Strawberry popcorn corn, an unusual variety for your garden
One of the best poppers of the ornamental types. Popular ornamental variety with ears shaped like very large, dark red strawberries
This year we tested an original variety in our vegetable garden: corn-strawberry popcorn. Autumn has come to an end and the ears of strawberry corn are maturing! It is now time for harvesting and tasting.
Strawberry corn-popcorn, an original variety in the vegetable garden:
Strawberry corn is an original variety, decorative with beautiful little ears with red grains. It is easily cultivated in the vegetable garden and requires little maintenance with regular watering. In the spring, we sowed 2-3 seeds in pockets 40 cm apart from each other in the open ground in a sunny position, spacing the rows 70 cm apart. It is necessary to have several plants to facilitate pollination.
Secrets for planting and growing corn in your garden
Once the seeds germinated, we kept the most beautiful plant in the pocket. When the seedlings have reached about 20 cm, we put a small stake in them. After a few months of patience we had beautiful ears of corn in our vegetable garden. As soon as the silks begin to turn brown, it is a sign that the cobs can be harvested. On a corn-strawberry popcorn plant we harvested about 5-6 cobs. After the harvest, it’s time for the tasting!
Growing Strawberry Popcorn
Growing strawberry popcorn is a fun activity to involve the kids in. You can try growing strawberry popcorn in a Three Sisters planting along with beans and squash or, better yet, combined with dwarf sunflowers as the fourth sister! Keep in mind that strawberry popcorn, like all corn, cross pollinates with other varieties planted nearby, so keep this heirloom crop at least 25 feet from any sweet corn varieties you’re growing.
Sow the seeds in full sun in well-draining, compost rich soil after all danger of frost has passed for your area. Either plant several rows or plant in a circle or clump to facilitate pollination. Space the seeds 8 inches apart. Feed with an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer twice during the growing season.
Recipe: make homemade sweet popcorn
After harvesting your corn-strawberry popcorn cobs, it is necessary to dry your cobs by hanging them in a dry and ventilated place for at least 2 weeks. This step is essential to remove the moisture and obtain popcorn. Now that your cobs are dry, pick off the red kernels. You can then make your homemade popcorn, here is our recipe:
1) Melt butter in a saucepan, then add your grains. Stir well to soak all the grains of butter. Then cover the pan, and let the grains pop.
2) Then add sugar and mix. You can now taste. A little advice: taste them warm, it’s even better! Good tasting. The recipe can also be made in a savory version.
Source: alsagarden.com
