it create multiple crops from one watering and one application of fish emulsion, but it also is good for the soil.
Need more convincing? Please remember that squash vines will grow away from this central point, leaving the other plants to breathe. So give squash a chance in your small garden or farm. It will smother weeds, feed your family, and reduce water evaporation for those, like me, who grow in drought conditions. If the vines threatened to take over, prune them. It is that simple. There is little to lose, and much to gain.
Glass Gem popcorn, Tigerella tomatos, Hawaiian Black Kabocha, Jimmy T’s Okra, Rattlesnake pole bean…in harmony
It was time to give the yearling Ghost Pepper plants a severe pruning. Reducing them by 50% was less painful, when I got the idea to propagate from cuttings. Here are my attempt to do so using the simplest of tools. Reclaimed growers rockwool are used for some, while potting mix is being used in others. Other tools needed are : large sandwich type plastic bags, rubber bands, or string, small containers, trays of water, a sharp knife, pruners, and liquid (or powdered) rooting compound.
I used cutting from my Ghost pepper plants, Aji Limon, and Thai Dragon.
Tips:
Keep them moist and out of direct sun (these were moved after being photographed)
Short stems with two sets of leaves are best
Avoid using woody stems
Slice stem at an angle to increase rooting surface
I will be presenting a short workshop on Heirloom Seeds for Hawaii at 4pm. Please come to this fundraiser to help the young people of North Kohala. Wanna get your kids off their phones and onto the land? This is the place.
After 20 years, the Waimea farm fair returned this year. Expanding on the giant pumpkin growing contest of years past, this year brought tomato tasting and pumpkin cooking elements as well. I may max out at a 45lb squash, so no “giants” for me, but I do love to celebrate with the growers. It is a squash solidarity. You do not understand patience until you grow squash in Hawaii.
Pumpkin and squash can be tricky here and Hawaii, and our giants can vary by hundreds of pounds from season to season. But that isn’t the point, the point is that community gathered to celebrate nature, ambition, and the pure dedication that it takes. HPA school entered three very different pumpkins that helped to illuminate how different pumpkins from the same patch can be. The Largest at rear of photo took 1st in the school garden category) Soil maverick and giant pumpkin grower Noah Dodd led the way for HPA by using his own unique soil microbe building methods to get the squash to grow to super sized proportions.
Donna Mitts and prize winner Myrtle
I know and respect organic grower Donna Mitts, who has been giving me updates throughout the season. ( see image above) Her squash was golden and beautiful, and very deserving of the attention that it got. She named the squash Myrtle, and it grew into it’s name.
Baby Max showed the enthusiasm that we all felt. Here Max celebrates Donna’s pumpkin. Council woman Margaret Wille joined Donna Mitts and myself in a photo among the giant pumpkins. Chefs and home cooks alike marveled at the culinary possibilities.
Young Kawika Winters himself weighed in at only 1/2 a pound more than the giant pumpkin that he grew. Here he awaits the judging flanked by the other contenders.
Donna Mitts grew “Myrtle” organically
Ribbons were awarded in many categories, including record keeping for the school gardeners. How wonderful to reward a quieter, but valuable dedication. Mala’ai School garden won the record keeping prize by creating a beautiful photo log that captured the season. http://www.malaai.org
After the celebrations for giant pumpkins, we moved on over to the tomato tasting and pumpkin cooking competition.
As the judging took place, many of us marveled at the challenges of comparing the beautiful island grown produce. We were very happy to see some of our islands best including the innovative Chef Sandy that were part of the judging crew.
refreshing pumpkin juice
Then more talk of pumpkins. Donna Mitts wore many hats throughout the event including making the wonderful and refreshing “Pumpkin Juice” that cooled us under the hot Waimea sun. She used pumpkin puree, apple juice and pumpkin pie spice to make this welcomed treat. Then came the judging of the pumpkin cooking contest. Many of us were nervous as the judges buzzed around through plate after plate of homemade, beautiful food. There were three categories, including Main course, desert, and misc category. Pumpkin butter, pumpkin curry, pumpkin tortellini, pumpkin nut bread, pumpkin casserole, pumpkin chiffon pie, pumpkin crumble, and my dish Pumpkin Noodle Nut.
My entry in the line up
I am not sure why I was nervous with such a wonderful mix of people celebrating food. But when farmer/organizer Paul Johnson and the judges gave the “all clear sign” that the crowd could sample all things squash, my tension eased, as we laughed and nibbled the plates clean.
Guilty! We pounced on the table.
I mean we really went for it. Each dish was special, and made with love. We celebrated local ingredients and family recipes.
Paul was a good sport, and surprised us all by reappearing in costume. The kids loved it!
A clean plate, a red ribbon, and the recipe to share
Then the prizes were announced by category. I would not have been a very good judge, because, each one was so wonderful. It was like picking puppies or kittens. The unique dishes were creative and flavorful, and many were very nutritious as well.
I took a risk by entering a brand new recipe to the contest. I wanted to showcase squash as much as possible in one dish. I had made a gluten free, vegan recipe called noodle nut last year. After meeting with Chef Stephen of Under the Bodhi Tree restaurant in the shops of Mauna Lani http://www.underthebodhi.net I was inspired to try new things. So I changed my existing recipe to include cooked pumpkin puree, ground toasted pumpkin seeds, and grated fresh pumpkin. Chef Stephen does raw and vegan entrees, and also loves to use pumpkin seed. Pumpkin is so versatile, so I thought…heck go for it, this is the only pumpkin contest we have ever had on the island, so I thought it is time to pull out all of the stops.
So just a day before the contest, I was revamping and “pushing the pumpkin” into the recipe, and I am so glad I did. Using all gluten free and vegan ingredients, my home grown black pumpkins, home grown cayenne chili peppers, Pat Hall’s aquaponic grown green onions, and local macadamia nuts. It was an island proud dish. The empty dish says it all. It was cleaned out and awarded a 2nd place ribbon in the main dish category. Third went to the lovely pumpkin curry, and first place went to one of our island’s best chefs, Executive chef James Babian. Chef Babian was the Executive chef of the Four Seasons resort here on the Big Island. He can be credited with helping to move the buy local movement here over a decade ago. He makes his own pasta from scratch in the kitchen of the restaurant that he and his wife Christine created in Waikoloa village named Pueo’s Osteria. http://www.pueososteria.com Go there, trust me.
Let’s just say if anyone deserves first place, I have to say it is him. I managed to get one lone tortellini off the plate before the other tasters descended. It was divine, and sort of melted in your mouth. I feel lucky to have gotten one, and no, I have no photos, because it was either grab one, or photograph it. So sorry blogosphere, but eating won. It was that good. But watch out Executive Chef Babian, I’ll be back next year with another year of pumpkin cooking under my belt. I’ll do my best to take on your tortellini again..or at least be quite ready to again grab one off the tasting plate.
Mahalo to all those who attended, volunteered their expertise, and added their talents to the day. We all love a good come back story, and what better come back than that of the community farm fair.
I am a farmer’s daughter, and though all thought I would marry a farmer, I became my own farmer. We can trace farming back more than 7 generations in my family, back to those who left Ireland so long ago. So why do I mention this? Because as of late the idea has been weighing heavily on my mind. At last week’s GMO round table, here in Hawaii, I watched people’s head dip low in shame when I mentioned my family legacy with the earth. You see, I don’t “look” like what they think a farmer should look like, and that makes it evermore easy for the pro-GMO clan to dismiss my optimism as the result of being young and silly. But the next generation of farmers looks an awful lot like me, and many, like me, want to return to the farming ways of our own ancestors.
The way I look at it, just by living and breathing all of that farming knowledge throughout my childhood has put me above the rookie category from the get go. So ever more often, when the topic of GMO vegetables comes up, I notice that more are averting their eyes, and changing the subject. I know where my ancestors would stand on things. They were proud of their “family” tomatoes, beans, potatoes and the like. My Brother continues to garden and he grows the same variety of tomatoes that my Grandmother did. Needless to say, that is a wonderful link to a woman that shaped our childhoods. The downside is that kind of seed connection between generations may not always be a possibility.
One issue that never gets brought up by any of the Big Island GMO panel discussions is that when we lose our tie to the seed, we shatter our ties to the many thousands of years of food knowledge that bonds us to both our human family, and to the plants that feed us. This link to ancestral intelligence, along with the pride in growing the food that they did, is what helps people get through hard times. You are never alone, as you carry your ancestors with you. Sometimes we have physical reminders like a pocket watch from a grandfather. At other times, the tie to a people and a place are contained within a tiny seed. The Native Hawaiians and other First Nation Peoples get it, as do many regional farmers who pride themselves in growing what their ancestors did. Any farmer who ever left their homeland did so with seed in their pocket, guaranteed. My family is no exception.
When people ask “how long am I going to farm?” I never have an answer, because farming is a gift. It is a calling. I think about seed a lot these days, and I have to say that I feel successful as a small farmer, because people hug me a lot. I mean a lot. Sometimes I get hugs everywhere I go. It isn’t so much me, but it is my actions, and my interest in their family history. By seeking out the ancient and historic seeds, I am using my skills with the land to rekindle people’s ties to their own ancestors. By planting, nurturing, and harvesting the food of their ancestors, I am tied in with their family. That is why they hug me, and that is why I keep speaking up for those who came before us.
Last November I questioned the idea: In Hawaii, where many native plants are endangered, or under threat, can I help the three varieties of native plants that exist on the farm property to thrive, while also benefiting squash production? The answer ended up being a clear yes.
As we know, squash need a lot of everything: sun, water, compost, bees, the works. So instead of using non-native plantings to attract more bees, what if I studied the nature of the abundantly flowered native Ilima shrub and tried to work out a system where each would benefit? The result : The Ilima Project.
Ilima is special, it is a hardy shrub that has struggled in the past 17 years as the Ka’u desert has extended it’s Northern border. I found several of these native plants, and decided to be their caregiver by not pulling them up, and planting around them instead. It created a perfect companion plant for the squash, while also nurturing a plant that many of the elders noted that “it used to be everywhere,” much like local kabocha squash. I decided these two could stage a comeback together. The Ilima thrived and it was most grateful for any bit of water or compost that it is offered.
I read in the excellent Bishop Museum Book, “Native Planters of Old Hawaii,” that the Ilima plant was often pruned heavily so to create even more buttercup like blooms for lei making. Though we often search specifically for the crop that we farm, here we can see how a regional and historical book can assist in modern farming, by applying this information that can assist with pollination. The fast growing shrub was tolerant of my experimental no-till techniques, and the bees plunged into bloom after bloom and pollinated the squash as well. The smaller blooms attracted many new bees and beneficial wasps that were “new” to the farm. The Ilima thrived, and created helpful pollination assists, as well as wind blocks for the squash that really doesn’t care for wind.
Success! Growing squash with the Native Hawaiian Ilima plant
As for the squash, they were happy too, as they climbed up and around the Ilima shrubs and across the no-till cardboard mulch. I grew out one of the world’s rare squash for seed preservation (the bright orange one from Armenia, C. pepo in the photo) along with my go to Hawaiian heirloom squash for the community, a Long of Naples, a grey ‘Crown’ squash that originated in South Africa, and also many lovely Thai squash (C.moschata.)
I am just adding compost to the beds so to have a late summer crop. The Ilima shrubs (seen in the rear of the wheelbarrow photo) are continuing to thrive.
Yervian, c.pepo, Armenia (top) Gori Blue Mottled, c. maxima, Gori, Republic of Georgia, Europe (bottom left) Moon like squash, c.maxima, Uganda, Africa (bottom right)
It was a tough Winter for these rare beauties, but these are some of the success stories from the first season of seed saving ultra rare squash from around the world.
These are part of an effort to save some of the world’s rare food crops from extinction.
Squash and Awe 