Three Sisters | Feed Your Fire Podcast Episode

Companionship sustains us and we when we grow in proximity, we can fortify, nourish and sustain one another. In this episode we are inspired by the Three Sisters, both an ancient agricultural technique and an enduring familial model that connects us to one another and brings us closer around the table. 

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Feed Your Fire Podcast Episode Transcript:

Hello and welcome to Feed Your Fire. I'm your host Kim Baker.

The original definition of the word “companion” was someone you shared a meal with. The root words literally mean with whom you share bread. That idea is a cornerstone of this podcast. So today we're going to celebrate the beauty of companionship with a recipe made from ingredients that are a proof point of how we grow in unison.

Despite the wonders of modern technology, the beauty of real-life companionship is a far cry from anything that a bot could ever deliver. I totally get how AI can provide us with convenient social alternatives. Claude and I have become very well acquainted, but the impact of real companionship is actually rooted in the word itself.

“Companion” is derived from the Latin word panis, which means bread, and it literally stems from the person whom you shared a meal with. There's nothing virtual about that. It's an entirely physical experience. It's about proximity and a genuine witnessing versus simply a reflection, and when we return to that source, we can see what it is about companionship that really drives value in our lives.

And this got me thinking to other instances where we use the word companion. This led me to companion gardening - those of you listening with a green thumb might know about this. Companion gardening is this ancient ecological system that was developed almost 10,000 years ago by the indigenous peoples, and it's designed to strengthen, grow, and protect the crops that are planted. It's a very specific pairing of plants, with each one bringing a specific benefit to the ecosystem. There's this one pairing called the three sisters, where corn, squash, and beans are planted together. The corn stalks create a trellis for the beans to be supported. The beans create a nitrogen-rich environment that helps the corn grow, and the squash leaves create a canopy of shade. The three sisters are an interdependent system; they fortify, nourish, and support one another.

This weekend, I was in New York with my family, and this idea came to mind. As you know, my younger sister Corinne is going through a difficult time. Her partner has glioblastoma, and over the last several months the disease has progressed. So there we were, the three sisters, a sacred trinity of love that was gathered close together, providing strength, care, and comfort.

This hasn't been the first time that we've gathered as three sisters. I can acutely remember being the recipient of this grace when I was a young single mother. And then, of course, when our brother and our parents died, we all came together, bringing whatever each of us could offer at any given moment, creating an environment that could sustain us.

So today we're going to share with you that symbiotic force of the three sisters, with a recipe made of corn, squash, and beans. And since it's soup season, we thought we would make a corn chowder, taking advantage of those lingering summer ingredients and a fresh, vibrant soup that's actually quite light. We're going full on corn here because it is, after all, a corn chowder.

Now I like to grill the corn first. You don't have to do that, but it gives it a nice flavor. So I'm going to start by grilling eight cobs of corn that are lightly drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Let them cook for just a few minutes, turning them with tongs so they get color all around. Then we're going to let them cool just enough to let us cut the kernels off the cobs. Set the kernels aside and place the cobs in a large stockpot filled with about two quarts of water.

We're making a corn stock, and I like to enrich it with a few other ingredients that are going into the soup itself. So trim the ends off of a large zucchini and peel an onion, and throw those scraps in with the corn cobs. Set the actual onion and zucchini aside, we're going to come back to that. Turn the heat on the stockpot up to medium high and let it come to a boil. Then reduce it down and let it just simmer for about 10 minutes. While the stock cooks, we're going to make the base of the soup.

Dice up that onion and place it in a large stockpot. I like to use a Dutch oven with some olive oil over medium heat, and let it sauté until the onion is translucent. Once it's been cooking for about five minutes, we can add in some diced potatoes. I used about a pound of baby golds cut in half. Now these are a waxy potato, so they're not going to make the soup really thick and starchy, which I prefer. If you want it to be a thicker, more traditional base, you can use an Idaho potato that you peel and dice. Let the potatoes cook for about five minutes with the onions, then dice up that zucchini and pop it in the pan. Then add in about a cup of grape tomatoes that have been sliced in half. Let that all cook together so that the flavors meld. Season it with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Then we're going to strain the cornstalk that we'd been cooking and add it to the pan. You can discard the cobs and all of the other remnants. Then, to the soup base, I like to add about two or three basil stems. So, remove the leaves and just put the stems in that pot. We're going to use the leaves at the end. Add in two bay leaves. Season everything again with salt and pepper, and let the soup come to a light boil. Once the potatoes are fork tender, we're going to add in those corn kernels, along with a cup of butter beans. These can come from a can. Just strain and rinse them. You could also use like a frozen lima bean if that's what you have on hand. Let that all cook together for another five minutes.

Then reduce the heat, and we're gonna add in about a half a cup of heavy cream, then give it a taste. If you want the soup to be a little bit thicker, you can take some cornmeal and water and mix it together to make a paste, and then add it to the soup and let that cook for a few minutes. That's a great way to add a little extra corn flavor and thickness before you serve it. Chop up some basil leaves and use it on top as a garnish. Now, if you want to get fancy, you could certainly add something like crab or shrimp, but I actually don't think you need it. In my opinion, the three sisters are all you need.

Now, I know not everyone has this built-in companion system, but I have seen this sisterhood extend well beyond the family unit, and we can make choices in our companions to benefit what grows in our lives and what we bring into the lives of others. Just recently, a longtime friend of mine had come to visit. She had dropped her daughter off at college and had stopped by my place on her drive back home. She's an artist, and she had made me this piece of jewelry. It was a simple ring made of brass that had my initial on it. And with it, was a note about how the jewelry represented our friendship, a symbol of something enduring. It was one of the most meaningful presents I've ever received. The friendship that we've created over the years was rooted when we were very young. Maybe you have some friends like that in your life? Ours began with bike rides on pink 10-speed Schwinns and shared romance novels, hanging out in the basement of my parents' home, making tuna melts, and it grew into a sisterhood, one of the most beautiful forms of companionship. And there we were, 30 plus years later, having a shared meal this time with kids and significant others joining us around that table. And so today, we'll celebrate those with whom we share bread and the harmony and strength that comes from the three sisters, while we pour bowls of this delicious soup that represents the nourishment that comes from growing together.

Until our next episode, I say so long. Feed your fire, where food nourishes growth.

Feed your fire is sponsored by Kasari Consulting, where insight meets innovation. kasariconsulting.com.