“A Taste of Our Ancestors” ~I expect to really get in trouble regarding “sweet corn”, but here goes. A number of years ago, I had a “truck patch” of “IO Chief” sweet corn. An older variety, but a good one, most of my trade was with older people. A lady from Georgia came by and she was sure enough an old timer. Asking what kind of corn was that, I told her and she immediately replied, “huump, I dont eat nothin but “Hickory Cane” corn and “Rattle Snake” beans.” Yes, sweet corn varieties can be a touchy subject in the South. ~Without a doubt since time-out-of-mind, the old Indians had crossed up maize by spontaneous mutation and eventually, through their experience, got lucky with a sweeter variety which was then adopted and improved by the pioneers, especially in the South. This would have been very smallish and would have needed to be consumed almost immediately. Early seed men took this and by 1779 there was a reference to a sweet type corn called “papoon” or “Susquehanna” However, it would not be until the latter 19th century that true “sweet” varieties of corn, as we know them, would come about. These types were slowly accepted and improved, the first ones taking so long to mature, they only thrived in the South and then only outside Appalachia were growing seasons were longer. Before this and for a long period afterwords the old “eight rowed” “shoe peg” and “dent” varieties of field types were all that were used and unless used for meal or grits typically they were allowed to become starchy and “gritted” for summer bread cakes. In Tennessee especially the very old “red cob” types of field corn were the multipurpose varieties, - meal, grits, general consumption, livestock feed, and distilling. A variety called “Tennessee Red Cob” is very old and sold as an heirloom (non sweet) seed being related to these even older types of red cob field corn. While used in the making of corn liquor the old pioneers of Appalachia speak more of apple brandy production than corn whiskey, -corn being described more their bread than anything else. ~The oldest true sweet corn variety known that gained a large following was a white variety called “Stowells Evergreen”. “Stowells Evergreen Sweet Corn” was originally developed by Nathaniel Newman Stowell of Burlington, New Jersey in 1848. Stowell was a farmer and spent some years refining this variety, which he developed by crossing Menomony Soft Corn and Northern Sugar Corn. In the fall of 1855, he sold just two ears of seed corn to a close friend for four dollars, on the agreement that the seed was for personal use only. Stowells friend then re-sold the same seed for a whopping $20,000 to Thoburn and Company who released the variety commercially in late 1856. The stalks grow 7-71/2 feet tall and it has about 8” ears which produce about 14-20 rows of kernels. It is still available but it takes 92 days to mature and only remains truly sweet for a very short time (actually minutes) after harvest, so it must be prepared at once. It can rarely be grown to maturity outside the states of the old South. Unfortunate as well is the fact that sweet corn is not an easy plant to preserve in the heirloom varieties. It will not survive in a wild state and requires continuous intervention by man. The farmers of the old South kept their seed and this was a factor in the slow adaptation to the sweet corn varieties of long ago. ~”Stowells Evergreen” through intervention brought about the development of the oldest true American sweet corn favorite “Country Gentleman”, named for the popular 19th agricultural magazine by the same name. It was a white “shoe peg” variety lacking rows with kernels arranged in an irregular zig-zag pattern. Still long maturing, it became popular in the South for canning but its real quality was its sweetness when eaten fresh. Introduced in 1882, it excited Victorian cooks who created new recipes including “summer pies” made from this variety. ~It was not until 1902 however that a variety came into being that we today would truly recognize as what commonly call “sweet corn”. “Early Golden Bantam” for years was the standard in sweet corn. It matured in only 80 days, was a yellow variety, and truly had a lasting sweet that remained as such longer on the stalk. The original was eight rowed but further development brought it up to the 12 rowed heirloom variety we still love today. In the early 1900s there were 63 known cultivars of sweet corn hitting the American seed market for home use and local markets. By the mid twentieth century, we had it going on with sweet corn in the USA. “IO Chief” was the 1951 reigning champ, and in my opinion still is. In finishing this summary of corn, I was able to speak with an old truck farmer from Southeast Tennessee. He confirmed to me what I had always understood about sweet corn. The following was his take on the subject. -In the 1940s-50s most country people did not grow sweet corn for consumption, as it was low yield and considered a novelty that just took up garden space. However during this time some varieties were grown to sell among the city people in the market at Chattanooga. Usually Early Golden Bantam, Truckers Favorite and later on IO Chief. ~Today grow “Merit” for big ears, great production, and few silks, “Golden and Silver Queen” are Tennessee stand-by types, and “Incredible” will keep you returning to the boiling pot till its gone. ~Unfortunately, the trend among modern Southern small gardeners seems to be a turn toward ever newer and ever sweeter types, -”Kandy Corn” for example is small, low yield, fast growth corn and is very sweet and popular among our new “suburban” gardeners. “Peaches and Cream” or “Ambrosia” however, would better choices for sweetness and production in the more modern types. The list is almost endless. ~One thing is for sure, we have come a long way in my time since we had to hurry to pick large sized market varieties like “Truckers Favorite” in which we only had a short three day window to gather and sell it before the sweetness was replaced by waxy starch. And remember, whichever heirloom or standard sweet corn you choose to grow, youve made the right choice! As of 2013, 90% of all U. S. commercially produced corn has been genetically modified with traits that benefit the large scale producers by allowing them to trademark varieties and pass the cost on to you, plus, we are not fully sure, as of now, that both crop and human side effects are not in store down the road from these new super corns. Understanding the difference between Standard, Heirloom, and Modified varieties is more important than ever. Pictures include Country Gentleman, Stowells Evergreen, Early Golden Bantam, heirloom sweet corns.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 13:00:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015