Oddly, I was just going to look this up myself, since I couldn't remember when I am supposed to harvest my popcorn. The drying part I CAN tell you - Let it dry on the cob until it easily pops off with your thumbs. Do that, then either air dry it in a VERY dry place, or you can actually put a fine screen in your dehydrator and use that. I have to worry about popability, you just need to get it so it won't spoil. Do it until it feels nice and dry then store in an airtight jar.

-Marie

My mom raised popcorn when I was a kid... and one of my farming sisters and her husband raise it commercially. Popcorn will pop best when the moisture content is about 13-14%. Usually allowing it to dry on the stalk will put it in this range. Before picking the entire crop, it's a good idea to shell off just a quarter cup or so and try popping it. If most of the kernals pop, it's time to pick it all! Once in a while, popcorn can get too dry and then it won't pop well either. You can add a couple of teaspoons of water to a quart of popcorn and shake it all up really well. Let it sit for several days to distribute the moisture thoroughly before trying to pop again. This is something you would only want to do if you had tested the corn when you picked it and it popped well... then after storage it wasn't popping well any more. You can avoid this kind of problem by storing it correctly - in a tightly sealed jar (so it doesn't dry any further). YOu can also put the jars of popcorn in the fridge or freezer. Either way, seal it up tight!

I read various posts on popcorn & saving corn seed, etc. Could someone with much experience and knowledge answer this for me, please: Can you have success popping corn where you pick the corn (silk is brown & dry) while it is still in the yellow-cream stage, and then dry it yourself in the house in a very warm spot?

OR: Does it have to be hard & dry (not necessarily 13% moisture, tho) before you even pick it?