I kept one ear of the blue corn for seed and put the rest out for the wild critters. It is 5 degrees out and this young squirrel has found the corn and is chowing down.
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View Hopi Blue Corn Experiment Locations in a larger map
An Experiment in Small Things
Hopi Women Grinding Corn in Arizona
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Send me your address, and I'll mail you 24 seeds of Hopi Blue Dent Flint Corn. For medicine or chips, it's good for both. It costs me about 2 Bucks to do this if you can help O.K., if you can't , .... that's O.K too.
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Please feel free to add your updates by accepting the author invitation I send you . Sometimes I lose the stuff, or forget to keep up , I'm not sure which is at work here.
Blue Corn: Found primarily in the Southwest, blue corn has been a staple food of Native Americans - including the Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo & Zuni tribes - for hundreds of years. Coronado found blue corn & other flour corns during his 1540 expedition into the Southwest.
Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. Itís a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.
Blue Corn & Hopi Indians: Hopi blue corn varieties can range in color from nearly black to a powdery gray color. There are three varieties of the blue corn: "standard" blue (sakwaqa'o), hard blue (huruskwapu), and gray-blue (maasiqa'o). Because of its hard kernels, huruskwapu is most resistant to storage pests and traditionally was the preferred variety for storing. When the grinding was all done by hand, women preferred using maasiqa'o because it is soft and easier to grind but the color was not as vibrant as that of the sakwaqa'o or huruskwapu.
Besides being the backbone of their diet, blue corn represents an essential part of the Hopi culture. It represents the Eastern rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom & understanding. The Hopi of Arizona use blue corn in the naming ceremonies of infants, who might not receive their name for 6-to-8 months. They believe that blue corn represents a long life; Hopi men ate blue corn before undertaking long journeys because they believe it gives them great strength. To this day, the Hopi believe in the power of blue corn, as demonstrated by their story of creation.
Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. Itís a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.
Blue Corn & Hopi Indians: Hopi blue corn varieties can range in color from nearly black to a powdery gray color. There are three varieties of the blue corn: "standard" blue (sakwaqa'o), hard blue (huruskwapu), and gray-blue (maasiqa'o). Because of its hard kernels, huruskwapu is most resistant to storage pests and traditionally was the preferred variety for storing. When the grinding was all done by hand, women preferred using maasiqa'o because it is soft and easier to grind but the color was not as vibrant as that of the sakwaqa'o or huruskwapu.
Besides being the backbone of their diet, blue corn represents an essential part of the Hopi culture. It represents the Eastern rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom & understanding. The Hopi of Arizona use blue corn in the naming ceremonies of infants, who might not receive their name for 6-to-8 months. They believe that blue corn represents a long life; Hopi men ate blue corn before undertaking long journeys because they believe it gives them great strength. To this day, the Hopi believe in the power of blue corn, as demonstrated by their story of creation.
- As the Hopi moved from the third to the fourth way of life, Maasawu, the Creator, presented the gift of corn to all those who emerged. The other peoples took the largest ears of corn and Hopis were left with the small blue ear. The Hopis knew that their fourth way of life would be would not be easy, but that overcoming hardships would make them strong. The themes of humility, cooperation and respect became the lifeway of all Hopis.
Kokopelli's Kitchen
Where Seeds Went
View Hopi Blue Corn Experiment Locations in a larger map
Cluster Map
Kernal Heads Sites, and Other Good Stuff
- Carol's Southern Spice
- Sadler & Son Monuments
- Camille Henrot
- Sunny State Products (Bulk Blue Corn Seed)
- Tuthilltown Spirits (Blue Corn Wiskey)
- Monarch Waystation Seed Kit
- Colorado Bob's Solar Oven
- Native Seeds . Org
- Seeds of Change
- Craig's TrailMix
- Forage Oakland
- Whsky Jack's Show Your Garden
- American Indian Policy Blog
- DUWARD DISCUSSION
- Agroecology & Passive Water Harvesting
- Water Diverter or "Harvester"
- The Downtown Art Market
2 comments:
And I bet that squirrel greatly appreciated that corn Jack.
I couldn't get my squirrels to touch my little blue corn but then it was late in the summer when food was easily available.
Jack, That is a great picture. How did you ever get that close without scaring that little guy away. It is so cool to see him chomping away, able to find herself a good meal.
I enlarged the photo, and can also see that bird over on the right hand side. I imagine she's waiting in line for her turn.
Thanks for linking Jack.
That sure is a lot of snow. Hope you're finding a way to stay warm.
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