Every year I grow sweet corn in my garden. However, this year, I'm also growing a variety of corn that is not meant to be eaten fresh and is not sweet at all. In this posting, I'll discuss different types of corn that can be grown in the home garden.
Let's face it, homegrown tomatoes and sweet corn are the reason most of us get started in vegetable gardening. Each year, I grow a variety of sweet corn called Silver Queen. It's a very popular regional variety that was grown extensively in the mid-Atlantic states. I won't go into detail about this variety since it is well known. However, I grow it both for its wonderful flavor and for sentimental reasons.
My first taste of homegrown sweetcorn was as a teenager. My father and I visited his friend and fishing buddy Tom Cofield, at his home in Maryland. Tom and his wife prepared Silver Queen as part of the meal and I probably ate 4 ears that night, forcing the Cofields back into the kitchen to make another batch. In addition to being a very nice guy, Tom was Outdoor Editor for the Baltimore News, an avid fisherman and hunter, and, with Lefty Krey, co-developer of the "Deceiver," a classic salt water fly lure. Thanks Tom for introducing me to this wonderful variety.
Not All Corn Is Sweet Corn
While most gardeners grow sweet corn (Zea Saccharata) like Silver Queen, it's also possible to grow other types that are higher in starch and lower in sugar. These varieties of corn have a sugar content of about 4% versus sweet corn that has a sugar content of about 10%. Starchy corn varieties are used for making corn meal that goes into dishes such as tortillas, tamales, polenta, and hominy grits. Actually, there are three types of high starch corn:
- Flint Corn (Zea Mays Indurata) - has a very hard outer layer and very low moisture content. It is sometimes referred to as calico corn or India corn and comes in a variety of colors including yellow, red, orange and blue/purple. Flint corn dates back thousands of years and was the corn eaten by the first colonists at Plymouth Massachusetts. These first settlers adapted corn to traditional english recipes, replacing oats with corn for porridge or wheat in pancakes. Corn eaten in this fashion was probably part of the first Thanksgiving meal.
- Dent Corn (Zea Mays Indentata) - is softer than flint corn and each kernel has a small indentation on the top of the kernel from which it gets its name. (see photo below) Dent corn is generally white or yellow but is used in the same way as flint corn - ground into flour for use in pancakes, bread, etc.
- Popcorn (Zea Mays Everta) - popcorn is an extreme form of flint corn with a soft starchy center and a very hard exterior. When the kernel is heated, moisture inside builds up pressure until the kernel explodes.
Photo: Flint corn from Slow Food USA web site.
Photo: From Seeds of Change web site showing SOC Oaxacan Green corn clearly showing the "dent" on the top of the kernel.
Longfellow Flint Corn
Flint and dent corn can be purchased from a variety of suppliers including Johnny's Selected Seeds, Seeds of Change, Sand Hill Preservation, and Victory Seed. Varieties of dent corn include: Bloody Butcher, Silver King, Hickory King, and flint corn: Blue Hopi, Dakota White, and Apache.
I'm growing a variety of flint corn called Longfellow. This variety has golden-orange kernels on a cob that is about 12 inches in length. It is an heirloom variety from New England and grows to 8 feet in height in approximately 110 days. Sadly, this venerable old flint corn variety is disappearing rapidly (It's on Slow Foods list of 1,000 unique American seeds, fruits, nuts, livestock and game that are threatened) I purchased Longfellow seeds 2 years ago from Baker Creek but they no longer offer this variety. Sand Hill Preservation will also occasionally have it for sale.
Photo: From the Living Crop Museum web site, Wilmington College of Ohio
Growing & Harvesting:
Flint & dent corns are grown just like sweet corn:
- Sow directly into the garden when the weather has warmed up and there is no danger of frost. (soil temperature over 60 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Plant in blocks to ensure good pollination. Plant seeds about 1 inch deep and 15 inches apart or every 7 inches apart in rows spaced every 30 inches.
- Corn requires lots of nitrogen, so apply compost prior to sowing.
- Allow corn to dry in the field for several frosts prior to harvesting. Then husk and leave in a covered area to complete drying.
- Once dried, the corn can be ground using a hand turned grain mill ($70 and up) or grain attachment for your Kitchen Aid mixer ($130).
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