Colourful Mielies On The Compost Heap!
Hey everyone, what are the plans for the weekend? I am probably going to drink beer, play tennis and have a all round chill session, who doesn't like chilling right?
So I made a plan, if not why not plant a crop of mielies on the top of the compost heap and so that is just what I did!
There are epic coloured mielies (corn) or giant glass corn check more of that out here:
Oklahoma farmer Carl Barnes, who died in 2016, isolated types of corn from his Native American ancestors.
Barnes saved and replanted seeds from particularly colourful cobs.
A fellow farmer started growing larger plots of the rainbow-coloured corn and made new strains with more vibrant colours and patterns.
Glass Gem corn, a unique variety of rainbow-coloured corn, became an internet sensation in 2012 when a photo of the sparkling cob was posted to Facebook.
Shortly after, the company that sells the rare seeds, Native Seeds/SEARCH, began ramping up production to meet the high demand. The Arizona-based company still sells Glass Gem seeds on its website. Meanwhile, a Facebook page devoted to Glass Gem allows growers to share pictures of the vibrant corn variety.
But the story behind Glass Gem is just as remarkable. It begins with one man, Carl Barnes, who set out to explore his Native American roots.
The history was largely retold by Barnes' protege, Greg Schoen, in 2012, when the corn gained national attention. These are the highlights.
The story of Glass Gem corn begins with an Oklahoma farmer named Carl Barnes. Barnes, who died in 2016, was half-Cherokee. He began growing older corn varieties in his adult years (no one is exactly sure when this began) as a way to reconnect with his heritage.
Greg Schoen
In growing these older corn varieties, Barnes was able to isolate ancestral types that had been lost to Native American tribes when they were relocated to what is now Oklahoma in the 1800s. This led to an exchange of ancient corn seed with people he had met and made friends with all over the country.
Greg Schoen
At the same time, Barnes began selecting, saving, and replanting seeds from particularly colourful cobs.
Greg Schoen
Over time, this resulted in rainbow-coloured corn.
Greg Schoen
A fellow farmer, Greg Schoen, met Barnes in 1994 at a native-plant gathering in Oklahoma. Barnes had his rainbow-coloured corn on display. Schoen was blown away.
Greg Schoen
That following year, Barnes gave Schoen some of the rainbow seed. Schoen planted the first seeds that summer.
Greg Schoen
Schoen and Barnes remained close friends, and over the years, Schoen received more samples of the rainbow seed.
Greg Schoen
In the beginning, Schoen only grew small amounts of the colourful corn in New Mexico, where he moved in 1999.
Greg Schoen
In 2005, Schoen began growing larger plots of the rainbow corn near Sante Fe, alongside more traditional varieties.
Greg Schoen
When the rainbow corn mixed with the traditional varieties it created new strains. Each year of successive planting, the corn displayed more vibrant colours and vivid patterns.
Greg Schoen
According to an account from Schoen, Barnes told him that the rainbow seed originally came from a crossing of "Pawnee miniature popcorns with an Osage red flour corn and also another Osage corn called ‘Greyhorse.’"
Greg Schoen
Schoen took to naming the various colours and patterns that emerged — "circus colours," "true rainbow," "deep blue," and so on.
Greg Schoen
"Glass Gems," seen here, was the title that Schoen came up with for a blue-green and pink-purple corn he grew in 2007. This is the original picture that went viral in 2012, turning the unique-coloured corn into an Internet sensation.
Greg Schoen
In 2009, Schoen passed on several varieties of the rainbow seed to Bill McDorman, who owned an Arizona seed company called Seed Trust.
Greg Schoen
At that time, McDorman was the executive director of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a non-profit conservation organisation. He brought the Glass Gem seeds with him, and they can now be purchased online.
Greg Schoen
(Buy some seeds at Native Seeds/SEARCH)
Schoen, who is not affiliated with the company, was still living in New Mexico and working on the corn in 2013, according to Stephen Thomas, former development assistant at Native Seeds/SEARCH.
I planted another crop close to the compost heap not doing as well just yet but coming along well.
Nature the incredible!
May you have the most incredible Wednesday! Love and light, be blessed!
Cheer$:)