Question of the day. Have you ever grown your own popcorn?

@Onniesprairiegarden

6 жыл бұрын

Midwest Gardener nope. I want to try to though!!!

@davidwhanger8770

5 жыл бұрын

I grew Dakota black for the first time this year. Really a pretty corn

@cocoreggo

4 жыл бұрын

does the glass gem corn taste like normal maize?

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

@@cocoreggo I've only eaten it popped. I'm not sure what it would taste like otherwise. Popped, it tastes pretty much the same as other pop corn.

@JosephConcerned

2 жыл бұрын

every year I grow the yellow

Kind of disappointed the glass gem corn didn’t stay different colors but I didn’t really expect it to honestly

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, I've had that question from others. It would be cool if it did though :)

@chadroeder

Жыл бұрын

You could drizzle it with rainbow syrup maybe.

I have an antique popcorn sheller. You can also get hand held shellers from a seed catalogue. Winnow your shelled corn on a windy day.

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips!

Great side by side experiment. Sure was amazing the store bought out done them all. Thanks for sharing this with us!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Yep, for just popcorn to eat, you can't beat the cheap stuff from the store.

My favorite part of the video.. your honest sampling test! Thanks for making the video.

@MidwestGardener

10 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Glad you liked it!

Thankyou for sharing this Jim. 🌱Happy Gardening my friend, Terry.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Terry.

thank you! I was wanting to buy some ornamental corn this year but hated the idea of wasting it. Thanks for answering the question I always wondered.

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! It was a fun corn to grow. This year I grew some corn that was a cross between grocery store popcorn and glass gem corn, and it came out great. I'm just waiting for it to dry so I can test pop some of it.

@rosesha

4 жыл бұрын

Midwest Gardener That sounds awesome!

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I sure hope it turns out to be.

This was very helpful to me. I kind of went nuts and just planted 4500 square feet of 14 varieties of flint corn, popcorn, and dent corn, all supposedly Non-GMO from Baker Creek seeds, and I am over a mile from another corn planting by anyone. These are in 6 foot wide plantings 100 to 200 feet long in parallel with 6 feet of unplowed grass in-between. I planted Glass Gem as one of them. The reason for the 6 feet is the width of the tractor and plow I had to work with. The rows were heavily seeded.

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

I would say that you are going to have one interesting year for growing corn, Brent. One thing that you will find out about corn is that you will probably end up with a lot of one type crossing with another type. Especially if the prevailing wind blows from one end of your field to the other instead of across it. And one interesting things about corn is that you will see the results of the crosses in this year's ears. I think you will enjoy seeing the glass gem corn. I know we enjoyed outs. I intentionally crossed some glass gem corn with some grocery store popcorn and have been trying to improved that a little each year. Good luck with your corn!

Henry requested watching this again haha and he loves when you say "We got a little carried away with the tasting"

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Lol, that's funny. I'm glad he enjoyed watching it.

@karlmarx5163

4 жыл бұрын

Who is Henry?

Store bought is bred specifically for popping really big puffy kernels and also dried in a very controlled way so it’s not surprising it does better. The glass gem corn is mainly ornamental or for grinding.

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

@drake19992

Жыл бұрын

Some people breed different genetics of corn and probably can breed glass gem corn with popcorn corn.

Also, I use a larger soup spoon (not a serving spoon) and jam it between the rows and push sideways, very effective way to remove kernals without hurting your thumbs. As long as you go slowly, not many fly offs. I still leave a lid shield to catch my flyaways.

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a bunch for the tip on the soup spoon. I might give that a try this year.

The long ornamental corn has big ears. I had to smile. Thanks Jim. Looks like if you want popcorn buy the cheap bag from the store. They're all good. Have a great weekend. Best wishes Bob.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I didn't realize how silly that sounded till I played it back, lol. I agree. For popping, that cheap bag from the store worked pretty well.

@BobMelsimpleliving.

6 жыл бұрын

It was still good for a smile. Thanks.

Oooo I love that you did this! Me and Henry are popcorn fiends!! Henry wants to try the glass gem haha! By the way, the glass gem is so beautiful. I just love the colors of that corn! Thanks for the review!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!! Popcorn fiends, lol :) The glass gem corn is one of those things that is mostly just for the fun of it. So a project for Henry sounds like a good plan. The thing about the glass gem corn is that it seems like no two ears are exactly alike.

Thanks for this video. I was thinking of growing some popcorn this year

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Good luck with yours!

Awesome thanks for doing this!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. We had fun doing this one, because we like to eat popcorn anyway.

Jim, I was waiting for you to tell me it is worth the growing time to grow your own popcorn. But the upside is that you know how yours was grown. There's no telling what chemicals are in the store bought popcorn. Of all the corn I've grown I like the 'corn on the cob' the best, lol!! Anyway, good luck and happy New Growing season!!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jack! I would say that if you are growing it just for popcorn, you might as well buy it. For me though, it is more than the final product. I get some enjoyment out of it every day when I go out and look at the garden, and then again when I finally get around to popping some. That is a good point about the chemicals though! Like you say, at least I know how mine is grown.

@Forevertrue

5 жыл бұрын

Its all in the curing of the corn, or moisture content. Too much moisture causes poor popping and to dry causes poor popping. So Trial and error for the non professional. 4 to six weeks of drying for most pop corn is about average. Some recommend taking an ear after 4 weeks of drying in good conditions and just popping it. You get the idea. If good great, if not, try next week until you get what you want. I enjoyed this video.

Thanks for the excellent comparison, I appreciate how co trolled a.d systematic you were. Any recommendations to pop the ordemental corn, time, oil type, heat level? Happy Holidays!

@MidwestGardener

7 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Glad I could help. On our microwave there is a popcorn setting. I use that first, and if they don't pop on that setting, I just experiment with time. I usually use vegetable oil when I cook it on the stove because we usually have some on hand. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks James! We thought it was interesting how it came out too.

Thoughtful vid. Thanks!

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

My grandfather used the heel of his hand to shell the corn after he got it started. You obviously have to have a callused hand to make much headway like that. Now the popping. In fairness to the glass gem people you have to have between 10 and 20% moisture to get a good pop. The store bought was obviously professionally dried and packaged and the glass gem was not. I do not know if there as too little or too much moisture they both cause the same thing.The Indian, or field corn is not meant for popping but for grinding for corn meal or flour. But I certainly enjoyed your videos and I am always interested in these trials. The partially popped are great tasting and many like them. Tanya is right they are wonderful.

@MidwestGardener

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the useful information on corn! Yes, my corn was far from being professionally dried and packaged :) I have some glass gem crossed with store bought popcorn that I hope to get around to doing a test of one of these days. I'm not that experienced with corn, but I'm enjoying learning as I go. Thanks again!

@Forevertrue

5 жыл бұрын

@@MidwestGardener I reread my post and did not mean to sound so critical about the drying. I do have some moderate experience. And it takes between 4 and 6 weeks to get the proper amount of drying inside somewhere for 10-20% moisture content. Thanks again.

@MidwestGardener

5 жыл бұрын

Hey, don't worry about that. I could tell by your post that you knew what you were talking about, so I appreciate the information. I didn't take it as a critical comment, but even if it was, I've always learned more from criticism than from praise. And even though I hope my videos will help and inform, I've found that I usually learn more from comments than I ever teach. Your comment was very helpful, so feel free to comment any time you like 😀👍

@FranthonyZarcoza

4 жыл бұрын

@@Forevertrue do any of the pros use dehydrators when removing the kernel's moisture, instead of waiting the full 4-6 weeks by sunlight (I'm assuming)?

Interesting... Thanks for sharing!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

ornamental corn failed to pop because of moisture levels. however the variety would definitely affect the flavor and texture even if you did get it to pop

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, variety makes a big difference. I crossed Japonica corn with my popcorn. It popped very well but didn't taste good at all.

Cool. Tells me to plant the store-bought if I want pop corn. lol. Seriously, very interesting comparison.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brent! Yes, I'm going to test some soon, just to see if the seed is viable. It sure pops better......much better.

@Forevertrue

5 жыл бұрын

Well we all know the store bought is likely cross pollinated with something other than popcorn. But I have had some really good success when I tried it. We have been eating GMO foods for 6,000 years It does not concern me.

That was a great experiment! I was curious if they just have different traits selected for either popping or beauty. Interesting that they both rank higher on taste, but less volume. Very cool, thanks for making that video:))

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ryan! I think I would say that the Glass Gem Corn is primarily an ornamental corn, but it can be popped if you want. I couldn't help but wonder if I could cross the Indian corn with the glass gem corn to increase the size of the ears. I think I might grow both, just to see what happens the next year.

@Mrsnufleupagus

6 жыл бұрын

I really find the crossing and making a new variety very interesting. I'm looking forward to see how it turns out 😀

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Me too. That is how I got into pollinating Irises. When a new one blooms, it's like Christmas time :)

umm, great video ty, yet.... popcorn needs to be moisture free to pop, so why is it that you would wash it before testing it for popping. If there is too much moisture than the corn will not pop or will not pop evenly. Could you do the test again without exposure to water?

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I will keep that in mind the next time I do a similar test.

Just curious about how dry this was when you popped it...moisture content has a lot to do with how popcorn pops and also with the texture.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

I'm not really sure about the moisture content, but it was probably pretty dry.

@rhondab2431

5 жыл бұрын

I read online that you have to let the Glass Gem corn dry until it turns brown before popping it.

@n_spire8603

5 жыл бұрын

Yes, I wondered this and had noticed the store bought appeared much dryer than the home grown.

@oldschoolfarms3819

3 жыл бұрын

13.5%-14% moisture is where you want to be.

@brentsullivant3596

3 жыл бұрын

@@oldschoolfarms3819 That sounds great, but how does one measure that?

I like the half popped popcorn personally. They're crunchier. Thanks for the video.

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

You would probably like the way that Glass Gem corn pops then. It is pretty much all like that.

@dennisw8166

4 жыл бұрын

@@MidwestGardener I'll definitely try it this fall.

Nice experiment. Just curious, did you find any difference in taste between popcorn made from store bought vs Glass gem. This year I am growing Glass gem with few other black, green and red corns.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! To me, there isn't a huge difference in taste. I think I liked the slightly more crunchy texture of the gem corn, but there just isn't enough volume to it. But having said that, I'm still planning to grow it again this year. Sounds like you will be able to do an even better comparison. Let me know if you find any types that really stand out for you.

Good video. I was surprised with the results. I wonder how the gem and Indian corn would work as cornmeal?

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! That is a great question, and I think it would be a good subject for another video. I don't know if I will find the time, but thanks for the idea!

Great comparison! They all looked yummy so I would of ate them all too ☺️

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was fun to try the different types and see how they differ.

did you allow the gem corn and Indian corn to dry and cure a couple months after you picked it?

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was at least a couple of months.

Had to make a whole video using corn cobs to show 'Bigger is not always better'. 😃

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

Exactly :)

Great video! Im wondering if rinseing wasnt the best idea…..just a guess?

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! You could be right.

I have grown a plant before from supermarket popcorn but it was a failure. Nothing like a good ole bowl of popcorn, eh Jim? Nicely done. From Lucas

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Lucas! Yep, we love us some popcorn.

@lucasgrowsbestyt

6 жыл бұрын

Haha me too :)

Very interesting video. I usually buy cheap grocery store popcorn and Boy Scout popcorn. Not unusual for a big bowl of popcorn to be my dinner.

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Karon! Sounds like you are ahead of me on the cheap grocery store popcorn. I can relate to the bowl of popcorn being dinner. We've done that ourselves a time or two.

very interesting popcorn experiment Jim !! i take Quality over quantity any day of the week

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Very good point! Thanks!

Thank you..!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

Nice

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Nice taste test! I grow popcorn every year. Just can't keep those squirrels away, maybe I'll have better luck this year. :)

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Peaches! I sure hate to hear about your squirrels. We have some squirrels around here, but they haven't bothered the corn yet.

I liked watching this

@MidwestGardener

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben! Glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Jim! You can use an empty ear and do the same thing you do with your fingers. My grandma used to do that. And I’m sure your popcorn taste better 😍

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

That's awesome tip Sasha!!! And if your grandma did it, I'm sure it is a good method. I might have to give it a try this evening. I might even do a video about it.......if I don't get side tracked, lol. I will let you know if I try it. Thanks again!!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Sasha! I just went out in the garage and tried your grandma's trick with the corn cob. It worked like a charm! It was cold out there, so I came back in. If you don't mind, I think I will do a short video showing the trick. I will give your grandma credit for it and of course give you a shout out for your channel. I sure wish my grandparents were around to talk to. There are so many things that I never got around to asking them.

@AnOldSchoolHome

6 жыл бұрын

I am so happy it worked :))) I'll send you a picture of her for your video :)

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

That would be awesome, thanks!

@AnOldSchoolHome

6 жыл бұрын

I just sent it to your FB page

Can you do a full recipe of the gem corn ? Cause I tried to grill it and put it in the microwave but it didn't work

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

We only popped ours. Gem corn doesn't really pop that well, so I crossed it with some popcorn. That worked really well. Now I have corn that looks a little like Glass Gem Corn, but pops and tastes much better.

@rana.5734

3 жыл бұрын

@@MidwestGardener Thank you so much!

@rana.5734

3 жыл бұрын

I'm from Saudi Arabia and I really love your videos keep going ❤️👌🏼

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

@@rana.5734 Thank you!

That's they way I harvest it Jim. Interesting corn nuts do get hard on the teeth. :-)

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Eric! I've got enough fillings that I have to at least think about it before I eat stuff like that.

Pvc pipe with three screws drilled into it. It'll shave the kernels off with a twist.

@MidwestGardener

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

Well that was interesting. I thought sure the glass gem corn would beat everything hands down. I'm still trying to germinate store bought popcorn seeds with no luck although others have been successful at it.👍

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

That's interesting. I wonder if they are treated with something. Or maybe it has just been too long since they were harvested. I think corn is only viable for about 2 years.

@p.c.6706

6 жыл бұрын

Midwest Gardener I've had it too long then lol but it was fun trying:-)

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

I agree on it being fun. Now you have me wondering if ours would sprout. You know I'll have to try :)

@p.c.6706

6 жыл бұрын

Midwest Gardener I really hope you do and let us know!!

@MidwestGardener

6 жыл бұрын

I just checked the out date on our popcorn. It says it's good till October of 2019. I think I probably bought it in October of 2017, so that would be a full 2 years after I bought it. And who knows how long it takes from the field to the processing plant, to the distribution warehouse, and then to the store and finally into my shopping cart. If we have any left in October of 2019, we might be eating 3 year old corn, or maybe even 4, who knows. It's a good thing that curiosity only kills cats and not old men, or I would have been dead a long time ago :)

Gotta use a popcorn machine it works better for glass gem popcorn

@MidwestGardener

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

I just take and twist the ear in my hand and they pop right off

@MidwestGardener

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip.

Nice gem corn 🌽

@MidwestGardener

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was a fun crop to grow.

Quale qualità di Gem glass corn è buona per fare popcorn, quelli che ho comprato non si aprono tutti, buona serata 👋🇮🇹

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Glass Gem is fun to grow, but doesn't pop as well as popcorn.

@crescenzocastiglione4053

2 жыл бұрын

Infatti, li userò come cibo per le galline, i loro colori sono pieni di antociani. Si possono mangiare freschi come le pannocchie normali ? Buona giornata 👋🇮🇹

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

@@crescenzocastiglione4053 Yes, I imagine that chickens would love them. Yes, the anthocyanins should be a healthy addition to a diet. You have a great day too!

@crescenzocastiglione4053

2 жыл бұрын

Molte grazie 👌👋🇮🇹

@MidwestGardener

2 жыл бұрын

@@crescenzocastiglione4053 You're welcome!

The unpopped is more like parched corn

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. That is something that I've never tried.....parched corn.

We would pop them on the husk over an open fire.. Havent seen this corn in over 30 yrs.

@MidwestGardener

5 жыл бұрын

Interesting! That probably brought back some nice memories then.

Butter knife doing what your thumb does.

@MidwestGardener

3 жыл бұрын

There you go. Thanks for the tip.

he must of been joking with the thumb technique 😂 theres probably way easier ways to do it with a tool or something

@MidwestGardener

4 жыл бұрын

Nope, I wasn't joking. Yes, there are easier ways and there are tools, but I'm relatively new to corn and I'm just growing a small amount, so I didn't think the investment was worth it right now.