Thankful for the bounty of the land
“O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties,
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee…”
-“America the Beautiful”
Katharine Lee Bates wrote these words in 1893 after visiting Pikes Peak in Colorado, inspired by the breathtaking mountain vistas and expansive fields she saw before her. Her references to the “amber waves of grain” and “fruited plain” are poetic homages to the nation’s rich agricultural bounty. This time of year, even the most casual backyard gardeners are often in awe at the abundance of tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers the earth provides. With purple-stained fingers and a couple of buckets filled-to-the-brim with blueberries at my favorite pick-your-own spot, I’m also overflowing with gratitude for the land’s generous yield!
It’s not a coincidence, perhaps, that so many of our patriotic songs were written about the land. For thousands of years, Native Americans cultivated and celebrated this land’s fruitfulness, receiving the gifts of mother earth with reverence. St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint whose feast we celebrate on July 14, also bore witness to a deep love for and care for the land in her own life. She often spent time praying in the woods, and fashioned crosses out of simple sticks. Her faith and her love of nature were inseparably intertwined. For this reason, she has been given the designation of patron of ecology, indigenous peoples and care for creation.
As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we also have a moment to consider and give thanks for the great abundance provided by our beautiful homeland. This month’s recipe features several ingredients that are indigenous to the United States and which are staples in a number of Native American cuisines: blueberries (found across North America), wild rice (known in Ojibwe as manoomin) and corn. As you savor this tasty salad (a perfect side for 4th of July picnics!), offer up your own poetic words of thanksgiving for this beautiful land we are blessed to call home.
Corn Blueberry Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 6 ears sweet corn, husked (or 1½ c. frozen corn)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 small cucumber, finely diced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup cooked, cooled wild rice (or wild rice blend)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 TBSP. honey or maple syrup
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In large pot, bring salted water to boil. Add ears of corn. Blanch 3 min., then dunk into ice water to stop cooking and preserve crunch. Drain, cut corn from cobs.
- In serving bowl, combine corn, pepper, onion, cucumber, blueberries and rice.
- In screw-top jar, make dressing by combining lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and ½ t. salt. Cover, shake well to combine.
- Add to salad, mix well.
- Cover salad, refrigerate one hour minimum. Best flavor when chilled overnight or up to 24 hours. Add cilantro just before serving.
