When we think of corn, we think of the colour yellow. But have you ever seen colourful corn? The United States of America grows a special breed of corn called ‘glass gem corn’.
This species of corn not only looks beautiful but is also equally delicious. It has all the colours of a rainbow.
A man named Carl ‘White Eagle’ Barnes, who was a resident of the state of Oklahoma, created this variety of corn in the 1980s. He did it by cross-breeding a mixture of Native American ancestral corn.
He took Pawnee miniature popcorn, Osage Red Flour, and Osage Greyhorse corn, and separated them from volunteer plants in his fields. This created a small-eared corn with jewel-toned, glowing kernels.
Initially, Barnes did not reach a wider audience with his product. But he continued to grow the corn on his land. Later, in 2012 an image of the colourful corn went viral leading to increased demand and production.
Glass gem corn grows well in rows 30 inches apart with seeds placed 6-12 inches apart. It is usually ready to harvest in 110-120 days. The corn is harvested when the husks are dry and brown.
This colourful corn has a variety of uses. It can be popped like any other popcorn or ground into cornmeal. Since it maintains its rainbow colours when dried, it can also be used for decoration.
Native Seeds/SEARCH is a non-profit organisation from the US that conserves, produces, and markets these colourful corns.
This colourful corn also has many health benefits. It is full of vitamins, iron, fibre, and antioxidants and is good for our eyes and digestive tract.
Ms Kalinga