Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment: Corn Do Over

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Corn Do Over

C-Bob,

I want you to know I have spent considerable amount of time and energy on your corn project even though I have nothing to show for it. First it was fixing the tiller, then preparing and planting, then fighting critters and then a scavenger hunt for the materials to make my protective enclosure to protect this last planting.

The chicken wire didn't turn out to be as substantial as I thought it would be. I had to use all sorts of things to put this enclosure together. I needed some tent stakes but had painted the little door to a storage area shut so I couldn't get in. I tried to make due with a couple of wooden stakes. Hope I don't need them later for a vampire but I do have plenty of garlic so I ought to be OK.

Well I hope this works. I surrounded it with that Repel as an added protection. I noticed today that what the rabbits hadn't eaten the armadillos dug up.

Now it is up to the spirit of the Hopi.

Carol

1 comment:

COLORADO BOB said...: Carol -
The view into your yard has been a real treat for us all . And god , I feel guilty that you did all this work, but hey, this whole thing is just cheap trick to make us all get up, and go outside. So we've all already won the contest.; May 23, 2009 at 11:55 PM

Post a Comment

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.

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

Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Corn Do Over

1 comment:

Hopi Women Grinding Corn in Arizona

----------------------------

Posting on the Site

Where Seeds Went

Cluster Map

Kernal Heads Sites, and Other Good Stuff

Followers

Blog Archive