Vegetables Indigenous to North America

Larry Caola, Dakota County Master Gardener Intern
and Julie Harris, Dakota County Master Gardener

Interest in native or indigenous plants, including fruits and vegetables, is on the rise as people begin to understand how these plants promote both a healthy environment and a healthy diet. This article will explore some of the vegetables that are indigenous to North America, including Minnesota. But first, let’s define some terms. Indigenous vegetables are defined as “locally-produced (usually within traditional systems), socially and culturally accepted as local foods, and eaten by previous generations or introduced for a very long time.” https://www.ishs.org/ishs-article/1102_27. “A plant is “native” if it has occurred naturally for thousands of years in a region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. https://www.nwf.org/Native-Plant-Habitats/Plant-Native/Why-Native. Minnesota is home to a wide range of native and indigenous plants and vegetables each with many different cultivars.

An important source for indigenous plants in Minnesota is a work by Frances Densmore - Plants Used by the Chippewa Indians, originally published in 1927 and later retitled How the Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts. Densmore documented nearly 200 plants and their uses for food, medicine, dyes, charms, and crafts. Her work offered a firsthand look at the plants used by Indigenous communities across Minnesota. For example, she recorded the use of Spreading Dogbane for heart issues and Chokecherry bark for stomach ailments—remedies later validated by U.S. pharmacological references. Her contributions remain deeply influential today. (See references below.) While it’s easy to find general references to staple crops like beans, squash, and corn, it is more difficult to uncover exact cultivars. Densmore’ book is an excellent source for this research.

More recently, many organizations are attempting to identify and save seeds that are indigenous to North America. In Minnesota, environmentalist and Native American activist Winona LaDuke initiated the White Earth Land Recovery Project to protect indigenous seeds, help the community to overcome type-2 diabetes and also strengthen the community’s spiritual and cultural heritage. Other organizations that are working to catalog and conserve indigenous seeds are Seed Savers Exchange and Slow Food International’s Ark of Taste.

One organization, Food Tank, has compiled a list 20 foods that are indigenous to the people in North America. Some foods on this list are familiar and some or not: but all are interesting.

Acorns (California native oak trees)
American Persimmon
Wild Rice (Anishinaabe Manoomin)
Bay of Fundy Dulse (a red seaweed from Canada)
Blue Camas (Pacific Northwest, root vegetable)
Candy Roaster Squash (Appalachian Mountain native)
Chaya (native to Yucatan Peninsula, evergreen plant)
Chiltepin Pepper (southern U.S., very spicy)
Cholla Cactus Flower Buds (southwestern U.S.)
Garambullo (central Mexico, sweet red or purple fruit)
Highbush Cranberry (native to Alberta, Canada)
Mesquite Beans (southwestern U.S.)
Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads (northeastern North America)
Pawpaws (largest edible fruit in North America)
Ramon seed (superfood used by Mayans)
Roy’s Calais Flint Corn (northern U.S. and Canada)
Seminole Pumpkin (native to the Everglades)
Tehucan Amaranth (indigenous to the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico)
Tepary Beans (southwestern U.S.)
Wild Ramps (wild onions native to eastern North America)

Indigenous vegetables that are more familiar locally include beans, corn and squash. One traditional method of growing these crops is known as the “Three Sisters.” The term “Three Sisters” refers to corn, squash, and beans traditionally grown together using intercropping techniques. These plants support one another: corn offers structure, beans enrich the soil with nitrogen, and squash shades the ground to retain moisture and suppress weeds. This method has been used for generations, and studies have confirmed its effectiveness. Three Sisters plots have shown significantly better soil health—including higher CO₂ respiration and nitrate levels—compared to monoculture plantings.

Corn – Red Lake Corn

One variety native to Minnesota is Red Lake Corn, cultivated by the Red Lake Ojibwe along Red Lake’s southern shores. This eight-rowed corn features mixed white and blue kernels, occasionally with red. It’s a distinct and culturally significant variety grown by skilled Indigenous farmers.

Beans – Pole beans

Cherokee Trail of Tears pole bean. The Cherokee people carried these beans with them during their forced removal from their ancestral lands, highlighting their importance as a source of sustenance and cultural identity. For purposes of the Three Sisters, look for varieties that will grow up and wrap around corn stalks. Many varieties with roots in North America are available.

Squash – Cucurbita maxima

Cucurbita maxima, one of the five cultivated squash species, originated over 4,000 years ago in South America. Though it favors warmer climates, some varieties have historically been grown in cooler regions like Minnesota. Frances Densmore referenced it as a basic but important food source.

This long-vining plant needs full sun, fertile soil, and space to spread. Its seeds also have medicinal uses, and the fruit is versatile—great for soups, roasting, or baking. Some varieties are even grown for ornament or livestock feed.

Squash, Cucurbita maxima — Squash, *Cucurbita maxima*

If you are interested in growing heirloom vegetables indigenous to North America, look for Native seed companies like Seedsavers Exchange. For more information about indigenous vegetables, take a look at the references below.

References

https://foodtank.com/news/2016/07/indigenous-foods-historically-and-culturally-important-to-north-americ/

https://www.gardenary.com/blog/what-crops-are-actually-native-to-north-america

https://www.nwf.org/Native-Plant-Habitats/Plant-Native/Why-Native

https://www.ishs.org/ishs-article/1102_27

https://friendsofeloisebutler.org/pages/history/densmore.html

https://www.redwingminnesota.org/dakota-densmore

https://www.mnopedia.org/person/densmore-frances-1867-1957

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/151430#page/1/mode/1up

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/files/research/files/farmreports-12307-herrighty.pdf

https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/11/24/returning-the-three-sisters-corn-beans-and-squash-to-native-american-farms-nourishes-people-land-and-cultures/

https://top10plantsmn.umn.edu/10-plants/corn