Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment: New Mexico

Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts

Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts

Friday, June 11, 2010

Squash blossoms and corn

Crooked neck

and Spaghetti squash

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Arroyo Moon Rise

Top photos taken looking east toward the Organ Mountains. The arroyo behind my house (2 palm trees).

Garden.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Snow in Las Cruces

Snow Bologna

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Hermaphrodite

I noticed this ear while it was growing....and upon harvest, it is a hermaphrodite. The hermaphrodite is part of the Navajo creation myth.

Navajo Creation Myth
http://books.google.com/books?id=tsqLzrSvVVQC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=hermphrodite+corn&source=bl&ots=pSjkdw4gRj&sig=SNPP37-pdKEkgrPO6GM7FDy6LEY&hl=en&ei=8cCCSoeqKIv-tQPV2ZmmAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Saturday, July 11, 2009

First Ear

Hubby and I picked the first ear of corn...we have been 'groping' the ear for weeks and since all of the silk is missing from all of our growing ears, we guessed it was ready...we were a bit wrong. (Bologna the dog and the first ear are the same length.)

First peek.

T

This ear was from Van Gogh...a second ear is forming. Van Gogh was the only survivor from the first planting. Fabio is from the third planting and a real champion. Fabio has four ears with a fifth forming. I want to save seeds from both plants as they are genetic winners.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Fabio and Van Gogh

Van Gogh

The original stalk with one ear of corn.

Fabio

Long, blonde & silky hair.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

First Ear

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Swallowtail, Praying Mantis and Ladybug

Saturday, June 6, 2009

It's business time!

Young tassel looking for silk...

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Still keeping us safe...

GWB watches over the Hopi Blue Corn in my yard. The real pleasure will be watching him fade!

Photo of giant lily plant. 15 blooms on one stalk!

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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