Exercise and Healthy Eating

A friend found this on facebook

I know it says in my profile on the right that I love to exercise. Well…. I exercise, but I don’t really love it. But I know I have to do it, because I do like how I feel as a result.

I was one of those kids that couldn’t run, couldn’t catch a ball, couldn’t swim, didn’t participate in organized sports, was a total klutz, was picked last for the team… You get the idea. But somewhere, vaguely, in the back of my mind, I knew I was supposed to exercise.

When my youngest daughter was two years old, someone talked me into going to Jazzercise with them. Remember Jazzercise? Probably not. It wasn’t around too long probably because of the clothes – leotards, leg warmers, and such – that we wore. Seriously. Too bad I don’t have a picture of that!

Anyway, that was the catalyst. It was also a wonderful social time – I had a two year old, there was a nursery at Jazzercise and all my friends (and sometimes our husbands – they didn’t wear legwarmers, though) were there. After class, we could chat and get the social reinforcement that we all needed.

Once Jazzercise faded into the past, I started walking. We lived sort of on the edge of town, so I’d head out with my dog (a Springer spaniel then), walk for about 15 minutes, turn around and walk home. Really nice unless the wind was blowing, and then I’d stay home.

About this time, Walt got into running. Instead of leg warmers, he and his running buddies wore these little running shorts. Oh my – too bad I don’t have a picture of that either.

We were gradually morphing into people with regular exercise habits. And we were changing our eating habits. This was a time when people examined the way they ate and started eating more whole grains, less fat, more fresh vegetables (out with the canned spinach!), less refined sugars, and we didn’t have to clean our plates all the time.

 

We ate dinner together as a family, and usually breakfast. The kids didn’t get a lot of store-bought snack foods or candy. We had homemade bread, a garden, and processed our own meat. I was more dedicated to my morning walk and started walking further. 

When our oldest daughter went to college, she started running. She was fast. She’s really fast 15 years later. Our youngest daughter played volleyball in high school and rugby in college and can lift an incredible amount of weight. Our middle daughter loves to run in the cold rain. I don’t understand that, but she gets a great deal of joy from that.  

With those kinds of examples, I started running. Slowly running. Not too far. When we lived in Maryland for a year, it was hard to find a place to run, so we got our first treadmill. I started lifting weights at a gym when we moved back to Wyoming. So did Walt. 

Now exercise and healthy eating are integral parts of our lives. I run and lift weights. Walt does also when he is not recovering from being bucked off a mule or his bike. Here are some additional reasons from the Mayo clinic website why exercise helps: 

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

By Mayo Clinic staff

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life.  

No. 1: Exercise controls weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don't need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.  

No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.  

No. 3: Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.  

No. 4: Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores. 

No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep.  

No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life.  

No. 7: Exercise can be fun

Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new.  

The bottom line on exercise

Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns.

Back to Kim: Exercise takes a great deal of commitment. It’s hard to exercise when you have to be at work in the morning, or if you have a short lunch hour, or no lunch hour at all, or it’s snowing, or if you have little kids at home, or if you have to get home right after work to fix dinner, or take kids to their sports activities, or you have to get to a meeting. How do you squeeze in a half an hour a day for yourself?  

It doesn’t have to be in a half hour block. You can do 10 minutes at a time, or get up 15 minutes earlier, or take the stairs, or park further away from your workplace. There are all sorts of ideas online to help get you started. 

I love to cook and we love to eat. But we watch our portions, we rarely have dessert, and we exercise. There is a history of heart disease on both sides of our family, so we try to live as healthily as we can. For us the benefits are low blood pressure, our cholesterol is mostly controlled by diet (at least for me), we have great bone density, I feel good (except when I do the P90X legs and back routine and I can’t move for three days), and I get out in the early morning when the sun is just coming up. Lovely.

Sometimes we have an audience

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows

Okay, I’ll admit it – I’m a hot chocolate snob. I am. You know those little packaged hot chocolate mixes? Those are the last extremity for me – like if I’m stuck in a snow drift and I’m numb and only hot chocolate can save me.

And I mean hot chocolate. Not hot cocoa, though there are some good ones out there. My hot chocolate of choice is Mayan Hot Chocolate (see the pumpkin blog), but there are some other great recipes. I got the following information off the website simplyrecipes.com (which is a great website, BTW – the link is on the right).

How is hot chocolate different from hot cocoa? Hot chocolate is basically like drinking a melted candy bar; the chopped chocolate contains cocoa butter which makes it richer and smoother. Cocoa is powdered and contains no cocoa butter and thus very little fat. It also contains dried milk, sugar, and added flavors.

This is the real stuff, and once you try it you may never want drink hot cocoa again! The recipe here serves four, it may not look like a lot but believe me it's very rich and one cup is more than enough for a single person.

Chocolate to Use

If you plan to make good hot chocolate, it helps to start with quality chocolate. Scharffen Berger, Guittard, and Valrhona are great choices if you can find them where you are.

I suggest using bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Bittersweet has little sugar added to it so you'll get a more pure chocolate taste. Semisweet works too, and usually has more sugar added to it than bittersweet. What about those cacao percentages? The higher the cacao percentage (noted on the chocolate package) the more chocolate solids are in the product, and therefore the higher intensity of chocolate flavor. Semisweet is usually 35-40% cacao, bittersweet up to (and sometimes higher than) 75%. 100% cacao is unsweetened chocolate, which is fine for baking, but you probably don't want to use it for hot chocolate. Milk chocolate already has milk solids added to it and has a very low (about 20%) cacao percentage.

Milk, Soy, or Water?

Whole milk lends to the creaminess and sweetness of hot chocolate, but feel free to use lowfat or nonfat milk if you prefer. For a thicker, richer hot chocolate, switch out 1/4 cup of milk for cream.

Soy milk is an alternative if you are lactose intolerant. Use unflavored or vanilla soy milk.

Believe it or not, you can use water instead of milk (though most people use milk). Water allows the chocolate to show off its true flavors and unique characteristics; however you lose the creamy feel and taste when you don't use milk.

Spices & Herbs

Experiment with spices and herbs to create unique flavors with your hot chocolate. Centuries ago the Aztecs made hot chocolate with vanilla and chili peppers. Today Mexicans enjoy hot chocolate with cinnamon. Many flavors can be added to chocolate, such as the classic flavors of peppermint and orange. You might also try lavender, bay leaf, or star anise.

Brew spices into the milk (or soy milk or water) during the initial heating process. After the milk is steamy, strain out the spices and herbs and return the hot, flavored milk back to the pan and add the chocolate as you normally would.

Whipped Cream

Regardless how you make it, I think whipped cream makes hot chocolate (or anything really) better. Feel free to use an extract such as vanilla or anise to flavor the whipped cream. Once dolloped onto your drink a small sprinkling of nuts, cocoa powder, or ground spices is a great way to add flavor and pump up the presentation.

My best advice to creating your perfectly flavored hot chocolate is to make it as you like it. Feel free to experiment as I doubt friends and family will mind being subjected to cup after cup of chocolate.

 Hot Chocolate Recipe

Print Options

Basic Hot Chocolate

·         4 cups of whole milk

·         8 ounces of chocolate (60% cacao, preferably)

·         3 teaspoons of powdered sugar

·         1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

·         1/8 teaspoon of salt

·          

1 Finely chop the chocolate into small pieces. The pieces have to be able to dissolve easily in the liquid.

2 Place the milk into a small, thick-bottomed pot on low heat and bring to a low simmer. Whisk once in a while to ensure that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

2a If you plan to steep herbs or spices, add the herbs or spices to the milk, bring to a simmer then take off heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid then place back into the pot and return to a simmer.

3 Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, salt, and chocolate and whisk vigorously until the chocolate has melted.

4 Heat for another 4 minutes, constantly stirring.

Serve. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you want.

Serves 4.

Favorite Variations

Steep a vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick in the milk while simmering. After whisking in the chocolate and letting it rest and reheat, cool it down a tad with a small bit of cream and throw some orange zest on top to perk it all up. Very Parisian.

A teaspoon of Chinese five spice does wonders and gives it a slightly oriental kick. A fabulous twist on hot chocolate. Another viable alternative is Chai spice for something a bit more familiar.

Some edible lavender and lemon zest in white hot chocolate are aromatic and perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.

From Kim: if you leave out the powdered sugar and vanilla, add some pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, or cayenne. Whip it till frothy and you’ve got Mayan Hot Chocolate.

I don’t always have whipped cream on hand – instead, I love, love, love homemade marshmallows. They’re pretty easy to make and they keep for a long time in the refrigerator. Plus you can do some interesting flavor variations with those too. This recipe makes a lot of marshmallows:

Homemade Marshmallows

.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox gelatin)

½ cup cold water

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups light corn syrup

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or other flavor extract)

Confectioners’ sugar

Cocoa powder

Cinnamon, cayenne, pumpkin pie spice, or any other powdered spice you prefer 

Line 9 x 9-inch or 8 x 8-inch pan (for big, fat marshmallows) or a 9x13 inch (for thinner marshmallows, but more quantity) with plastic wrap and lightly oil it using your fingers or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil.  As soon as it is boiling, set the timer and allow to boil hard for 1 minute.

Carefully pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment (which I don’t have so I just use the beaters), starting on low and moving up to high speed. Add the salt and beat for between 10 and 12 minutes, or until fluffy and mostly cooled to almost room temperature. After it reaches that stage, add in the extract and beat to incorporate.

Grease your hands and a rubber or silicone scraper with neutral oil and transfer marshmallow into the prepared pan. Use your greased hands to press the marshmallow into the pan evenly.  This is the stickiest substance known to man.

Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set.

Sprinkle a cutting surface very generously with confectioner’s sugar.

Remove marshmallow from pan and lay on top of the sugar. 

*Dust the top generously with sugar as well.  Use a large, sharp knife to cut into squares.

Separate pieces and toss to coat all surfaces with the sugar.

Store in an airtight container or ziplocs.

*This is where you can use some different coatings. Instead of straight powdered sugar, sift together cocoa powder and powdered sugar in equal parts. Leave plain or add some cinnamon or cayenne. Then toss the marshmallows with the cocoa mixture.

These have the most fabulous melting quality. They are terrible for s’mores – they melt too fast – but they are lovely in hot chocolate. Or try this when your sweet tooth is unhappy: spread some Dark Chocolate Almond spread or Nutella on a tortilla. Put a marshmallow or two on top. Microwave or broil till the marshmallow melts. Roll up. Eat. Dribble chocolate and marshmallow all down your chin. Have a happy sweet tooth.

Have you started thinking about Christmas yet? Well, neither have I. BUT if you have started thinking about it, this is a fun little gift for neighbors or teachers or friends or me or…

 Hot Chocolate on a Stick (aka Fudge Blocks)

½ cup heavy cream

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 cups (18 oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)
3/4 cup (4 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate
wooden sticks

Options – add chipotle or cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper. Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; allow it to gently melt. After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. At this point you could add a few drops of flavoring oil (such as hazelnut, orange, or vanilla). Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly harden.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface. Slice into 1 ¼" cubes (or size desired for serving). Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest cuts. Stick a wooden stick into the center of each block. Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired. Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap to store.  (I'm storing mine in a tupperware in the freezer, with layers separated by waxed paper)  These will keep at room temperature 3-4 days, in the fridge about 10 days, in the freezer up to 30 days.

Yield: about 3 dozen blocks.

You can push a marshmallow on the stick first, then the chocolate block. Leave as is or you can dip this in a bit of melted chocolate and dip in sprinkles, ground candy canes, etc. Then wrap with plastic wrap, tie with a bit of ribbon, and put some in a decorative mug.

(This picture is from the Hot Chocolate on a Stick website)

To serve: heat some milk in the mug. Add the Hot Chocolate stick and stir till melted.

Aaaahhhhh.....

Pizza

I love pizza. Take-out pizza smothered in tomato sauce, covered in pepperoni, and dripping with cheese. But I love homemade pizza even more. Not only are there obvious health concerns with the take-out – fats and salts and mystery meat – but making your own is much more fun.

 

These instructions look long and complicated, but once you’ve done this a time or two, you can have homemade pizza about as fast as any delivery pizza. And it tastes better!

The Crust

We’ve tried a couple of variations, but this one seems to be the easiest and best. And I do mean easy, especially if you have a food processor.

 

2 tsp. honey

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 ¼ tsp.)

¾ c. warm water

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 ¼ c. white flour

½ tsp. salt

Cooking spray

Cornmeal

Olive oil 

Options:

Wheat germ or flaxseed dough – add ¼ cup with the whole wheat flour

Asian – add 2 tsp. raw sesame seeds

Herb – add 2 tbs. chopped fresh herbs – basil is fantastic

Nutty – add 2 tbs. finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Cheese – add 2 tbs. finely grated Parmesan, fontina, or asiago

Pepper – add 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Use your imagination!

To prepare: Dissolve honey and yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. If you have a food processor, do all this in the food processor bowl. Add the whole wheat flour, salt, and enough of the white flour to make a soft dough. Process a few minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

If you are doing this by hand, it’s still easy. Add the whole wheat flour, salt and a cup of the white flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

 

Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add flour, 1 tbs. at a time, to prevent dough from becoming sticky.

Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turn to coat the top, cover, and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. This is just enough time to get all your toppings assembled. You can tell the dough is ready if two fingers poked into the dough (I don’t know why two fingers – it can be three or one, or whatever) makes an indentation that remains.
 

Put the dough back on the floured surface, and roll out into a 12” circle. Or you can divide in fourths to make individual pizzas – the grandkids love this. If I’m making one big pizza, I just sprinkle some cornmeal on the pizza peel, or a cookie sheet without a rim.

 

Then I roll the dough out on the peel or sheet.

 

We like to pre-bake or pre-grill the crust.

To bake: it really helps to have a pizza stone for this and you can use a pizza stone for making some homemade breads. You can get a pizza stone at any discount store. After the dough has risen for 15 minutes, put the pizza stone in the oven, and heat the oven to at least 450° or 475°. Commercial pizza ovens are about 500°. You want the stone to be really hot.

Slide the prepared crust onto the pizza stone.

 

Make sure you’ve used enough cornmeal on the peel to let the dough slide off easily. Poke with a fork all over. This is so you don’t get a big bubble in the middle of your crust when it bakes the first time. If you do, just poke the bubble down anyway.

If you don’t have a pizza stone, just bake it on your cookie sheet or on a pizza pan.

Bake the crust about 5 minutes. Slide back onto your cookie sheet or pizza peel. Add the toppings.

Slide back onto the stone and bake another 8-10 minutes till crust is golden brown and the cheese, if you added cheese, is bubbly.

To grill: Oh these are so good! This process goes fast so have everything ready.

Heat grill to medium high.

Divide pizza dough into 4 pieces (1 recipe of dough), roll into rounds, brush one side with olive oil.

Spray more foil with grill spray, place dough on the grill, oiled side down. Grill about 2-3 minutes till bottom side is brown and top is still a little doughy. Take off grill, brush both sides with olive oil, turn over so cooked side is up. Put on toppings – see the list below. Put on grill (spray foil with more spray) and close lid so cheese will melt. Grill another 2-3 minutes (but watch so they don’t burn).

You can just flip the crust and add the toppings right there, but we have too much creativity going on and the grill would lose all its heat. So we bring the partially grilled crust back to our toppings center to do the creative part.

The Toppings

Like I said, you are only limited by your imagination, so I’ll just cover the basics here.

You don’t have to use tomato sauce because there are so many pizza recipes that don’t call for it. But here’s a basic tomato sauce recipe:

 

TOMATO SAUCE

1 ½ qts. frozen or canned tomatoes, peeled

Basil

Oregano

Salt

Thyme

Garlic powder

Parsley

Ground pepper

Cinnamon  

Combine and cook till thick. 

 

Or you can try some marinara instead of tomato sauce.

 

Veggies:

Sliced onions, grilled or sautéed

Sliced green or red pepper, grilled or sautéed

Roasted chilies

Herbs

            Basil

            Oregano

            Rosemary

            Cilantro

Sliced mushrooms, raw and sliced very thin, or grilled or sautéed

Potatoes, pre-cooked

Tomatoes, chopped or sliced

Roasted tomatoes

Garlic, sautéed

Leeks

Spinach or chard, chopped

Olives (actually, I don’t like olives, but I’ve heard that other people do)

Zucchini, grilled or sautéed

Meats:

Pepperoni (I get the turkey kind)

Italian sausage, browned and crumbled

Hamburger, browned and crumbled

Taco meat, browned, crumbled, seasoning added

Grilled chicken

Bacon, cooked

Ham

Prosciutto

Leftover turkey

Anchovies (I don’t like these either, but there’s no accounting for taste…) 

Cheese:

Mozzarella (homemade or store-bought)

Parmesan, freshly grated

Romano

Asiago

Feta

Gouda

Cheddar

Mexican blend

Blue cheese

Any smoked cheese

Other:

Pesto (this is one of my favorite toppings)

Some good combinations for summer are:

Mozzarella, fresh tomato slices and fresh basil, drizzled with olive oil

Mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, caramelized onions, mushrooms

Chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, finely chopped spinach or chard, black olives 

Sauteed onions, rosemary, and blue cheese

Good winter combinations include:

Farmer cheese, chicken, olives and mushrooms

Tomato sauce, mozzarella, dried peppers, mushrooms, and anchovies

Apples, bacon, and onions 

Dessert pizzas:

Fruit – pears, apples, peaches - honey, blue cheese, applesauce 

There are lots of recipes and flavor combinations if you Google “homemade pizza”.

Several times, when our family is together, we have a pizza party. Everyone brings some toppings, I make the dough, and we get chaotic and creative. It helps to grill some or bake some of the crusts ahead, but the kids like to roll out their own.

Your kitchen may be a disaster when it’s over, but the payoff is when someone takes a bite of their design, rolls their eyes in happiness, and sighs. And you get to taste everyone’s creation ‘cuz it’s so much fun to share. Enjoy!

Three Sisters and Netafim

Long ago, the Native Americans had gardens. They didn’t have Google to check how to do things; they had generations of experience. And experience taught them that the three staples of their garden – squash, beans and corn – needed to be planted together.

In fact, these three plants have such a close relationship, that they call them Three Sisters. So a few years ago, we decided to try a Three Sisters garden. It was such a success that, each year, we’ve made the garden bigger.

These three plants form a wonderful symbiotic relationship. The corn is the basis because of the calories and food value it provides. It is also a trellis for the beans, but it sucks nitrogen from the soil. The beans are a nitrogen fixer which improves the fertility of the soil for the next year’s planting. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn so they don’t blow over so easily in the wind. Never mind that there were never any Native American tribes that settled in the Cheyenne area – which ought to tell us something. But if they had, the beans would have helped their corn stay partially upright.

The squash is the mulch. I weed and hoe the garden about three times, then the squash vines take over. They keep the weeds down and the soil moisture up. The spines on the squash plants are supposed to keep predators away, but the only predators we had were grasshoppers and they didn’t seem to care if there were spines or not.

We’ve found that squash vines, bean vines, and corn stalks don’t compost well. But they make a dandy bonfire at the end of the season. I’m sure the Native Americans just dug the vines and stalks back into the soil, which was great if you live in the eastern half of the North American continent or in the desert southwest. However, it takes much longer to compost things on the high plains of Wyoming.

More cool stuff: Corn, beans and squash complement each other nutritionally. Corn provides carbohydrates, the dried beans are rich in protein, balancing the lack of amino acids found in corn. Finally, squash has vitamins from the fruit (all those little beta-carotenes) and the oil from the seeds.

The Native Americans did not plant in rows – that’s part of our European OCD heritage – they planted in mounds. They would plant the corn in a mound, let it come up till it’s about 4” or so, weed the garden then plant the beans right next to the corn. Then the squash would go in hills between the corn plants.

I tried the mounds the first few years, and they worked ok. I thought it was too hard to weed and hoe. This year, though, I tried a different way. When Walt tilled the garden, he tilled in straight rows. I planted the corn and beans together in a row. So three corn seeds with three bean seeds, move down the row about 12” and plant more beans and corn. The next row over would be squash or pumpkins. I didn’t plant in hills, just rows. Then, a row of corn/beans, then a row of squash, etc.

I had three varieties of corn – two early sweet corn varieties (which were fabulously yummy!) and the decorative corn.

I did one bean variety – a pretty cranberry colored dried bean.

And I planted squash – acorn, kabocha, butternut and buttercup. The butternut didn’t do as well as the other three. Pumpkins – jack o’lantern, and two kinds of pie pumpkins. They all did great. We planted the zucchini on the edge of the garden after a row of corn. Zucchini always does well. Very, very well.

Next year, I will continue to plant in rows, but I’ll hill the squash and pumpkins in the rows between the corn.

 

To prepare the garden, we till it in the fall to knock down any grass or leftover weeds. In the spring, we till it again, then spread compost all over the bed and lightly till that in. We still don’t have a great irrigation system. I’d love to do Netafim, but I’ve got to save up for that because it’s such a big bed. Instead we had a rotating sprinkler on tall legs. Wastes water and doesn’t get the water where it needs to go – the roots. Next year – Netafim.

I guess this is a good place as any to describe Netafim. This is a drip irrigation system – I found that it was developed in Israel – that is self-draining and self-cleaning. All I know is, it works great. It’s easy to put together for whatever garden you are irrigating. We have raised beds and just-on-the-dirt beds that we use with Netafim. It doesn’t degrade in the sun or cold – we keep it on the gardens year around. Each Netafim garden is on a timer, so I don’t have to haul hoses.

Plants like drip-irrigation. It conserves water, water goes straight to the roots, you don’t get the diseases that watering the leaves can allow, and it helps in windy, dry, poor soil climates. Oh, that’s Cheyenne.

It’s a bit of a search to find a distributer of Netafim, but it’s so worth it. But any kind of drip irrigation works better than a sprinkler.

Back to the Three Sisters bed:  these plants love sun – lots of it. There is one edge of our garden that’s in the shade and the plants come up about 4” and stop. It’s a nice science experiment, but I’ll put spinach or something in that shady area next year.

 

This garden is one of our favorite spots because everything just works together so nicely. And I love pumpkins.