Corn Harvest

This year's corn crop did very well.  The plants grew strong and tall in the summer heat and survived a few very windy days.  Now overnight temps are dipping into the 30's regularly and it is time to reap what I have sown. Many of the plants were taller than me and most had two or three ears on each stalk.  Unwrapping each ear felt like opening gifts because ear each of corn was a splash of color and the variations were endless.

This year I planted an open pollinated, heirloom variety called Glass Gem.  They can be used for popping or grinding into cornmeal.  I plan on saving seeds from the healthiest, most colorful ears for replanting next year.  The rest will become snacks for me and the chickens.  I am interested to see what the cornmeal looks like from these colorful kernels.

The two 20 foot beds that I had planted filled two boxes with these colorful ears.  Right now I am laying them out to dry in my back room because many of them were a little damp from the good rains we have been getting for the past couple of weeks.  When they are dry enough I will remove the seeds from the cobs and store them in jars until I want to use them.