Thread by @LakotaMan1

First introduced to North America 2000 years prior to colonization, this pomegranate looking Dent Corn was once an Indigenous food staple. It’s ruby red color is from nutritious beta-carotene that it’s packed with. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Dent Corn, like all corn, was first cultivated by Indigenous growers in Meso-America. Through an intricate system of ancient trade routes it was introduced to North America 2000 years ago. Corn, beans and squash are collectively known to many Native tribes as the Three Sisters.

‘The 3 Sisters — Corn stalks offer climbing bean vines support as they reach for sunlight from the earth. The beans, in turn, pump nitrogen back into the soil, fertilizing the corn and squash, while the squash's broad, spiny leaves protect the bean plants from predatory animals.’