Grow Your Own Popcorn (next year)
Heirloom popcorn varieties, grown organically, offer real popcorn flavor.
In Episode 145 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, we talk about the timing, curing, and storing of the popcorn harvest. It’s going on right now, in USDA Zone 9.
Chances are, you have never tasted real popcorn. Grocery store varieties have been bred for uniformity of popped kernel size, number of ears per stalk, and uniformity of harvest. Taste? Something’s gotta give when you’re breeding popcorn for cosmetic purposes. Real popcorn flavor has been bred out. If you’ve grown up eating most store-bought brands, or - God forbid - bagged popped popcorn, you’ve been eating something resembling artificially flavored styrofoam. No wonder popcorn fans slather the popped kernels with salt, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and other spices to make it more palatable, and decidedly less healthy. Midwest commercial popcorn growers (where the majority of popcorn is grown) purchase hybrid seed that’s been treated with fungicides to allow planting in colder, damp soil. Mmmmm….Thiram, Captan, and more! On top of that, popcorn fields are also treated with more fungicides. A nod of respect, though, to the increasing number of organic commercial popcorn farmers. Still, many hybrid varieties taste like styrofoam.
It’s only fair to note, however: you may be so instilled to the taste of commercially grown popcorn that the smaller, crunchier (and tastier) heirloom varieties that you can grow at home that are discussed here may not be to your liking. And seeing how grocery store shelves are getting more populated with popped popcorn in bags, people are opting for convenience.
And Now, Corn Sex
If you are not averse to pan popping, air popping or microwave popping (without the oils), then read on…
Grow Your Own Popcorn
As interest in healthy eating continues to grow, May is the time for backyard gardeners to make room for a family favorite that is also good for you: popcorn (If you are reading this south of the equator… plant in November-December). This dent corn relative is one of the best all-around snack foods, providing almost as much protein, iron and calcium as beef. A cup of popped, unbuttered popcorn contains fewer calories than half a medium-sized grapefruit, about 40. Popcorn, a whole grain, has as much fiber as bran flakes or whole wheat toast.
Unlike the drab sameness of store-bought hybrid popcorn, there are many different kinds available for the home gardener via catalogs, nurseries and seed stores.
Besides the traditional big and chewy "movie-style" yellow hybrid popcorn, you can choose among several smaller, crunchier white varieties, including many heirlooms.
And for fall decorations, it's hard to beat the colorful popcorns that include yellow, blue, red and black kernels.
A word about hybrid versus heirloom popcorns: hybrid varieties are bred to produce more cobs per stalk as well as larger cobs. Hybrid popcorns tend to pop up bigger, as well. The downside: the seed you collect from your hybrid popcorn harvest will not come back true to the original if you plant its seeds the following year. Heirloom popcorn tends to have the same problems as other heirlooms: more susceptible to insect and disease problems; a smaller harvest; smaller kernels.
The big upside to heirlooms: better flavor! Plus, if you planted the heirloom popcorn away from other varieties of corn, the kernels you collect this year can be planted the following year...the result being the same great flavor! One added benefit of the smaller, heirloom popcorn varieties such as Pennsylvania Butter Flavor Popcorn: those cooked, but unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bowl are a tasty, crunchy treat that won’t (hope, hope) knock out any fillings in your teeth. My favorite!
During late May or early June, plant your own popcorn the same way you would plant sweet corn. To prevent cross pollination with other varieties of popcorn, limit your first year planting to a single variety. Choose a site that gets full sun and a soil that drains easily (no standing water). Plant the kernels, two inches deep, six inches apart. For better pollination, plant in short blocks instead of a single row. Thin out the seedlings to stand 10-12 inches apart; space the rows at intervals of three feet. Don't plant popcorn within 100 feet of sweet corn; cross pollination could ruin both crops. Three fertilizations work best: at planting time; when the stalks are knee high; and again when tassels appear at the top of the stalks. Water the popcorn thoroughly, once or twice a week.
Harvesting Your Popcorn: About the time the Major League Baseball Playoffs begin (early October), your popcorn should be ready to harvest. The stalks will be mostly brown, the husks will be dry and the kernels hard. Try popping a few kernels on the stove in a pan of hot oil at this stage; if most of them pop, that's your sign to remove the ears from the stalks. Husk the ears, place them in a mesh bag or old nylon stocking to cure for two to three weeks in a warm, dry, well ventilated area. Again, pop a few kernels; if they pop, strip the kernels from the cobs and store the kernels in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Is It Popcorn Yet? 13% moisture level is ideal. Popcorn that is chewy after popping is still too wet; let the kernels dry some more, popping a few every couple of days until the popcorn is no longer chewy. If you get too many unpopped kernels, add moisture to the storage container. Pour one tablespoon of water over a quart of popcorn, shake it up a couple of times on Day 1. By Day 3, try popping another batch. Repeat this procedure until most of the kernels are popping.
A hard-to-find device to ease that process when you have lots of popcorn: a sheller (aka, the little stripper). A quick search found this handy tool at the on-line seed source, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. More shelling choices and other popcorn accessories available from Amazon.
Store the popcorn kernels in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. More tips on growing, harvesting and storing popcorn from Iowa State University.
Don’t have a popcorn popper? A large, deep frying pan with a high lid, along with a tablespoon of high temperature cooking oil will do the trick. Heat the oil in the pan on high heat, throw in four popcorn kernels. When they all pop, turn down the heat to medium, add one-third cup of popcorn kernels, and shake occasionally until the popping slows to a crawl. It’s better to take it off the heat sooner than later to prevent burning. Turn off the heat, pour into a bowl…enjoy!
More poppers here, including my favorite, the Presto Power Pop for the microwave. (no oil necessary!).
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All this talk about popcorn made me hungry! Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for popcorn. I have always had good luck with Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn.