While freshly picked corn tastes delicious, you can ripen and dry many varieties instead. The dried corn kernels make a great basis for tasty popcorn or are suitable as nutritious animal feed.

Not every type of corn is suitable for popcorn

Popcorn is always made from corn - but not every type of corn is suitable for popcorn. Types with a thin but very hard shell are ideal for fluffy, delicious popcorn. Only species that belong to popcorn or pearl corn (sometimes also referred to as cracker corn) have these properties. The production of corn with other types of corn is only possible with poor results or not at all, since the grains are either too dry or too soft.

The best corn varieties for popcorn

  • white pop
  • Violet Fonce
  • Sanguine Pop
  • Fraise Rose-Blanche (Strawberry Corn)

Delicious homemade popcorn

First of all, put oil (sunflower or rapeseed oil works best) in a pan and put a thin layer of powdered sugar on top. Slowly heat the oil until the sugar caramelizes, then add the (dried!) corn kernels. Put a lid on the pan and gently swirl it back and forth. By tossing the sugar evenly coats all grains. Turn down the initially high heat as soon as the first grain pops. Keep tossing so that nothing burns. For a large bowl of popcorn, you need about two small ears of corn. Enjoy your meal!

Dried corn for pets

Dried corn is also a healthy food for many pets. For this purpose, however, you should not use popcorn, but preferably vegetable or feed corn varieties such as Golden Bantam. Feed corn is also perfectly edible for humans, because the biggest differences between these types are the size of the cobs (sweet corn is larger) and the starch content (feed corn contains more starch). Poultry, in particular, such as chickens, ducks and geese, but also rabbits and even dogs like to eat corn.

This is how corn dries properly

Corn that is to be used for making popcorn or for animal feed can be dried to improve its shelf life. Popcorn corn in particular has to dry, otherwise it won't "pop" properly. Before corn can be dried, however, it must first ripen. Maize is at the right level of ripeness when the grains are hard and dry - i.e. no longer suitable for raw consumption. Now hang the corn cobs individually on a string in a room at room temperature (between 20 and 22 °C). Here you can dry for about two weeks before the kernels are carefully rubbed off the cob with a sharp knife.

tips and tricks

Caution: Since corn contains a lot of starch, which is converted into sugar, too much corn can actually make pets fat.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden