Mexican White Corn?

[Up North]

http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc/commodity...ornprofile.htm

Anybody who has or is currently growing Mexican White Corn?
Anybody who would like to?
Anybody eat this kind of corn?
Thoughts, experiences, opinions?

[Windy in Kansas]

I have both Hickory Cane and Hickory King white corn to plant this year. I was planning on using some of it for producing parched corn, some for hominy, and some to grind for meal.

I have a fair sized Latino population around where I live so it might sell. Stafford Flour Mills while mill Hudson Cream Flour are within easy driving distance and could probably custom grind it as desired. A local Mexican food restaurant is quite willing to buy from market gardeners so they might wish to have some.

Thankfully my property is long enough to keep it the needed distance away from other corn plantings.

I almost forgot, thanks for the article. I'll give it a try.

[TedH71]

I've been considering growing Pawnee Corn which is white but has an interesting purple starburst center. Pawnee Nation is starting to grow them again. My main problem is I live in town and lost ALL of my vegetables/crops to squirrels and rabbits last year so no more til I move outta town and can allow my dogs to patrol the property.

[TedH71]

I've been considering growing Pawnee Corn which is white but has an interesting purple starburst center. Pawnee Nation is starting to grow them again. My main problem is I live in town and lost ALL of my vegetables/crops to squirrels and rabbits last year so no more til I move outta town and can allow my dogs to patrol the property.

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

I have both Hickory Cane and Hickory King white corn to plant this year. I was planning on using some of it for producing parched corn, some for hominy, and some to grind for meal.

I have a fair sized Latino population around where I live so it might sell. Stafford Flour Mills while mill Hudson Cream Flour are within easy driving distance and could probably custom grind it as desired. A local Mexican food restaurant is quite willing to buy from market gardeners so they might wish to have some.

Thankfully my property is long enough to keep it the needed distance away from other corn plantings.

I almost forgot, thanks for the article. I'll give it a try.

Windy, do they buy after it's dried/seasoned or do they buy it fresh for roasting/boiling? Or do they buy it when it's a little past it's milky stage so they can make tamale's out of them?

[Ken Scharabok]

"Approximately 3 percent of the annual U.S. corn production is used for human consumption."

This is what caught my attention in the article. Just strikes me as very low.

I doubt it includes corn usage for corn sugar (in many food or drink products these days) or corn oil.

[Up North]

The article states " to meet isolation requirements, ... corn must be 660 feet away from other corn... to prevent pollination contamination from other yellow corn or GMO... "
Now what about the possibility of the reverse happening... For example if I grow white corn, and the landowner across the hedgerow comes in and plants yellow corn after I plant mine, ...Is there a chance that my corn could contaminate the pollination of his corn, thus making me a "bad neighbor"...???

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

Windy, do they buy after it's dried/seasoned or do they buy it fresh for roasting/boiling? Or do they buy it when it's a little past it's milky stage so they can make tamale's out of them?

I haven't asked them about buying at all thus far. I am planting this year for my own and family use, but may have to rethink that as I can readily get Hickory King seed in Wichita post haste.

Up North I would say if your corn was planted first there should be no bad neighbor thoughts, especially if that operator doesn't typically plant corn there. Also if his is a farm crop your white would probably not make any difference to his bottom line this year.

TedH71, that sounds like a neat seed. Will send you a PM about the possibility of seed source.

[Windy in Kansas]

I just did some reading at the Web site of Stafford Flour Mills which produce Hudson Cream Flour. They offer white corn meal.

Some Kansas folk might want to consider contacting them about milling what you have grown, or if you could produce a decent quantity perhaps a direct sale to them.

[Ken Scharabok]

I doubt any mill would be willing to do a couple of bushels for someone. You would likely be better off going to a feed mill which still processes corn into cracked and meal to see if they would be willing to do so.

Locally white corn meal is readily available in the supermarkets.

I still have about half of a 5-gallon bucket of 2005 crop of what was reputed to be Hickory Cane. All kernels came from ears with eight rows. $5.00 for shipping gets you about one pound. (Ken Scharabok, 1645 West Blue Creek Road, Waverly, TN 37185.)

There is a debate over whether or not Hickory Cane and Hickory King are the same plant, just pronounced differently. I suspect some seed company, wanting to offer something different, just renamed it in their catalog. Or, HC could have been crossed with another white corn to try to make it sweeter (e.g., crossing a small, but sweet, white corn with the larger Hickory Cane).

[Siryet]

I saw a documentary where it said the corn grown in the corn belt is not editable in its raw form and must be processed in order to be utilized.
The growers don't even eat their own corn, it is used for sweetners and stuff.

[Up North]

My interest in the crop stems from a desire to plant for greenleaf corn grazing.
This crop was recommended to me by the folks at Valley Feed & Seed as a crop that would produce large tonnage of green leaves and stocks. My plan is to grow 10 or 12 acres and have standing forage for the hot, dry summer flat spot. Then give cows 3 or 4 rows a day for 12 hours and hay or grass as available the other 12 hours of each day. So the crop may never reach the grain stage, and not even sure if it reaches pollination stage?

The idea of retaining some for grain and having flour or cornmeal ground is intriguing though.

[Windy in Kansas]

I'll have to check out Valley Feed and Seed when I'm in Wichita next week. I've been wanting to check out Atwoods in Park City, but haven't been able to find Park City yet. I finally looked at it on Google Earth and it seems south of where all of the I-35 signs place it.

[Ken Scharabok]

"I saw a documentary where it said the corn grown in the corn belt is not editable in its raw form and must be processed in order to be utilized.
The growers don't even eat their own corn, it is used for sweetners and stuff."

Sound like you are talking about common field corn. I guess it could be used in place of sweetcorn, but likely wouldn't be all that edible. However, it is where yellow corn meal comes from.

Yes, once it hits a grainery it goes for a variety of uses.

[TedH71]

A few links to Pawnee corn and other rare corn types:

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/index...18748614&rfi=8

http://www.kearneyhub.com/site/index...18748625&rfi=8

Originally Posted by Siryet

I saw a documentary where it said the corn grown in the corn belt is not editable in its raw form and must be processed in order to be utilized.
The growers don't even eat their own corn, it is used for sweetners and stuff.

That would be all dry corn no matter where it's grown or what type.

Except for some specialized varieties all corns are edible in the young, green stage. Some will taste better than others, the ones intentionally grown for sweet corn will usually have more sugar and keep it longer than field corns, but all corns are edible in the young, green stage.

.....Alan.