A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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by Melinda Myers Another summer of above-normal summer temperatures in much of the country may be taking its toll on your vegetable gardens. Temperature extremes can interfere with flowering and fruit set, resulting in poor flowering, blossom drop, and a lack of or misshapen fruit on tomatoes, peppers, squash, and more. The impact of temperature on plants depends on the stage of the plant’s development. Plants ready to flower or developing fruit during times of optimum temperatures will be fine but plants that are ready to flower or develop f...
by Melinda Myers Low in calories and versatile, cucumbers can flavor beverages, perk up a salad, served as a snack, or made into pickles. This popular vegetable is a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin K. Plus, they have a high water content, making them a mild diuretic to help in weight loss and reduce blood pressure. To ensure the best flavor and greatest nutritional value, grow your own or purchase cucumbers fresh from the farmer's market. Harvest cucumbers or purchase them based on...
by Melinda Myers You can double the benefit of every gardening task while keeping your garden looking its best. You'll reduce your workload, help your landscape flourish, and have more time to enjoy its beauty. Don't spend time and energy bagging and hauling landscape trimmings to the recycling center. Put it to work in your garden. Use shredded leaves, evergreen needles, herbicide-free grass clippings, or other pest- and weed-free organic material as mulch. Spread a one-to-two-inch layer of these materials over the soil around annual and...
by Melinda Myers No matter the weather, weeds seem to thrive and reproduce, and if left unchecked, they can overwhelm the garden and gardener. These unwanted plants find their way into your garden as seeds, roots, rhizomes, or whole plants. Seeds can be carried in by the wind, birds, and other animals, or on the soles of shoes. Roots, rhizomes, and even plants hitch a ride in the soil or with plants that we move into the garden. Start early managing weeds in your garden. Smaller weeds are easier to pull and removing them before they flower and...
by Melinda Myers Have fun growing some delicious and nutritious microgreens on your kitchen counter, in a sunny window, or under lights any time of the year. In as little as a week to ten days you'll be making your first harvest to use as a garnish, snack, or add to your favorite sandwich or salad. Simply purchase seeds of lettuce, greens, mustard, radishes, beets, peas, and even sunflowers. Buy organic seeds or those labeled for sprouting or use as microgreens to ensure they have not been...
By Doug George-Kanentiio. Akwesasne has a long history of inclusion from the relocation of the Massachusetts born Tarbell brothers in the 1750's to the current population which includes Natives from many nations: Navajo, Onondaga, Anishinaabe, and many others. The area has long sustained a Native presence for many thousands of years. The Mohawks took advantage of the natural beauty and its wealth of natural resources from the vast forests of pine, oak and maple to the best fishing grounds in the northeast part of the continent. Given its...
by Melinda Myers Expand your planting space, grow a living screen, or add vertical interest to your garden beds. Train vines up a decorative support, onto a fence, or allow them to climb a trellis set in front of a wall or structure. Pole beans, peas, Malabar spinach, cucumbers, melons, and squash are all edible candidates for growing vertically. Training these vegetables up a support saves space in the garden. Plus, the increase in light and airflow through vertically trained plants helps...
by Melinda Myers Boost the flavor and beauty of your landscape by adding a few ornamental edible plants to your garden beds and containers. Look for opportunities to substitute ornamental vegetables, fruit, herbs, and edible flowers for ornamental but nonedible plants. A hanging basket of semi-determinate tomatoes like Lizzano and Torenzo or Pot-a-Peno peppers can dress up a deck or porch and keep the harvest within reach. Peppers like Quickfire and Cayenetta hot peppers, and sweet ones like...
After so many months of winter whiteness, it’s a relief to watch the snow recede at last. We’re always grateful for the spring melt, even though the loss of snow cover gives way to a mostly brown world: brown grass, sand everywhere along the roads, and brown needles under the pines. Not to mention the brown leaves we missed last fall, and maybe the dog poop that had built up, mercifully hidden under the snow. The few sepia-toned weeks after the white stuff disappears, but before trees and grass wake up, can be visually bleak. That’s proba...
by Melinda Myers Have fun and enjoy picking fresh fruit right outside your door thanks to compact varieties you can grow in containers. Just clear some space on your patio, deck, balcony, or front steps that receives at least six hours of sunlight and get busy planting. Consider starting with strawberries. They provide seasonal interest with their white flowers, red berries, and brilliant fall color. Day-neutral and everbearing strawberries produce fruit throughout the summer and grow well in...
by Melinda Myers Make some room in your garden or containers for the new All-America Selections 2024 National award-winning plants. These winning varieties are tested in trial gardens across the United States and Canada. Volunteer judges rate entries based on their improved performance, flavor, disease resistance, and other unique qualities related to their performance in gardens and containers. Celosia burning embers was selected for its bronze foliage with dark pink veins that contrasts with i...
By Doug George-Kanentiio. In the early 1980’s Akwesasne the community was broken into factions, the result of sharp differences of opinion and policy with regards to jurisdiction, economic development, land claims and politics. The ‘elected systems” had their ideas as to what was best for the people while those who supported the “traditional” council were deeply concerned that serious compromises were being made with regards what exactly what was meant by sovereignty. Major changes were also affecting Akwesasne beginning with a shift from a re...
by Melinda Myers Spring cleaning, indoors and out, is a long-standing tradition for many households. But as we learn more about the important pollinators, insect-eating toads, songbirds, and beneficial insects, the more we realize we need to adjust some of our timing and methods. It is safe to remove winter protection, such as mulch, when the temperatures begin hovering around freezing or your plants are beginning to sprout. Keep some frost protection handy just in case you need to protect any...
by Melinda Myers Anytime is a great time to add a few houseplants to your home. Adding greenery indoors expands your gardening opportunities and provides the many benefits of living with and tending plants. It can boost your mood and reduce stress while adding beauty or nutritious food to your home. Increase productivity and creativity by including plants in your home or work office. Greenery helps reduce stress even when working at your desk or tackling homework at the end of a long day. Set a...
By Melinda Myers. Keep your green thumb in shape this winter while getting a jump on the growing season by starting your favorite or hard-to-find plants indoors. It's fun, simpler than you think, and can help stretch your plant budget. Start with some clean containers that you purchase, recycle, or make from newspapers. Be sure to add drainage holes to any repurposed yogurt or similar containers you are using for starting seeds to avoid waterlogged soil. Always clean used pots by soaking them in...
by Melinda Myers Chocolates and roses are synonymous with Valentine's Day. They are always a welcome gift but maybe this is the year you decide to give your Valentine something different. Consider an indoor plant with heart-shaped leaves or flowers. Anthuriums are an easy-to-grow long blooming indoor plant. The red, pink, or white heart-shaped flowers rise above glossy green leaves. Grow it in a brightly lit location out of direct sunlight and water when the soil is slightly dry. Heart-shaped...
As condoled leadership, there are specific responsibilities we are entrusted with in order to uphold the peace, they are as follows: Work for the unborn by ensuring that good decisions we make today effect tehatikonhsatonkie, those whose faces are yet in the ground. Works for the three principles which are: Kanikonhrí:io (a good mind) Skén:nen (peace) Kahsatsténhsera (power) Skin is 7 spans thick: Must listen to the people and cannot be offended or angry at their words. Cannot take sides. Must be able to weigh matters as not to disrupt the pe...
POTSDAM, NY – Feelings of depression, anxiety, or trouble focusing are not concerns faced by adults alone, children may also experience such emotions. February is Youth Mental Health Awareness Month, and while many people may correctly associate ADD or ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) as the main childhood behavioral health diagnosis, there are, in fact, several others. "Over the past couple of years, rates of anxiety and depression have significantly increased, and this trend i...
by Melinda Myers Just like us, insects spend their winters in different locations. Unlike us, they spend their winters in different stages of development. Some may overwinter as adults, others in their immature stage as grubs, caterpillars, or nymphs, while others will be in the pupal stage like a chrysalis or cocoon. Understanding their lifecycle and location can help us support beneficial insects while managing problem insect pests. Invite beneficial insects like lady beetles, parasitic...
By Paul Hetzler In her poem “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves,” Emily Dickinson lauds the sublime beauty of snow – gossamer flakes that garnish a forest, wispy grains that infiltrate nooks and crannies, and wind-sculpted rings of snow around fence posts. Given that the poet lived in a time before cars and stayed in her bedroom for 20 years, she never had to shovel snow, trudge through it, or drive in it. One is less apt to admire “alabaster wool” when the plow wings a mountain of it onto the driveway you just shoveled. Snow does a lot more than make...
Akwesasne is a unique community with many different perspectives and opportunities regarding governance, but one unified constant is that the leadership is beholden to the community. This means there is a high expectation that leadership is accountable to the community and that the community can and should start questioning when leadership makes questionable choices to block or impede good governance. I have searched for community government documents like council resolutions. To my surprise, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council has many of...
By Doug George-Kanentiio. The two community meetings held this past December about the impending land claims settlement revealed not only wide dissatisfaction with the proposal but also the need for the Mohawk Nation to transform back into an actual functioning government. As it now stands the Nation Council conducts the cycle of ceremonies which are done with enthusiasm and skill; they are well organized and have become central to the preservation of a distinct Indigenous identity drawing people from across Akwesasne and far beyond. But, as I...
by Melinda Myers Add a fresh look and fragrance to your holidays with a potted Rosemary plant. This favorite herb of cooks, crafters, and gardeners can be sheared into the shape of a wreath, small tree or orb and found at garden centers and florists. The pine scent and attractive foliage make it a wonderful addition to the holidays. It adds nice color, texture, and fragrance to any room or holiday decor. Add a bow and decorative pot for the perfect hostess or holiday gift. Rosemary was as...
By Doug George-Kanentiio At a public gathering at the Mohawk Nation longhouse on December 3rd the latest version of the land claims settlement was reviewed and commented upon in accordance with the traditional customs and procedures. Beginning with the recitation of the Ohenton Karihwatehkwen, the people were encouraged to stand and speak but to do so with respect and patience. Tobacco was set to fire to express gratitude for the opportunity to address this critical issue while calling for clarity in thinking, in an effort to reach consensus, n...
By Melinda Myers Add a bit of greenery to your front steps, window box or patio with a winter container garden. You'll find all the ingredients you need at your local garden center, craft store, and maybe even a few in your backyard. Start with a walk through your yard and look for evergreens and other potential ingredients for your winter containers. Fruits like rose hips, winterberries, holly berries, crabapples and others add color to the container. Fluffy seedheads of grasses make a nice...
