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Looking forward -- and backward -- to corn
 Squanto teaches settlers about corn Corn is a grass in the family Gramineae, or grain bearing grasses, of the Zea genus. The word “corn” used to mean any cereal grain crop. However, in American English, “corn” has come to mean “Indian Corn” (Indian Corn is known by Latin name of Zea Mays). The word “maize” comes from the Lain name for the plant. Corn is a member of the grass family Poaceae and is the second most abundant cultivated cereal worldwide. Only 20% of corn grown is consumed by people: 66% is grown for domesticated animals, and 10% is grown as a raw material for industrial, non-food production (the fuel ethanol, biodegradable plastics, and even clothing may be made from corn). EDIBILITY: All parts of the plant are edible, though the seed is the most desirable part of the plant. CULINARY PREPARATION: Corn seed is usually cooked, though it is edible raw. There are many opinions on the best way to eat corn seed: some claim roasting, others boiling, others popping, and others still say the best way is to put it in soup, make a porridge or bread out of it or to make it into tortillas. Roasting seems to have been the first way corn was prepared. CULTURAL INFORMATION: Corn is easily adapted to many environments. Not only does the corn “learn” how to best survive quickly and very well (the individual corn plant can shield itself from a variety of environmental dangers, and the second generation of corn to be grown in the same spot as its parents will be more adapted than its parents, and the third generation even more adapted: for example, if the parents are grown in an arid environment, the children will be drought tolerant). It is usually grown for a double harvest of both grain and straw: a farmer can feed their livestock the straw and themselves the grain (or just give the whole plant to their animals). This is done by harvesting the grain close to the top of the plant and grazing the animals on the field. The Roman historian, Livy, noted that this was a common practice with grains even by 500 BC (Book I, Ch. IV). ORIGINS: It is unknown when or where corn first originated. It is assumed that corn originated somewhere in the Americas, where it has been grown the longest and where the greatest varieties of corn can be found. It is guessed that teosinte, a weedy grass that grows in Mexico and Guatemala, and tripsacum, are the closest wild relatives to corn because all three grasses differ from all other grasses in that they bear separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The first evidence of corn appears about 12,000 BC in Mesoamerica. Corn was quickly exported to other continents after it was discovered in the 17th Century. It became a staple food in Europe and Africa by the 18th Century. Today, the corn is most widely consumed in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Indonesia. Today, the largest producer of corn is the United States. The Americans owe their knowledge of growing corn (and beans and squash) to the Wampanoag named Squanto who taught the English colonists how to plant them. For more info: tinyurl.com/5azv8q
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30 wild foods in your neighborhood
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| Though it is easy enough to grow food, gathering food from the wild is also an excellent way to feed your family. The best advice for finding and collecting wild foods is to become familiar with the edible varieties that grow in your area. There is... Read More |
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Training chickens is not that difficult
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| Training ChickensChickens are generally very trainable birds. While they don’t do tricks, they can be taught basic lessons that make them easier to handle and reduces their stress when they do need to be handled. Chickens respond best to... Read More |
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When chickens come home to roost -- you can have eggs for years!
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| More and more people these days are looking for ways to stretch their grocery budget, support local industry especially local foods, and be environmentally friendly. A great way to accomplish all these goals is to get a chicken (or several chickens!).... Read More |
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Weather can take its toll on farming -- whether large-scale or in your garden
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| Weather is an awesome and influential thing. It can be nurturing and comforting, or destructive and frightening. It can change from one to the other in a millisecond. Gardening (and it’s larger-scale equivalent, farming) must work in concert... Read More |
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Questions on bee-keeping in the city: It's a honey of an idea
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| MD writes in:"I have a question about bees. I would like to put out a home/hive thing and see if they occupy it. You've seen my yard. I'm a tad concerned about them swarming and setting up new colony is my house ( roof, floorboards...) and having... Read More |
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Wonderful weeds, Beautiful Bugs
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| Bugs and other critters eating up your fruits and veggies? No need to apply expensive (and harmful – even if it’s “organic”) pesticides. Let nature help! Whether you have a small backyard garden, a community garden plot, or... Read More |
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How To Find A Bee for Every Keeper
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| Not all bees are honey bees: the bee family has a large variety of members including bumble bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, and leafcutter bees. Not all bees make honey, and some bees are even solitary. Some bees are don’t even... Read More |
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Backyard Beekeeping – Gearing Up
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| Whether you live in an apartment or a house, it’s fun and easy to keep bees. Spring is the perfect time to get started! Whether you get the bees from a neighbor, a bee breeder, or catch a wild swarm, you’ll first need to get the equipment... Read More |
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Observing your Garden: Animal Tracks
| One of the most important lessons required for learning about animals in your garden and in your world is how to observe them when they aren’t there. The best way to do this is through observations of how they affected their environment. All... Read More |
Mary Choate
Mary Choate owns and operates Coastalfields, a small farm that uses no herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer or antibiotics to raise fruits, vegetables, grains, hay, flowers, mushrooms, bees, chickens and geese, and has written numerous books on those and other subjects.
Mary Choate owns and operates Coastalfields, a small farm that uses no herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer or antibiotics to raise fruits, vegetables, grains, hay, flowers, mushrooms, bees, chickens and geese, and has written numerous books on those and other subjects.
- Looking forward -- and backward -- to corn
- 30 wild foods in your neighborhood
- Training chickens is not that difficult
- When chickens come home to roost -- you can have eggs for years!
- Weather can take its toll on farming -- whether large-scale or in your garden
- Questions on bee-keeping in the city: It's a honey of an idea
- Wonderful weeds, Beautiful Bugs
- How To Find A Bee for Every Keeper
- Backyard Beekeeping – Gearing Up
- Observing your Garden: Animal Tracks
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