Six Nations International Dinner

June 23rd was our last International Dinner for the 2011/2012 year. Folks had been asking for a Native dinner and I thought it would be a great way to end the year.

This dinner celebrated the Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca & Tuscarora.  The evening's contributions came to 170 pounds, with the total from the four dinners equalling 428 pounds, exceeding last year's total of 412 pounds from six dinners!

My friends Stephanie and Sam helped me prepare for this dinner by connecting me with all sorts of extraordinary people, information, resources, music and concepts. Things I had never thought of before because of ignorance, because of the lack of true information.

As it was to be an especially busy weekend I had difficulty securing someone to share. I was fortunate though to connect with Allan Jamieson Sr. and his son of Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe.

I explained to them how important it was to have a representative, saying,

"I've had bands come who showed off their unique instruments and then played a few round and I'd like to keep doing that since those moments were and are so well loved."

They were eager to help! Allan Jamieson Jr. came with wampum, a headdress, maps, a water drum and so many other things. He sang, told stories and shared the rich history of the peoples of the Six Nations.

Over 48 people gathered for this final dinner. The food and company was amazing and I was astounded by the questions and comments.

The menu included:


Three Sisters Soup (vegan) - white Indian corn, green beans, butternut squash, veggie stock, light roux







Corn Soup - (4) pork hock, salt pork, kidney beans, Indian corn, water

Wild rice with maple syrup, blueberries and strawberries (vegan)











Scon (vegan) - fry bread - With homemade strawberry preserves

Corn Bread (vegan) - Polenta style with kidney beans, poached in maple syrup

Strawberry drink (vegan) - Hulled, sliced, mashed with water and organic raw sugar

Roasted Venison - With blueberries sauce salt and pepper

We also featured the strawberry. A medicine plant. We had it in drink form, hulled and cut fresh, in rice and as homemade preserves. The strawberries were donated by friends Dave and Michael, Kate and Kevin, and the Lexington Co-op!

I had Stephanie, her aunt Cindy and another good friend Kate, help me in the kitchen and I was thankful for the many hands and happy voices!










Here is Allan sharing the story of Mary Jemison.

Here he shares a New Women's Shuffle song and a story of how the Bear Clan became keepers of the knowledge of medicinal plants.

I want to extend my special heartfelt gratitude to Allan and his father, Stephanie and her Aunt Cindy, Sam Hill and his mother Lois for contributing to the success of this dinner. Without their willingness to speak on their heritage, personal experiences and to share their unique perspectives, this would not have been possible.

I also want to thank all of you who continue to come to these with an open mind and a ready hand and heart!

I will be continuing these dinners next year. The line up will be: Austria, Japan, India, France, Greece and Mexico.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

 This jam is made with strawberries that were frozen, rather than fresh. I just like the texture better, my personal preference, however I encourage you to try making this with fresh berries.

This jam is sweet and tart and perfect for any use, not just on toast. It's a very soft jam and easily spreadable. I highly recommend this with a sharp goat cheese on garlicky crisps.

8 cups washed and hulled strawberries (Hulling means to remove the whitish-greenish center where the stem sits.) This is about 1 1/2 pounds of fruit, cut in half if the berries are large.

5 cups of jam sugar, though to be honest any sugar works just as well.

1/4 tsp butter

5 tbls balsamic vinegar

Place the strawberries in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.


Once the strawberries are boiling, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. The sugar tends to burn so make sure to stir well, scraping up the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil again and then add the butter, which will keep the foam down.

Turn the heat down and simmer the jam for 40 minutes until thickened. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Bring 6 half pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars using tongs. Simmer the lids in a small pan, to soften the rubber flange.

When the jars are dry but still hot, use a slotted spoon to fill the jars with the thickened berries leaving 3/4 inch of headspace to allow for pressure to build during the canning process.

Use the last jar for just remaining juice, to which you can add more balsamic vinegar for use as a salad dressing or for marinading meat, chicken, fish or vegetables.

Wipe the rims, set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Place the jars in the rack in the large pot and add enough water to cover the jars with about 3 inches of water. Cover and bring the pot to a boil, then to lower the heat to medium for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and after 5 minutes, remove the jars. Set them on a dish towel on the counter and let sit undisturbed for six hours.

Sometime during the first hour your lids will make a pop noise, signaling that they're sealed. After six hours press on the lids, they shouldn't move at all. If they push in, they're not sealed. Try again with a new lid. These will last stored in a cool dark place for up to a year, though with how this tastes I don't see how they would last a month! Refrigerate after you open the jar.

Day 1 - Strawberry Vinaigrette Chicken with Quinoa and Salad

Breakdown of cost for this meal.

Strawberry Vinaigrette (Homemade) $0.95

Quinoa $1.78
Chicken Thighs from Wendel's Poultry Farm $2.38
Cherry Berry Dried Fruit Mix from Singer Farms $1.15

Wild Greens from Native Offerings $1.30

Red Leaf Lettuce from Eden $0.85

Cherokee Tomatoes from our garden 

Sunflower oil from Full Circle Farming $0.25

Extra Sharp Cheddar from Cuba Lake $1.81

Total cost for four servings = $10.47

Make the quinoa like rice - 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of quinoa. Pan fry chicken thighs in Strawberry Vinaigrette until browned, about 20 minutes. Salad is wild greens, tomatoes, dried fruit, cheddar, and strawberry jam juice.