Trying to make parched corn, failing miserably

[Black Hand]

The only reason I use the oil is so the salt will stick better, but then again I have a salt addiction!!!
Black Hand

I have also made some with salt, pepper and chili powder and other batches with salt and Mrs. Dash seasoning mix. I actually like to eat it as a snack at home or add it for crunch to salads. Love the stuff.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Corn used for livestock is field corn and the corn we grow for human consumption is sweet corn. Field corn dries on the cob pretty quick. When I was a kid, I wore blisters on my hands real fast shelling corn to feed the chickens with.
::

 

[Kenney Moore]

Howdy,
I was not trying to say it was wrong to use oil, it is just that I have not used it. As a matter of fact, I plan on giving it a try. I did flavor some with a small amount of bacon grease once after the corn was cooked. :sorry:

 

[Swampman]

The oil will make it spoil easier and the salt will make you thirsty on the trail. Neither are qualities you are looking for in parched corn. The oven style is more like dehydrated corn I'd think. A seasoned iron skillet works great.

 

[chipper]

Everyone is mentioning that one should leave it on the cob. It's just as easy to blanch the corn by placing it in boiling water for 30 seconds or so to set the milk. Then cut the corn off the ears. We would then place on cheese cloth to dry by hanging it on the cloths line. A second layer would keep the flys off.
Roast it just like the other posts said...
After it dried we would store it in Mason jars. It lasts alot longer that way.

Regards
Wounded Knee

 

[Claude Mathis]

Everyone is mentioning that one should leave it on the cob. It's just as easy to blanch the corn by placing it in boiling water for 30 seconds or so to set the milk. Then cut the corn off the ears. We would then place on cheese cloth to dry by hanging it on the

The reason for leaving it on the cob is to keep the kernels whole. If you cut the kernels to remove them, or use frozen "cut" corn, they will not swell up when roasted. It's the same reason you can't "pop" corn if you break those kernels in half. The moisture must be trapped inside.

"Parching" is more than roasting "any" corn.

Also, sealing it in an airtight jar can, on occasion, cause moisture to build up inside. This is bad for parched corn, jerk, or any food that should remain dry.

 

[DRC]

We use to throw a handful in the pan with popcorn. Made for a nice treat at the bottom of the bowl. Just had to fight everybody for the bowl.

 

[Flinter987]

Hello,
Is there any mention of parched corn in historical documents? If so what time period?
Thank-You,
Flinter987

 

[chipper]

The reason for leaving it on the cob is to keep the kernels whole. If you cut the kernels to remove them, or use frozen "cut" corn, they will not swell up when roasted. It's the same reason you can't "pop" corn if you break those kernels in half. The moisture must be trapped inside.

"Parching" is more than roasting "any" corn.

Also, sealing it in an airtight jar can, on occasion, cause moisture to build up inside. This is bad for parched corn, jerk, or any food that should remain dry.

OOps, I guess all those years of doing it wrong have really messed me up. Growing up on a farm in Wyoming was a pretty bad experience. I'll have to try the whole kernal thing. The paper bag idea though is a bad one living in farm house. I can see a big mouse looking at a paper bag full of corn like a free bag lunch. If we weren't fighting mice one week, it was coon fox or skunk. Thanks for the info.

Regards
Wounded Knee
The Saxon Barbarian

 

[Claude Mathis]

The reason for leaving it on the cob is to keep the kernels whole. If you cut the kernels to remove them, or use frozen "cut" corn, they will not swell up when roasted. It's the same reason you can't "pop" corn if you break those kernels in half. The moisture must be trapped inside.

"Parching" is more than roasting "any" corn.

Also, sealing it in an airtight jar can, on occasion, cause moisture to build up inside. This is bad for parched corn, jerk, or any food that should remain dry.

OOps, I guess all those years of doing it wrong have really messed me up.

I wouldn't say you're doing anything "wrong", it's just different. If it tastes good, it's good.

The paper bag idea though is a bad one living in farm house. I can see a big mouse looking at a paper bag full of corn like a free bag lunch.

I agree. We have mice where I live as well. But the cupboard we store it in is sealed when the door is closed. No openings for animals to enter. It doesn't have to be airtight to keep out the critters. I have more trouble keeping the kids out of it than anything else. The mice don't stand a chance. :grin:

 

[flm_shooter]

Just found a bagful I had made in October. Still good :thumbsup:

 

Have just read this thread and see some confusion. Parched corn is "popped" dried corn. Shrivelled, or puckered corn, is dried sweet corn. The processes are very different, as are the resulting product.

If anyone is interested I can easily quote historic recipes or instructions for either.

What most of the readers are interested in is probably the parched corn, also known variously as rockahominy, coal flour, and cold flour. This is the original American Indian trail food which will keep for years, literally, without ever acquiring an "off" taste.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Have just read this thread and see some confusion. Parched corn is "popped" dried corn.

I believe the term "popped" corn is very misleading. Parched corn is not popped. It does swell up somewhat during the preparation, but it does not "pop".

 

Have just read this thread and see some confusion. Parched corn is "popped" dried corn.

I believe the term "popped" corn is very misleading. Parched corn is not popped. It does swell up somewhat during the preparation, but it does not "pop".

Correct. It ain't "pop corn".

Looks like we have a new food expert on the scene. :haha:

 

Last post said "Looks like we have a new food expert on the scene." I'm not sure what an expert is, but I do have in my collection literally hundreds of recipes and uses for corn, all previous to 1850.

Whether you say "pop" or "burst" the product is the same, and I did not say it was popcorn as that was a much later development!


How to Pop or Parch Corn

Fill and iron pot with sand, and set on the fire till the sand is very hot. Two or three pounds of the grain are then thrown in, and well mixed with the sand by stirring. Each grain bursts and throws out a white substance of twice (four times) its bigness. The sand is separated by a wire sieve, and returned to the pot to be again heated, and repeat the operation with fresh grain. That which is parched is pounded to a powder in mortars. This being sifted will keep long for use. An Indian will travel far, and subsist long on a small bag of it, taking only six or eight ounces of it per day, mixed with water.

Daniel Jay Browne (1847)
Maize or Indian Corn

 

[Claude Mathis]

Whether you say "pop" or "burst" the product is the same, and I did not say it was popcorn as that was a much later development!

Each grain bursts and throws out a white substance of twice (four times) its bigness.

That statement alone makes me think they are referring to "pop corn", not parched corn.

The accepted method of making parched corn will have the corn turning golden brown and swelling up, but not "popping" to twice or four times it's size and showing the white, inside of the kernel.

Call it what you will.

Here's the basic preparation...

First, peel back the husks on the ears of corn and hang them until they are dry. I hang them from the rafters in the garage as it stays nice and warm there.

After the corn is dry, I remove it from the cob and place it in a tray and let it dry a little more. At this point you have "dried corn".

You can stop now and save the corn until you are on a trip and parch it then or parch the corn ahead of time at home.

To "parch" the corn, cover the bottom of a large skillet with a single layer of corn and roast it until the kernels swell up and take on a slight brown toasted color. Shake it around so it doesn't burn on one side.

That's it! You now have parched corn. You can eat it as is or throw it in soup or powder it to thicken soup or stew.

 

[almrl]

I'd be careful if I were you. During the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's, American or as they called it "Indian Corn" was sent to Ireland from the U. S. Lots of people died from punctured intestines because they didn't know how to prepare it properly.

Old Coot

 

I'd be careful if I were you. During the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's, American or as they called it "Indian Corn" was sent to Ireland from the U. S. Lots of people died from punctured intestines because they didn't know how to prepare it properly.

Old Coot

I doubt that this has anything to to with "parched corn".

 

[rabbit03]

The corn they sell for livestock feed can have chemicals on it to prevent worms. A friend of mine makes corn wine and says he won't touch the stuff.

Good point. You can get pretty sick eating that stuff.

Why try to save a few pennies by purchasing anything less than fresh corn? If you're going to make parched corn, why not make it the best you can?
It's cheap - enjoy it!

Good point Claud but I have seen lots of the southern pilgrims eating it parched and unpatched along their journey. I wonder if you can rinse off the chemicals somehow and dry it back in the oven or out of doors, sure would be alot cheaper if you wanted alot of it. About $5.00 for 50lbs. Just a thought.

rabbit03

 

[bnail]

I've heards the the feed corn that's sold by the sack full is spliced with fish genes. don't know how true this is, but there is a little online concerning the genetic engineering of corn.