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A working garden

Marshall Elementary students were invited to come help plant in the new rain garden. Photo by Valerie Streeter

By Monica Brown Tulalip News

Tulalip, WA -Spring is here and it’s a prime season to put in a rain garden. Imagine your yard with a rain garden that is full of native plants attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Now envision that same rain garden being low maintenance and capable of preventing flooding or ponding of water in your yard and having the ability to capture pollutants before they reach the Puget Sound.

Recently, Tulalip Natural Resources hosted a three-part workshop, teaching about rain water management and finishing with an actual rain garden installation. Natural resources partnered with Tulalip tribal member Glendy and husband Grant Morrison to install a rain garden at their home creating a hands-on learning experience for the community and the Marshall Elementary Marysville Cooperative Education Partnership.

To begin, the Morrison’s had the utility lines in their yard located, estimated the rain garden size, and created a budget. Because the Morrison’s have a raised garden in their backyard they decided to harvest rain water from the back half of their roof into barrels for summer watering. Rain water from the front half will be routed to flow away from the home’s foundation and into the rain garden.

Adding an overflow prevents the water from ponding after flask flooding. Photo by Monica Brown

There are multiple ways to manage rain water run-off, but the more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly option for homeowners is the addition of a rain garden. From now until 2016 the Puget Sound Rain Garden initiative wants to help install 12,000 rain gardens in the Puget Sound area. The website www.12000raingardens.org, is full of useful information, and local resources along with a place to register your rain garden as part of the initiative to keep the Puget Sound clean.

Tulalip Natural Resources staff is available to help anyone located on the Tulalip reservation with any questions about rain water management and has a free handbook available for pick up. Contact Valerie Streeter of Natural Resources with any questions or for a free Rain Garden Handbook, at 360-716-4629 or by email vstreeter@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

Pros of installing a rain garden

Rain Gardens are easy to maintain for years to come since they only require occasional weeding, watering and new mulch every year. If the garden contains native plants they will be easier to care for, cheaper to buy and some attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.

Cons of installing a rain garden

Planning and actual installation can take three or 4 weekends. The homeowner will need to create a budget, locate any utility lines on the property and perform a soil test for drainage before you begin. Afterwards, calculate the size and depth of garden for the surface runoff water.

Aerial view of the rain gardenPhoto by Monica Brown — Aerial view of the rain garden
Photo by Monica Brown

Monica Brown mbrown@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Greenhouse gardeners begin transplanting crops to aid local food banks

by Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Gardeners in training took part in a transplanting extravaganza on Sunday, March 16, at the Hibulb Cultural Center.

A new partnership between the Tulalip Tribes and the Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation is making it possible for participants to learn the nit and grit of greenhouse gardening.

During Sunday’s event, 40 gardeners of all ages transplanted 75 flats of broccoli, kale, and chard seedlings into larger pots. These seedlings will be part of a crop grown to aid local food banks, such as Tulalip Food Bank, and other Snohomish County Master Gardener food bank gardens.

Tulalip tribal member Gisselo Andrade Jr., helps transplant broccoli that will be harvested for the Tulalip Food Bank during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014. Photo/ Richelle Taylor — Tulalip tribal member Gisselo Andrade Jr., helps transplant broccoli that will be harvested for the Tulalip Food Bank during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014.
Photo/ Richelle Taylor

“We all got to know each other more and shared our passion and enthusiasm for gardening,” said Veronica Leahy, Diabetes Educator at the Tulalip Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic. The gardens began with the clinic’s diabetes management care and prevention education as the ‘Gardening Together as Families’ program. The program expanded through the Rediscovery Program at the Hibulb Cultural Center to incorporate traditional plants and traditional foods

“Even in the rain we were warm and comfortable inside the greenhouse, enjoying each other’s company,” said Leahy.

An additional class was held on Wednesday, March 19, that focused on proper transplanting, water, and sanitization techniques, along with how to seed and label plants, and protecting young plants as they grow.

For more information on ‘Gardening Together as Families’ program at the Hibulb Cultural Center, please contact Veronica Leahy at 360-716-5642 or vleahy@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Seventy-five flats of broccoli, kale, and chard seedling were transplanted during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and the Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014 at the Hibulb Cultural Center. Photo/ Richelle Taylor — Seventy-five flats of broccoli, kale, and chard seedling were transplanted during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and the Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014 at the Hibulb Cultural Center.
Photo/ Richelle Taylor

The rain advantage

By Monica Brown, Tulalip News

TULALIP, WA. Living in the Pacific Northwest, there is one thing that is certain, it may rain today. Spring is here and with it comes the rain. The Tulalip area averages about 3” of rain every month during the spring. With summer around the corner, rain water management is on the minds of home owners that are thinking about improving the look of their yard. During the spring, rainwater runoff is inevitable, causing soil erosion and flooding. But there are useful ways to handle the runoff that are beneficial for the environment and your yard during the drier summer months.

In your yard, prior to the construction of your house, rainwater was absorbed and filtered by the plants and trees eventually making its way back in the air through evaporation and transpiration or back down into the water table and eventually into the ocean. After construction, the surface of the house and driveway are impermeable and cause rainwater to runoff in concentrated places eroding the soil and washing pollutants into nearby streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.

Two widely used methods for managing rainwater runoff, are to harvest it from the roof into barrels or to divert it into a rain garden. Harvesting rainwater is a more simple method that works by fixing a barrel to the gutter of the house to catch and store water to use on garden plants. Rain gardens require more work to install but are low maintenance in the long run.

A good example of a rain garden can be found at the Tulalip administration building near the backside of the parking lot. The building’s rain gardens have been used to prevent erosion by catching the parking lot runoff and filtering out the pollutants as the water passes through the soil and natural vegetation.

10822013-11-13 15.18.22 — Marysville rain garden registered with the Puget Sound rain garden initiative.

The Tulalip tribes have begun helping residents to find the most useful way they can to manage their stormwater runoff and are providing informational packets to all Tulalip residents. For more information about rainwater management in your yard and your options, contact Val Streeter in the Tulalip Tribes Natural and Cultural Resources department at 360-716-4629 or email vstreeter@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

For those located off of the Tulalip reservation, the Puget Sound rain garden campaign is helping to install 12,000 rain gardens by 2016. The campaign offers in depth information about rain gardens, incentives in your area and local resources to help you get started. For more information about the Puget Sound rain garden campaign visit the website at http://www.12000raingardens.org/.

Rainwater management options

Driveway Infiltration trench controls stormwater from running off your property by collecting and infiltrate stormwater from your driveway until it soaks into the ground.

Dry well reduces erosion and ponding water by collecting runoff in an underground well structure that allows the water to leach back into the soil slowly.

Pervious walkways, driveways and patios made from material that allows water to seep through cracks while still providing a flat and stable surface.

Rain barrel will reduce stormwater runoff and allows you to use captured water for lawns, gardens and indoor plants.

Rain garden reduces the amount of stormwater coming from you property and recharges your groundwater by capturing stormwater in a bowl-shaped garden that uses soil, mulch, and plants to absorb and treat stormwater before seeping back into the water table.

Vegetated Swale receives drainage from roads, sidewalks and driveways though a shallow channel that slows stormwater runoff and directs it to an area where it can infiltrate through plants that trap sediment and remove pollutants and prevent erosion.

Recipe: Native American Fry-Bread Taco

Source: The Gutsy Gourmet

Fry-bread is a native American all time favorite. It is the “Fry-Bread concessions that have the longest lines at the Pow Wows and Native American Dance and Drum Festivals. Fry-bread and especially fry bread Tacos will vary from tribe to tribe, band to band and family to family. Below is a recipe that is common to the Navajo and neighboring tribes.

INGREDIENTS: MAKES 2 – 4

INGREDIENTS FOR FRY-BREAD MAKES (4 ) “6 – 7″ or (2) 8″ INCH FRY BREADS

● 1 Cup(s) unbleached flour
● ½ Teaspoon(s) Salt
● 5 or more Cup(s) Warm Water
● 1 Tablespoon(s) powdered milk
● 1 ½ Teaspoon(s) baking powder (add another ½ Teaspoon for more rise)
● ½ Cup(s) water
● 2 Cup(s) Cooking Oil for frying

Makes 3-4 fry-bread depending on the size you make the bread.

INGREDIENTS TACO TOPPING SuggestionsSEE COOK’S NOTE

● 1 lb. Ground Drained Hamburger
● 1 Packet Taco Seasoning or use your own recipe (cumin, garlic salt, New Mexico chili powder)
● 1 can Cooked Black Beans or Pinto Beans
● ½ cup corn kernels
● Chopped Tomatoes
● Shredded iceberg Lettuce
● Grated Cheddar Cheese, Monterey pepper Jack, or Mexican cheese.
● Salsa, your favorite blend, red or green, hot or mild (salsa verde goes well)
● Sour Cream

*COOKS NOTE*
Feel free to alter this recipe to your own tastes, especially the topping. Change the salsa, make it hotter or milder, use your favorite beans, use pork, chicken or fish for the meat. Add Jalapeños or Chipotlè or load it up with your favorite cheese.

DIRECTIONS FOR FRY-BREAD:

1. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl together and whisk them together thoroughly.

2. Pour the water over the dry ingredients and stir them together with a fork until the mixture starts to clump up. I used a whisk in the video and that’s OK! to start with but it gets messy when the clumping starts so I have elected to always use the fork in the future.

3. Now while the mixture is still in the bowl flour your hands.

4. Now use your hand or hands and begin rolling the dough or moving it about the bowl to pick up all the excess flour in the bowl to coat the outside of the dough. Don’t knead the dough. You want to form a ball that is well floured on the outside and still doughy on the inside. Kneading this dough will make the resulting product heavy and take away from it’s flexibility and chew. You want the inside of the dough sticky after the ball is formed.

5. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and using your freshly floured hands you can stretch and shape and press the dough into any shape you want. Navajo Taco’s do not have to been perfectly round as they are not a perfect dish. If you want to roll the dough into a ball and use a roller for uniformity that is fine too. Form your dough into 6 to 7 inch rough diameters.

6. Heat your oil in pan. You want a minimum of ½ inch of oil in the pan. The skillet should be 10 -12 inches in diameter. Heat to 375℉.

7. Take your formed dough, and cooking each fry-bread one at a time gently place the dough into the hot oil so you don’t get any splatter.

8. Press your dough down with the flat of your spatula to get the fry bread to submerge in the oil to get some of the hot oil on the top of the dough. You may want to do this a couple of time for each side of the fry-bread.

9. Fry each side until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Make sure they are golden brown on the outside. They will be chewy on the inside.

10. The fry bread you make will stay warm in your oven while you make the filling. Do not heat in the microwave unless you know what you are doing, as this will make the fry-bread tough and impossible to eat.

11. Now this recipe will make 3 to 4 fry 6-7 inch fry-breads. This is for an open face taco. If you want to fold them like a usual taco, you will get two fry-breads about 8 inches in diameter from this recipe.

Recipe: Slow Cooked Three Sisters Chicken

Source: Native American Encyclopedia

Introduction

“The Three Sisters” are part of the traditional fare of Native Tribes in the American Southwest and Mexico. Corn, Beans, and Squash were mainstays because of their high nutrition and ease of storage — making them great for late autumn and winter cooking!

This recipe is sized for a MINI, 1 qt. crock pot. You’ll need to double it for a traditional crock pot.

Minutes to Prepare: 15
Minutes to Cook: 200
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thighs (bone in or boneless, either is fine)
8 oz. cubed butternut squash (I suggest getting the pre-cubed kind!)
1 cup great northern beans (if dry, soak them overnight before using them in this recipe)
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. each cumin, oregano, and chili powder
1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and allspice
1/2 tsp. habanero sauce, optional

Directions

Whisk the broth, salsa, garlic, and seasonings together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the beans in the bottom of the crock pot. Layer the chicken breasts on top, followed by the butternut squash. Pour the broth over all.

Cook in the slow cooker over low heat for 5 hours. When there’s just 30 minutes of cooking time left, add in the corn kernels and let them heat up.

This stew is great on its own, but feel free to serve with a nice salad and either cornbread or (even better!) fresh flatbread.

Makes 4 servings of one chicken thigh with 3/4 cup of stew.

P.S. Lots of people will want to replace the chicken thighs with breasts. DON’T DO IT! Chicken breasts have no fat or connective tissue, so they get really dry and chewy when cooked for 5 hours. Chicken thighs are loaded with collagen, which makes the meat fall-off-the-bone tender when slow cooked. Plus, they have way more iron than breasts!

Spring Nettle harvesting at Tulalip

Spring Nettle harvesting Photos by Francesca Hillary

Tulalip News Facebook, March 12, 2014

TULALIP, WA – Inez Bill, coordinator of Rediscovery programs at the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, took a few helpers to harvest early spring Nettle on Bluff Road in Tulalip.

She was joined by Tulalip tribal members Derek Houle and Lauw-YA Spencer. Lauw-YA, a summer youth worker in the Rediscovery program in 2012, discovered she loves to be in the forest helping to gather cultural items.

Nettles are rich in vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium and Inez uses them in recipes such as the famous “Hibulb bread” and even in a Fettuccini pasta dish, using nettles which she calls “nesto” instead of pesto.

Rainwater Management at Tulalip

Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources is hosting three workshops on rainwater management, beginning Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Spring is here

Indian Plum, also known as Oso Berry or Oemleria cerasiformis, is one of the first native plants to bloom each spring.

By Niki Cleary, Tulalip News

Although we’re hearing predictions of snow this weekend, if you look, there are signs of spring everywhere. Many people see cherry blossoms as one of the first signs, however, here at Tulalip we look for Indian Plum and other native plants. The above photo was taken in my back yard. Along with the lengthening day, these small bits of green tell us that spring is here.

Hoopa Howcast: An Antioxidant-Packed Stir Fry of Trumpet, Kale and Salmon

YouTubeMeagan Baldy is changing Native eating habits one video at a time. — YouTube
Meagan Baldy is changing Native eating habits one video at a time.

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

From her home kitchen, Meagan Baldy, director of the Hoopa Community Garden, is teaching people how to cook meals with local, Native ingredients. Baldy launched her cooking series in fall 2013 on YouTube and Facebook to promote healthy lifestyles and agricultural sustainability in her community and throughout Indian country.

This week’s menu features black trumpet, kale and salmon stir fry—all sourced from local Native businesses or the Hoopa Food Distribution Program and Vegi Club shares—a Community Supported Agriculture.

She promotes leafy greens and superfoods, like kale and trumpets, as well as wild fish and game.

“Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin E; they’re full of antioxidants,” Baldy says on her most recent video. “They have a lot of qualities good for us if you’re trying to loose weight; they are a metabolic booster,” she tells viewers. Holding up the kale, she explains it’s a good source of iron.

“I like to take comfort foods we’re used to preparing and add fresh new ingredients,” Baldy told the Two Rivers Tribune. “You have the familiar flavors, plus something new and nutritious.”

Over the past six years, Baldy has converted the diet of her family. “My family, especially my husband, was the meat and potatoes type of family,” Baldy said. “But now they all love kale. They know it goes well with everything. Now they love to promote it, and other healthy foods just as much as I do.”

Beyond her weekly cookng show, Baldy can be found in the Hoopa at K’ima:w Medical Center’s Diabetes Program, and leading short cooking lessons at Hoopa Elementary School. She’s even got some students hooked on kale smoothies, she told the Two Rivers Tribune.

Baldy’s videos are filmed in collaboration with Hoopa Food Distribution, the Klamath-Trinity Resource Conservation District, Hoopa Food Policy Council, K’ima:w Medical Center, Hupa Resource Center and other organizations. Check out her YouTube channel here.

Greenhouse Blessing at Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center, Feb 12

The Greenhouse Blessing is tomorrow from 10-12pm. It is a special opportunity to gather together and bless the work of many hands!