Honk if you’re corny
Growing some crops west of the Cascades can be a gamble most years. I’ll let the photos tell the story of this summer of flint corn production on our Century Farm.
May 29th seems like such a long time ago…
Then early June.
By mid-June the broilers were marching by the corn.
In August we had terrible heat, breaking some records and scorching the corn a bit.
In mid August, the swallows were using the corn as a vantage point.
The heat of early August gave way to more temperate weather as the corn ripened.
By early September the cover crop was well on its way to becoming the youthful, and tender crop.
While we kept checking for signs that the corn was drying a bit, and was getting ready to harvest before the fall rains came.
Now that the rains are here for good, it is time to finish drying the corn. On raw days like this, sitting in front of the cook stove is a good place for farmers and their curious helpers.
Another season under our belts!
Now I better stoke that fire 
Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
Honk…is that all decorative or is some of it popcorn? We tried growing popcorn last year but we started it too late, harvested to early, and did not realize it was suppose to dry for a year…oops. I buy it from a local market. Kids put the whole ear and a paper bag in the microwave for a couple minutes. Puts a whole meaning into microwave popcorn.
Kim, it is actually flint corn for cornmeal and part of it is my future seed crop. It’s from your neck of the woods too – Vermont. Fedco carries it – Abenaki Calais Flint. It’s almost too pretty to eat! That’s pretty amazing you don’t have to shell the corn before the microwaving – wouldn’t have thought of that
What is the rack you hang the corn on, and how are you attaching the ears? And how long do you leave the corn? Do you rotate through the whole crop, and what do you do with the ears when you take them down?
Just call me curious..
Curious, it’s officially a sock drying rack – one of those mail order things that when you see it, you realize you coulda made one in about an hour. Score: Amish 1, me 0
Anyway I’m cutting off most of the husk, and using the remainder to attach with a clothespin. I have corn everywhere: bay window, over furnace registers and tonight still some on the kitchen floor! When it is dry I will take it down, and maybe I’ll rotate, but if the ears dry well enough in the other places, I may not have to put them over the stove. It is impossible to dry field corn in the field, or even an unheated barn here west of the mountains. If I want to save it, I need to bring it in. Once it is dry, I can store it in mesh bags in the attic, until I need to shell it and grind it. You gonna grow some corn??
Here is a great post about proper harvesting of field corn on a small family farm in a corn and bean growing area. Very interesting! According to the post they want about 12% moisture, and they can probably tell by just looking too, since they are seasoned farmers.
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/harvest-corn-from-beginning-to-end/
It’s beautiful! I’ll have to try Flint Corn next year….NEXT YEAR, it seems to roll off the tongue freely! Do you soak your corn as they do to make Masa. Since giving up grains and then only eating soaked/sprouted grains now when I do, I was just wondering if soaking can be done for cornbread. Do you know?
Why the attic? Dry? Dark?
Peaceful, LOL, Next Year should be a mandatory category on gardening blogs
We say it all too frequently. We hardly eat much corn, and I don’t soak it like masa, but on the rare times I do make cornbread I soak the meal in buttermilk or whey.
Attic = out of way, low humidity. The ears I select for seeding will go with my seeds.
You refernce shelling corn? What does that mean? Taking it off the cob, or is there some shell on each kernal (the part we don’t digest).
The red corn is that for cornmeal? It looks ornamental. I would love to grow corn, but It needs sun and I simply don’t have a space that will give it adequate sun on my small city lot. My folks tried corn this year, but I think they got it in to late, and we did not have a warm summer here in the North East.
Tree, shelling means taking the kernels off the cob. Corn takes a lot of space, and fertility and doesn’t produce much for the space. This corn ranges in color from yellow to dark red. When ground there are just red flecks in the meal.
This summer was one for the records – we had record heat here, and rain in the summer, which is a rarity.
Beep beep! I’ve always ground popcorn for cornmeal. What is the difference with flint corn? I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of it!
Localnourishment, I think any corn that gets dry enough can be ground into cornmeal. The flint corn is corn grown for meal, and will dry down for making cornmeal. Dent corn is more common, but will not ripen here reliably in our cool growing season. The flint corn is also more nutritious than the more common dent corn.
Here’s a good link about this variety:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/roys_calais_flint_corn/
Your corn is beautiful! I love the red kernels. I think I’m going to try some black aztec next year just for fun.
Our corn is both feed and human corn. We keep several barrels to grind for our use. Terry hooks up the tractor so we can grind buckets of the stuff.
That we we have the feed we need (mixed with other important stuff) for the cows and chickens and pigs (when we had them.) I like to save some of the ground corn for making gluten free things for our table. It doesn’t store forever so I don’t keep lots for our use. Just use it fresh.
The dog loves it too. He likes it when it is just freshly ground and still warm.
Thanks for the comment about my blog.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Thanks Linda, we used to grind corn for our chickens too, with a Farmall A, and McCormick burr mill – both antiques but they did the job perfectly! I am envious of your crops – I working on a post about our dry bean harvest, which is quite piddly compared to yours!
Can’t wait to see the Black Aztec corn
Honk! Honk! Love those “corny” pictures!
I will definitely plant some corn next year. It would be my first.
YDavis, the most surprising thing about corn that no one ever mentions is how wonderful the pollen smells!! Beside being fun to grow and eat
ahhh, the smell of corn sex! lol, that’s what i say when i smell the sickening sweet scent of the pollen durin the summer. being surrounded by corn fields has its good and bad points!
Kristine, LOL corn smells good compared to Chestnuts! Plus we don’t have much corn anyway, usually all you smell around here is pitch – always smells like Christmas!