Indian Corn

[Jim Vatt]

I second that! I really like the mag, but it doesn't ever shed any light on this topic.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

It has been many years, (1994) since I toured the Knife River Indian village in ND. I remember a local farmer telling me that it was too short a growing season to grow corn, and the guide at the historic site telling me that the Souix had at least 7 different varieties of corn for different purposes, including popcorn, some having a seed to harvest time of only 50 days. As I recall, of the two or three varieties that were on display, supposed to have been grown from seed found on site. (The Souix had a way of underground dry storage below the floors of their shelters. ) some varieties were dent and some not.

good post you and rodl have here on this topic.
I don't have much to add - the cherokee of this area grew corn and soaked it in ash water then ground it for 'grits' and also dried/parched it for ;
later use. but I'm not knowledgeable of types of corn other than some of it was varied colors. :hatsoff:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Not to get too far off topic, but between what I read and what a botanist at USDA explained, there are hundreds if not thousands of varieties, each, of corn, tomatoes and potatoes. I raise a few heirloom squash once in a awhile, raised some Lakota a few years. This year, I have neck pumpkins and butternut squash. Just at the farmer's markets around here there are probably 20 different varieties of winter squash for sale. From blue to deep red-orange and everything in between.

Except to freeze some sweet corn, folks don't process their own corn anymore. I have the grinder, but haven't bothered in years.

Every year we raise some ground cherries which are some type of tomato cousin, but little yellow-orange and slightly sweet like a berry.

I understand the eastern Indians raised Amaranth as a grain as well. I honestly have no clue what it looks like. Mrs. is into those strange grain foods, like flax seed, Quinoa, chia etc.