Gardening on the Rez

       
                                                      FLOWER OF THE WEEK
We see these pretty yellow flowers most everywhere we go. In poor conditions they are small but where they have water and better soil they are quite tall.  I like them because they remind me of the flowers my mother used to grow she called golden glow.



                      NAVAJO-HOPI PROVIDENT LIVING/FOOD INITIATIVE PROGRAM
This is the third year for the project sponsored by the Churchs' humanitarian program and the second year in the Chinli Stake. It is for members or non-members of our church. Next year will be the last year that materials for gardens will be provided. We as missionaries are working with the leaders in the wards and branches to organize the local people to run the program. There are ten couples in the mission who are gardening missionaries who come for six months. In the Chinli Stake(our stake)we do not have gardening missionaries so we do gardening plus all the other work missionaries do.  In our branch we have 35 gardens 12 of which have done very well and 9 that produced some.  Water is the biggest problem. Some have to haul water in tanks and they often don't have a running vehicle or gas to put in it. For some its a 20 mile one way run for water.

Gardening season is at its best with most everything producing. Here is one of the best gardens. This is its second year. Last year it did great so this year the three sisters that live near wanted one too. They all had producing gardens this year. You can see this Navajo is proud of his garden and he should be.

This is one of the sisters holding a squash. She has tomatoes, squash, watermelon, potatoes, carrots all being eaten daily.  When we visited Sarah she was roasting a couple of cobs of corn on a little grill over the burner of her electric stove.

These are two of our favorite ladies. They always have a smile and a laugh. We were visiting and they mentioned a beet was blooming. Looking at it I could tell there were radishes among the beet plants. They were quite delighted that they had radishes. These ladies haul water and then Alice uses a wagon and buckets to carry water and put some on each plant. They have about thirty squash plants and Alice delights in being able to give squash to people who stop by.

This is one of the gardens suffering because of lack of water. An Indian corn field is next to the garden.

This garden has clay soil and water needs to be hauled so it did not do well but there was still squash and some small watermelon in it.

Elder Lybbert in our demo garden. The watermelons and squash are ripe and the corn is on!

Favorites of the native people is corn and squash. The corn they like to roast. This is a one type of stove they use. A fire is built inside and when the coals are warm the corn is placed inside. Some have fields of Indian corn and when it is ripe they dig a big pit to roast it in. After roasting some is eaten and some is dried for stew in the wintertime.
Squash is usually cut up and fried and can be fried with some mutton or beef. It is also used in mutton stew.

This week as we go and visit the people we have been able to take produce to give them.  Those who do not have a garden are excited to get the corn and squash. Some who were not too sure about growing a garden changed their minds when things started to produce and they realized it really was possible.  Growing corn, melons and squash is traditional for the Navajo but not many of the younger generation have tried it. We are often told of the big corn fields the parents or grandparents had and there are still old fences where they were.

Love to all,
Elder and Sister Lybbert