Corn Thread for 2014

[baymule]

The Oaxacan corn has been planted for 4 days and it is already coming up!

I just found a recipe for the "green" tamales made from this corn. Green as in fresh and using green shucks. I'll have to try this when the corn makes. I don't have a tamal cooker, wonder if a blanching pot would work?

uchepos

Ingredients
(For 4 people)

6 large tender ears of corn
100 grams butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh (not dried) corn husks

PREPARATION

Take the corn off the cobs and grind the kernels in a food processor. Beat the butter well with the sugar and salt and mix together with the ground corn. Make the tamales in the fresh corn husks and steam them in a tamal cooker for 30 minutes, or until the corn husk can be easily removed from the tamales. You can steam the tamales in a pressure cooker; it takes about 10 minutes.

Serve in shallow bowls with salsa verde and crema.

 

[baymule]

Well, I found another recipe using fresh corn, thought I'd post it here. I will be making this and will post results when I do.

Venezuelan Corn Cakes: Cachapas
Total Time:
15 min
Prep:
10 min
Cook:
5 min
Yield:
15 pancakes
Ingredients

• 10 ears of corn
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• Pinch salt
• Corn oil, for sauteing
• 1/4 cup sour cream, for garnish

Directions
Remove kernels form husk of corn using a sharp knife. Puree in a blender. Mix in the sugar, milk, and salt. Heat griddle to medium heat, lightly coat with canola oil. Spoon mixture onto hot griddle to form "pancakes" of your desired size. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Garnish with sour cream.

 

[jackb]

I am not much into growing corn as there is a large farm nearby and they have great corn at a fair price. However, Miss Ava has decided to try corn this year, and she has selected a variety called Butter and Sugar. ( I suspect the name and photo on the seed pack had a lot to do with the selection.) I told her that she would most likely have to hand pollinate it, as there are really not enough plants for good pollination. Well, she still wants to give it a shot, so we did.
jackb

 

[baymule]

Awww..... I love Ava's garden! That is so special. You are teaching her things she will remember all her life. I hope she has a good crop!

 

[Mel]

Just ran across the Oaxacan info recently. Love that color but I think its suited more for southern climates.
Got the Sunshine planted and soon as it quits raining, I will plant a new variety from Livingston seeds, Earthtone Dent in the "upper garden" which is like 4 miles away Gotta save those seeds!

 

[baymule]

I picked some of the Peaches N' Cream and was disappointed. The ears were not full, they were short, but the kernels themselves were full and ripe. It looked like pollination wasn't good. So I thought about it and remembered that we had weeks of intermittent rains. It would rain for 3-4 days, have a couple of days of sunshine, then rain again. I guess the rain washed the pollen away.

Then there was the nasty corn worms. I hate those things. So between the lousy pollination and corn worms, 6 ears of corn barely yielded 1/2 cup of cream corn, so I made hush puppies. I don't have a lot of hope for the remaining corn. But I guess the good news is the worms are busy chomping on the corn and they are leaving the tomatoes alone. I have 8 Homestead tomato plants in that same bed and they are loaded. Waiting impatiently with open canning jars..........

 

[seedcorn]

Aborted kernels could be lack of pollination. Could also be lack of water, lack of nitrogen as well.

Not trying to be ********** but you can tell the difference between aborted kernels and pollination problems?

 

[baymule]

@seedcorn the corn garden was prepared with chicken compost last fall, 9 wagon loads worth. I grew broccoli over the winter and it made like crazy. When done, I turned the chickens in for a couple of weeks. I put in 3 more wagon loads of chicken compost. I also have a row of tomatoes, they are almost over my head and loaded with tons of tomatoes. So don't think it's the nitrogen. Got lots of rain, so not lack of water. Got lots of rain when pollinating, maybe that's the problem?

Aborted kernels? I do love google.

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/articles.01/Krnl_Set-0820-Gallery.html

Yeah, my corn has bare tips. The corn kernels that did form looked good. I didn't find any clipped silks, so the only conclusion I can reach is that the rains we had washed the pollen away.

What can I say?

Shucks!

 

[seedcorn]

U r probably correct. Just I see so many ears that they think are pollination problems and they aren't. Unless there is lack of pollen shed or lack of water, pollination is usually not a problem.

Pix?

 

[Jared77]

100% germination on my glass gem corn. It's a small plot so I expect to hand pollinate but I'm excited to see how this develops. And yes I'll be saving seeds if it does well (well what isn't turned into popcorn).