We have POPCORN. We love eating popcorn and a few years back we started growing a hybrid that did very well here for a couple of years, then seed was hard to get so we took a year off. in 2020 we decided it needed to come back but we wanted to be able to save our own seed but it was hard to find with all the pandemic panic seed buying. I managed to find a few packs of a type we once grew at our old farm call Japanese White Hulless. 5 packs of seed were planted 1 seed per pot in our greenhouse then transplanted outside in a 8x8 area. We got a nice harvest and kept it all to seed more this year. Then we had some left over to enjoy munching on. We gave away some and it was a hit. So we grew 3 open pollinated heirloom types: White Hulless, Vermond Red and Glass Gem (rainbow) in 2021.
White Hulless pops into small tender popcorn with no hulls. it’s pretty cool and our FAVORITE for tenderness and flavor plus no hulls in our teeth. So if popcorn gave you trouble in the past you should try this one.
Vermond Red we got from another farmer as an experiment, it did very well here too. It pops brigth white with a slightly crunchy popcorn with a hint of nutty flavor. Once it pops you can still see bit of the red hull at the center so it might look burned but it’s not. It’s just a quirky cool heirloom popcorn.
Glass Gem is a pricey heirloom that took over instagram with overenhanced pictures of the colorful ears. We found it does have tons of bright colors that do dull a tad as it dries out. We planted this later than we planned so the ears were smaller but it dried well and pops nicely. It is a very colorful assortment of blues,reds, yellows, whites and in between all those. I have it labelled as Rainbow. It pops white and has hint of the color of the kernel in the hull in the center after it pops. It tastes great and a mix of tender and slightly crunchy. Super expensive seed and low production hence it’s higher price plus we only got 22 pounds to sell this year. I’ve saved back the best for replanting next year so we will strive to improve it’s production in the coming years.
Then we grew a hybrid called Mushroom which we’ve wanted to grow for a few years now. It pops into a large ball, lots bigger than our other types and it is ROUND. This is often used for kettle corn and caramel corn in commerical production but it really absorbs the butter for a great addition to popcorn eating fun!
HOW TO POP
Our popcorn is grown in the summer, hand harvested, air dried, removed from the cob with our antique shller then cleaned with with air fan or our antique fanning mill. This year I cleaned by an air fan in smaller batches. This removes all the extra chaff off the kernels as much as we can.
We pop using an air popper. We highly recommend you use one, they aren’t pricey and often found pretty cheap at yard sales (where we usually get ours).
It also pops nice in a microwave too. You can purchase a microwave popper, there are tons of options out there. But we experimented with popping in a paper lunch bag. Yes it works and it works great.
Just add 1-2 tablespoons of the kernels ot the bag- do NOT add anything else. Yes I know bloggers say to add oil but seriously do NOT do it. It’s a waste and a mess. Then roll down the top of the bag about 3 folds or so. You just need the bag to seal and hold closed but allow for room for the popping. The put in the microwave. The one we used was on the small side so i set the bag on it’s side. Then turn on for 2-3 minutes. I set it at 3 minutes but it was done about 2 1/2 minutes. It will depend on your microwave. Just listen and as soon as it slows down popping remove it. Let it sit for a minute as it will likely continue to pop a bit. Carefully open and watch for steam coming out. Pretty simple and no need for fancy!
Stove top: I don’t do this often but when I do the oil has to be HOT and you have to keep the kernels moving. I do not use coconut oil- I can’t stand the taste nor can my digestion handle it. I used just vegetable oil. We don’t do this often as we prefer the air popper so less additives and no oil. when you pop the mushroom on the stove top if the oil isn’t hot enought it will not pop into a ball but will instead do what is called a butterfly- just think of butterfly wings going outward.
STORING
We've spent months getting this popcorn dried down to the perfect moisture level for optimum popping and it needs to be kept at that moisture level. If it gets too dry it won’t pop well same if it increases in moisture. So keep in a sealed container. We usually sell it resealable bags but we also store in canning jars with a tight lid. Just keep in. your pantry area. It is best if kept away from heat so a cool area, not near an appliance like the oven or even the fridge because some outside areas of a fridge (like the top) can be warm from the compressor running plus it’s warmer up high in any room.
DO NOT refrigerate it- fridges are too cold and too damp. And not in a freeze either!
HOW IT”S GROWN
We grow all popcorn with NO imported fertilizer. We use our farm made compost and cover crop rotations. No herbicides are used on the farm. Sometimes we’ve used an organic treatmetn (Bt) to get rid of corn ear worms which love our corn, sweet corn and some types of popcorn (they loved the red and the hulless this year). We are hand harvesting, hand husking, then air drying in our basement
We hope. you enjoy it and help us to keep improving it every year. Buy fresh local and enjoy.