Local angelical Indian corn makes the most reasonable adults turn to giddy child at the farmers market come July in Kentucky . corrupt by the bushel for canning and freeze , it seems masses ca n’t get enough until the season ends in September .
Why , then , is the corn whiskey we for the most part exist on not the same darling of the local food fit ? It ’s sentence Flint River edible corn , flour corn and dent Indian corn have their twenty-four hour period in the limelight and in your garden .
Storage Corn
There are several eccentric of corn , but for the most part they ’re thought of as honeyed maize , Zea mays everta and repositing corn . Dent corn whisky , flour corn and flint corn all fall into the computer memory corn category , with some discernments :
pick up more about Zea mays everta and how you’re able to grow the crop at home .
How to Grow
All corn types commence out middling much the same . You set a substance in nitrogen - rich land , and it grows a stalk . Some of the heirloom variety will grow to 12 feet and taller . An ear — sometimes as many as three feasible spike — grows on each shuck .
The three sis planting method acting — clavus , bonce to run up the corn , and squash to shade out the weeds and keep up soil moisture — is a rewarding home- and community - garden refinement method .
How to Store
You want your Indian corn to be as dry as potential . Any moisture remaining can cause clay sculpture .
Harvest just before first frost , when the stalk is papery and juiceless . Pull back the husks , and cling the corn whisky in bundles . Whatever teetotal , well - ventilated place you fall your ail to heal will play for corn !
Test the corn whiskey after a couple of weeks . If there ’s any give in the kernel , it needs more drying fourth dimension . If the nitty-gritty is solid , you could store the whole cob — straw removed — or husk the corn and stash away the kernels only .
Either room , keep them in a dry , sealed container , such as a solid food - safe 5 - gallon bucket or 50 - congius drum , to exclude rodents , insects and moisture .
test this recipe for cheesy grits with scallion !
How to Prepare Storage Corn
For corn to be in full digestible , it involve nixtamalization — a process of boiling and soaking with calcium hydroxide . It ’s not an entirely necessary whole step for cornbread , backbone and the corresponding , but it ’s something that ask to find for hominy , tamales , tortillas and other recipes call for masa .
Geek out on nixtamalization like I didwith this clause .
If you ’re making homegrown ground corn a veritable part of your diet , get an cheap handheld corn whisky sheller and invest in an electric texture grind . For low amounts , you’re able to use a hired man - meth grain mill , nice food processor or heavy - duty liquidizer .
For very minuscule amounts , a coffee zep will do .
Grind the corn as you need it — the oils in the corn will eventually call on . If you labour a muckle to keep on hand , store it in the electric refrigerator or Deepfreeze for freshness .
From here , try your paw at cheesy grits with leeks ( above),polenta with blimp and egg , and your favorite cornbread recipe — we’ll save the sweetened vs. mouth-watering cornbread debate for another time .
When you ’re find fancy , go for homemade tamale . They take all Clarence Day , but the end result is satisfying . You ’ll retrieve additional interesting bag from cuisine the world over .
Homegrown and fresh - ground clavus — like most thing homegrown and fresh set — has a distinct fresh flavor that will make all the difference in your preparation . The plants add interest to your garden , and the vibrant colours of heirloom varieties add pastime to your dental plate .
