The popping stopped and I split the hot corn into two bowls.  A drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and nutritional yeast turned ordinary popcorn into a treat to watch in front of a movie.  Actually,  it is not ordinary popcorn.  That so called “ornamental corn” that we will see around stands come October?  Popcorn.  Now a lot of times they get shellacked to sell as ornaments so best to grow your own!

Two years ago we lived in a little old house in Kiowa.  It backed to the fair grounds, sat on two-thirds of an acre, and faced a busy road.  We turned three sides of the house into beautiful gardens complete with pumpkin patches and corn fields.  We grew plenty of heirloom sweet corn but we grew an entire rows of Indian corn too.

Calico is my favorite with each kernel being a different color, the patchwork of colors makes it whimsical and beautiful.  Strawberry Indian corn is another great heirloom variety.  At the end of the season, after the corn is shucked, dry the corn in paper bags until they are well dried, three months even (do hide them from mice!).  After, use a knife and fingernails to pull off the dry kernels.  Store in a canning jar.  Pop in an air popper or old fashioned-like over the stove.

We were delighted to find a half pint jar filled with our corn from two years ago amongst the canned goods.  The flavor is much nuttier and more filling than traditional popcorn.  The taste is outstanding, a wonderful treat.

I am growing some in this year’s community garden.  One mustn’t run out of popcorn!