Congratulations,
Damar!
The 477 Self-Sufficiency Program
and the Portland Area Office would like
to congratulate Siletz Tribal member
Damar Lawrence on earning his GED.
We are so proud of you and wish
you the best of luck in your future.
Courtesy photo
Damar Lawrence and his grandmother,
Jolyne Downey
CTSI Jobs
Tribal employment information
is available at ctsi.nsn.us.
Note: “Open Until Filled” vacan-
cies may close at any time. The
Tribe’s Indian Preference policy will
apply. Tribal government will not
discriminate in selection because of
race, creed, age, sex, color, national
origin, physical handicap, mari-
tal status, politics, membership or
non-membership in an employee
organization.
CTSI constantly is looking
for temporary employees to cover
vacancy, vacations, maternity leave
and extended sick leave. If you are
looking for temporary work that can
last from 2-12 weeks, please submit
an application for the temp pool.
When I nurture plants, they nurture me
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz
Tribal Head Start Nutrition
As part of my role as a consultant
nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I
offer information for families. This seg-
ment examines how we may benefit by
nurturing our relationships with plants.
At the risk of being too personal, dur-
ing a period of intense grieving I engaged
in garden therapy. It was, in fact, the only
thing I was capable of doing.
I needed to be surrounded by plants.
I weeded, trimmed, moved plants to new
locations and harvested food for days
while nothing else got done. I worried
about the many other things that seemed
important, but I just couldn’t do them.
The garden was the only place I could
find peace.
During this time, I realized that as I
cared for the plants, they cared for me. It
was somewhat spiritual, yet it was also
nutritional!
Think about it – we need plants for
life. They help exchange carbon dioxide
and oxygen to help us breathe.
They bring us health by providing
nutrients (vitamins, minerals, calories and
more), antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Food plants can be quite delicious and
quite beautiful. Some of us also feel a
spiritual connection with plants.
We have many lessons and many
choices in our co-creation (or our coop-
erating relationship) when we care for
plants. Because my experience with plants
is personal, I refer to plants as mine (even
though I realize that they aren’t truly mine).
First of all, I feel strongly about using
natural practices and finding balance for
the health of the plants (and me).
I compost and nourish my soil with
it, which in turn nourishes my plants. The
soil food web is extraordinary with plant
decomposition enriching the soil to support
growth of vibrant foods. (soilfoodweb.com/)
I do not use herbicides or pesticides
that are not natural or OMRI approved.
The Organic Materials Review Institute
4
•
Siletz News
•
was created to help farmers select prod-
ucts and materials that are consistent with
organic agriculture.
The truth is that I rarely buy for-
mulated materials to add to my soil or
compost. (Well, I confess, early in plant-
ing I occasionally use slug bait [OMRI
approved] because otherwise I might not
get any viable plants.) (omri.org/omri-lists)
By the way, ducks or chickens help
create balance as they like to eat the slugs
while also fertilizing the soil.
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum sys-
temic herbicide used to kill weeds, espe-
cially broadleaf weeds and grasses that
compete with crops. Roundup is one of
the many products containing glyphosate.
An increasing number of crops, such
as Roundup Ready soybean, have been
genetically engineered to be tolerant of
glyphosate, which allows application on
and around the plants to kill the weeds and
allow the chosen plant to survive. Glypho-
sate use raises many concerns about health
effects on humans and the environment.
I believe this is scary stuff. If you eat
these treated plants, you ingest glyphosate,
which is believed to change the health
of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is
associated with fatigue as well as many
other possible diseases. Beware of what
may happen if you put these food products
in your compost! (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
glyphosate)
Organic practices are one solution to
the glyphosate problems. Research also
shows that organic fruits and vegetables
are higher in phytochemicals than their
non-organic (conventional) counterparts.
Phytochemicals are produced by
plants primarily to ward off pests and
disease, and these compounds also happen
to be beneficial to human health. Interest-
ingly, when we eat the plants, they also
protect us with health-promoting proper-
ties. Furthermore, organic foods may be
more nutrient-dense (more nutrients per
calorie). (organic-center.org/)
Organic foods not only prohibit
genetic engineering and the above-named
glyphosates, but they also do not allow
October 2016
use of irradiation and the application of
sewage sludge on crops (which may con-
tain toxins).
The term organic refers not only to the
food itself, but also to how it is produced
and processed.
It is based on a system of farming that
mimics natural ecosystems and replen-
ishes the fertility and nutrients of the
soil. It integrates cultural, biological and
mechanical practices that foster cycling
of resources, promote ecological balance
and conserve biodiversity. (ams.usda.gov/
grades-standards/organic-standards; this
link is not light reading, these are the
actual standards.)
When we grow plants, whether for
food or another purpose, we can observe
and connect with the stages of life and
follow the energy of the plant.
For example, when a beet grows,
both the leaves and the root can be eaten.
Generally the energy moves from seed to
leaves early on and then it moves to the
root (tap root) as it grows bigger. The
leaves generally are eaten when the beets
are small for vital energy and flavor.
With broccoli, the energy moves from
the seed to the leaves to the broccoli stalks.
If they are not picked, they flower and later
produce seed. The broccoli flowers (and
other mustard family flowers) are edible
and delicious when added to salads.
The flower buds can be stir-fried.
When broccoli seeds are sprouted to eat,
they have high concentrations of health-
promoting substances. (en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/broccoli_sprouts)
There is power in seeds! Not only
are some seeds the food that is eaten,
they also are the source of future growth.
Seeds are sacred and when we let our
plants go to seed, we respect the plant’s
need to reproduce. We can collect the
seed and be less dependent on buying
them. (rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/
beginners-guide-seed-saving)
Some of my neighbors have said that
my garden is messy or that I waste food
when my plants (especially the artichokes)
flower and seed. I beg to differ.
Courtesy photo
Nancy Ludwig
Bees frequent the flowers, as do hum-
mingbirds. I show reverence for the cycle of
life. In turn, the plants bless me with seeds
for another season (or to share or trade with
someone else in a seed exchange).
Plants nurture me when I choose to
grow them in healthy ways or to purchase
them from organic or sustainable farms.
They nurture me physically when I eat
them. They also nurture my soul when I
participate in the cycle of life.
Siletz Tribal Head Start offers my
time at no cost to you to support family
nutrition over the telephone. Please con-
tact me if you have nutrition concerns
about your Head Start child.
