You might want to try some of the Indian corn varieties that have been preserved by the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Nebraska.

Curt, I can't help you with the corn grinding idea but it looks like you have the beginnings of that down!

I have grown Indian Mountain corn.

This isn't "corn country," really. Sweet corn is grown on several small fields and, back when there were a few dairies around, corn was grown for silage. I have been very careful to choose varieties that have "good cold soil emergence" and generally don't have any problem growing sweet corn. No 80 days-to-maturity types are worth the risk, however.

Indian Mountain grew very well the 2 seasons I had it. The 1st year, There was some mold problems when I thought I could keep some of the harvested corn with husks covering the ears. The next time, I didn't make that mistake and made sure the ears had plenty of exposure to the air.

In the garden, the plants were huge! Never, have I grown sweet corn anywhere near as tall.

Despite easily selling the bunches of colorful ears, I chose not to grow it again because it interfered with my sweet corn . . . Yeah, I got bright, colorful (tough) kernels here and there on the ears of sweet corn even tho' those plants were 35' to 50' away.

Steve

I grew oodles of corns in 2008 and 2009, and actually just ground it all up in October and November -- it sat in the basement in storage for all that time. I ended up with over a hundred pounds of corn meal, of various colors.

I tried flour corns (actually, my favorite in terms of ease of grinding), dent corns (most productive), flint corns (not for grinding again, too hard! but pretty for decorative use), and even waxy corn (via someone in North Carolina who got seeds from China).

I think my single most productive variety was Northstine Dent --- its a northern Michigan heirloom with fairly short plants (5-6 feet), and about 7 inch ears with yellow kernels. Hopi Blue Dent was probably the most productive blue. Earthtones Dent and Oaxacan Green were both productive, but the cornmeal is kind of ugly, yielding a strangely colored cornbread (kind of looks like dryer lint, but tastes fine). Painted Mountain was just OK in terms of production, IMO.

Alas, my dry corn crop this year was an abject failure. The stupid squirrels striped every ear of my dry corns, from several hundred feet of row. There was NO walnut or acorn crop here, and I guess they were desperate for food, but partially my fault because I got lazy and was NOT good about getting them trapped, I just had too many other things to do. It did serve one purpose, they stayed out of my sweet corn and went for the dry corn varieties in the other garden closer to the trees.

Hopefully next year will be better.

Yeah, I should go back and edit my post - wish that was possible.

Of course, it was "Painted Mountain" that I grew for a couple of years. I had started to say that ALL corn is "Indian" corn. And, one word just followed another.

Then, I wondered what my native American ancestors would think of GMO corn . . . . .

Steve

I grow an heirloom dent, Hickory King. It is a good strong grower, tough, very large white kernels. Good for hominy or grinding.

There is simply nothing like fresh grain ground in the first 3 months after harvest - no comparison to dried grain months old from the elevator. The thing is that when it is very fresh and the moisture content is quite high the kernels are soft and gum most mills. If it does you can buy the corona mill intended for wet-milling hominy to make tortillas. It will crush grain of any softness.

Here's a link to an older thread, which then mentions and even older thread, on growing corn for meal and grits.

I grow Mesquakie Indian and Cherokee Squaw, two very different corns. Mesquakie Indian is primarily a dent, with some flint and even pop corn characteristics. Cherokee Squaw is a nice dent corn, though very easy to shell and grind.

Here is a picture of these two. The Mesquakie is red/yellow and purple/red, and the Cherokee Squaw is white/blue/purple.
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It is really something how location and conditions affect how certain corns grow and produce (or don't produce). Years ago I grew Hopi Blue, in Hidalgo Mexico, roughly at the 20th parallel. It did produce, though it only reached about 3 1/2' in height. The same corn, grown up North, has been known to top 9'. I once sent seed to a native Mexican corn, to Glenn Drowns, in IA. He grew it out, and in October, it only started to tassel. But it was nearly 18' tall by that time! In its native environment that corn only reached about 10'.

I hope, in 2011, to grow more dry corn than ever. It's something we really use. It's dependable, and it's what I call a "feel good crop," in that it is productive and low on labor demands.

I grew Nothstine Dent, in NJ, several years ago. It was almost a complete loss. It lodged like crazy. Yet, in the upper Midwest, it's a winner.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Here is a link that might be useful: Corn for Meal & Grits 2

Macmex Thanks for the link it is what I was looking for. I don't know how I missed it in my search?

Curt P.S.Like the pictures. Thanks all.

I have grown Navajo Blue, and it was productive for me. Although I live south of you, I am at 7200 ft elevation, Zone 5 (or 6, as it has warmed in the last 20 years), with cool days and nights all summer. If you have low-lander hot summers, you should have no problem. There is also Taos Blue, from the Taos Pueblo (NM) at 6950 ft, and a bit further north than my location. I haven't grown it, so I don't have personal experience with it, but from the picture on the Seeds Search site, it doesn't look as well-filled as the Navajo. These are flour varieties, making a finer meal than dent varieties.

Hope that helps

Here is a link that might be useful: Native Seeds/SEARCH

Here in southern WI corn country, I grow Nothstein Dent and Earthtones Dent. Both did really well for me, but I prefer the flavor of the Nothstein Dent. I also found that I have to be careful where I plant it or the local field corn pollen will corrupt the kernels and yield a less than satisfactory final product.

Steve