Johnny, What fun! I'm glad the kids got to learn that cornbread doesn't have to come from a package. Who knows how many future gardeners you may have inspired on Friday. Way to go!

Dawn

Great! Look at the smile on those kids face!

The members of this forum have more impact on others than they may know.

We gave away about 10 pounds of seed to the kids. They can grow their own corn now.

Johnny

Johnny, Which corn did you grow?

soonergrandmom,

We grew Dia de San Juan.

Here is where we got it.

We will be planting about an acre of it this year. Gotta get the potatoes harvested first.

Johnny

I'll have to try that sometime. I don't normally plant corn because of space, but I think I am going to plant a little this year 'just cause'. I think I have several kinds of dent corn in my stash, so that is probably what I will plant. I love cornbread from freshly ground corn......but, can't say that I like the noise the grain mill makes when I grind corn. LOL

soonergrandmom,

Dia de San Juan is dent corn.

We picked some of it a little early and ate it raw right there in the field.

Johnny

Yes, I saw that it was dent. I will probably just plant what I have this year, but I will keep yours in mind for the future. Thanks Johnny.

Johnny Coleman,

One of those kids has a white beard!

Johnny, When I read your words "gotta get the potatoes harvested first", I laughed out loud to myself. You sound just like me....and you know it is true!

I'm always eagerly waiting for the cool-season crops to hurry up and finish up so I can plant the succession crop that follows them. Patience may be a virutue, but it is hard for me to master the art of patience in the garden. I won't rush the potato harvest because I do want for the plants to make their maximum possible crop, but I also won't dilly-dally too long when it comes to harvest time. Every day I don't harvest (once the taters are big enough) is a day that the succession crop isn't planted yet.

I really like Native Seed/SEARCH and the way they have preserved so many varieties grown by the native tribes. The wide variety of crops they've preserved is fascinating.

Carol, Keep us posted on your tomato experiment. There's no real wrong way to do it, you know, so whatever works is great.

Ezirah, My tomato plants start out as two neat, staggered/offset rows per raised bed when the tomato plants are small. By June, it is just one big jungle. I love it. I admire gardens with single rows of more widely spaced tomato plants that do not grow into one big jungle/wad/crazy mess, but my own garden will never look like that. I blame myself for trying to grow four times as many plants as I have the space to grow, and I'm never going to change, so I just embrace the craziness. If the garden is not a crazy, tangled jungle by the beginning of June, I feel like I've done something wrong.

Dawn

soonergrandmom,

We will be planting at least an acre. You are welcome to harvest some of ours.

We shuck it by hand then hang it up to dry. When it is dry, we run it through our hand operated sheller. All of it spends some time in a deep freeze to kill any insects in it.

We are trying to organize a plow day on our 10 acre plot at St. Francis of the Woods. So far, one antique tractor club is thinking about offering their support.

So maybe we'll be planting even more corn next year.

Johnny

authereray,

Yes, I had a great day. I watched the light bulb come on over many young heads that day. We will be approaching the PTA soon to get the kids and their parents in our gardens this summer.

Johnny

Thanks for the offer Johnny, and if you weren't so far from me I would probably be helping you anyway. Not for a share, but because I think you are doing a great work. I do a lot of cooking with whole grains, so I know I could be of some help in that department, but I live near Grove.

soonergrandmom,

Thank for your encouragement.

Most of my posts, on this forum, are intended inspire gardener out reach in other communities. There are so many things that our kids need to learn. Too many of our grand parents skills are being lost to time and forgotten.

My grandmother taught me about Rhode Island Red chickens. Her advice has worked well all of my life.

My grandfather taught me about sowing seed and the value of healthy soil. He knew about healthy soil because he was so intimate with it. His team of Clydesdales were named Doll and Babe.

I wish I had better understood the value of their skills when they were still here.

Johnny

it was so funny to see this thread this morning.i have been rereading The Resiliant Gardener and she has a whole chapter on corns.with recipes for using different corns.i ordered corn seed from bakers.3 kinds.but since i have a small garden space i understand i can only plant one kind to avoid cross pollination.that will be a hard choice.i ordered that jewel like gem corn, blue and green oaxacan.so now i will have homeless corn .....i don't know if our community garden would let me plant some there or not.hmmm

leava,

We are planting more than we need. You are welcome to some (50 pounds) of ours.

Johnny

https://www.facebook.com/visionfarms/

soonergrandmom,

It has occurred to me many times that maybe we should be teaching those in jail and prison or in drug rehab. I wonder if many of them are doing that stuff because they don't know anything else to do. Kind of like the folks who remain glued to their cell phone. I often wonder if they just don't know about the excitement of watching those little plants break the surface like slow motion submarines breaching the surface of the ocean.

I look forward to your suggestions. We are currently trying to encourage some antique tractor clubs to participate in our plow day. That plot (10 acres) needs a lot of soil improvement because it has been farmed using conventional methods for a very long time.

Thanks again for the encouragement.

Johnny

johnny thank you for the offer of corn.i would love some.someone on a facebook list told me about your farm last week.i went to your fb page then webpage and sent an email to be notified when you have crops to harvest :) i am from Guthrie but have not lived there since 8th grade and am 61 ....are you offering dried corn you have now or corn after you grow it this year ??? going to try and replace many wheat/gluten products with corn products over time so i would be thrilled and very happy to pay for the corn .....

My DH serves on a couple of boards that deal with those problems and over the years I have gotten to know some of the people because they will approach us when they see us in town. It has amazed me to have them tell me that they never knew what it felt like to be clean and drug free until they entered these programs. Drugs took over their lives at such an early age, they didn't remember feeling any other way. It is very rewarding to see the changes they make in their lives. Some still can't do it although they know the choice is to stop using or be incarcerated, but for the strong ones who find their way out, it is great. They try to teach them respect for themselves, respect for others, and responsibility, and if they can grasp that they can make it. They have to work during the process so they learn what 'real life' is all about.

leava,

If you harvest it yourself, there is no charge. However, we will accept small donations (under $20.00) that we can use to buy meat (chicken or beef) for the food bank or other 501 c 3 organizations. We have two types of lettuce ready to harvest right now. Also, we have more than a few hundred feet of bush beans, PEPH peas and okra coming up. And of course, we have potatoes growing too.

Johnny

thank you :) so do y ou have dried corn or will that be later ??

leava,

We have donated most of our dried corn by making cornbread for others. The remaining corn will be used for seed.

If you harvest your own corn later, you will have to shuck it and hang it up to dry. It really isn't difficult to dry enough to keep you in corn meal for a year. After drying, we put it in the deep freeze for a few days to kill any insects in the kernels.

It really is worth the effort. I use it in some of my bread recipes which may include grain sorghum this year. I have finally found some crook neck sorghum seed. I have enough to plant a large plot that I will mainly save as seed.

Johnny

ok johnny so this inspired me to make my own cornbread.maybe i will get to do it with some kids too :) the chapter of The Resilient Gardener where she talks about corn is so fascinating.Wanting to use less wheat (less gluten) so all of this clicked into place.When I made my amazon order this week i ordered a 25 pound bag of dried corn that is non gmo organic with free shipping.Now to grind and experiment....

leava,

I'm sure you will find it makes very good food and it is easy to store. It always gives me a good feeling to look in my pantry and see hundreds of pounds of good food. Reduces my stress level.

Johnny

That's the best stress reliever I ever heard of. For sure.

johnny i read where you freeze the dry corn to kill possible insects or larvae.once you do that how do you store to prevent further problems? i seem to fight bugs and moths at every turn with stored food.i want to order more bulk grains but we have only the smallest chest freezer and nowhere to keep another freezer so cannot keep everything in one......

leava,

Here is some expert guidance. http://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes/storing-whole-grains

http://www.thekitchn.com/expert-tip-dont-worry-about-storing-whole-grains-in-the-freezer-19178

All of my whole grain spends a few days in the deep freeze when I first get it. Then I just leave it at room temp until used up. There are oxygen and moisture absorbers for storing your home grown grain. They are used inside air tight containers. 12% moisture is about right for storing most grains.

Johnny

oh thank you so much for the links......i bought some mylar pouches and dessicants but the bags are small.looking forward to reading the info before i order more whole grains......

read first link.second link is page not found.will search the site to try and find it..... thanx :)

ok second link just needs a number 6 at the end

leava,

I started a sourdough starter two days ago with my organic hard red winter wheat flour. It is making a lot of bubbles and gas already. I have already used the "discard" for making bread. I hate to throw away good food.

I'll be making some sourdough bread in a few days. Then, Ill make some sourdough waffles.

Johnny

PS - Here is the guide I'm following. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2012/04/05/creating-your-own-sourdough-starter-the-path-to-great-bread/

that sounds more than wonderful.there is a recipe for cornbread in The Resilient Gardener that I really want to try.But i do love sourdough.I was stationed in Monterey California for Romanian language school in the army and after work I used to go to the PX and buy fresh sourdough, walk down to the ocean and eat it there.sigh....miss the ocean terribly after living on both coasts.

Leava,

I did some time at language school in Monterey. I decided I wasn't a good fit for that way of life. I felt more comfortable outdoors as a combat arms soldier. I need the sun on my skin and a clear mission.

To each his own.

However, thanks for your service. It means something coming from me because I have spent my time in a one man foxhole. Come to think of it, my entire life has involved lots of dirt. (;-)

Johnny Coleman

SSG, US Army

Retired

https://www.facebook.com/visionfarms/

Johnny thank YOU for your service.Grateful for what you did for all of us.

Johnny and Leava, First of all, thanks to both of you for your service. My husband spent 23 years in the AF, and I spent almost 20 years working for DOD so I am very familiar with the life style and the sacrifices made.

Leava, the mylar may protect your grain from bugs, but mice and rats can eat through those bags. They will tell you that mice can't, but that isn't true. I also find that they are hard to store because of their irregular shape. Even if you have the means to vacuum the air out you need to keep them as flat as possible as they firm up. Most of my grain is in cans or refrigerated, but what I am currently using is just in jars with good lids, or gallon plastic rectangular containers with snap on lids from Walmart. I have never had bugs get into anything except bags. Five gallon plastic food grade buckets with tight fitting lids also work if you are storing a large quantity.

Johnny, I sometimes make sourdough bread so I keep a starter going at all times. I like what sourdough does in bread even if I am not making a 'real' sourdough loaf. I frequently make up a large amount at night then just add it to my normal bread recipe (with a few adjustments) to make more loaves instead of the 2 my recipe would normally make. It gives the bread depth of flavor and prolongs the freshness of the loaf. I experiment all of the time and my husband says he never knows what kind of bread we will be having next. LOL Last week we had white bread with feta cheese and black olives, and loaves made with white wheat, a little molasses, and the addition of chia seeds, flax seeds, and a large portion of sunflower seeds. It has become one of our favorites. I used some sourdough in both types.

As far wasting sourdough starter....I have been cooking with sourdough for years and I never have waste. That idea just seems to have started recently and KAF has picked up the torch and promoted it, I think. I like KAF products, especially pans, and order from them all of the time, but some of their recipes are a little weird, (I'll be more specific if you want), but many are very good. I especially like this one Waffles which is a great thing to use when you have extra starter. It has a sponge made with buttermilk the night before. It would work for pancakes or waffles, but I always make waffles with it. It only makes about four waffles in my waffle iron.

Johnny Coleman,

You can make grits by boiling water and a little salt & prpper and add the corn meal and turn down the fire and let simmer for a few minutes then turn off the fir and let it cool enough to eat. I add butter and sugar or a little honey. Personally I like honey on the grits, "they are larrupin good". But some folks may not like grits though. I don't like cornbread, I love it. Anyway anyhow.

authereray,

Thank you. I'll be trying that soon.

We planted about 1,200 feet of Top pick Pink eye Purplehull peas today. We will be broadcasting a lot of (BVR) peas and turning them under with our tiller. We are DETERMINED to improve the soil at 12th Street garden.

Johnny

Johnny Coleman,

That sounds like a good deal. My Grandpa used to tell about planting cowpeas and turning them under, at about the bloom stage to improve poor soil. I think they used to call it green manureing. But I think turning under any plants that are green is good for the soil. Compost is probably the best to build soil but it would take a whole lot. I don't know if anyone else does it but I like to plant cowpeas in between my sweet corn stalks about every couple of stalks or so. That way the peas will supply nitrogen for the corn and after the corn is done I can usually get a pea picking or two. I don't advocate this for everyone, it's just something I do. You probably don't have time to waste doing something like this as you have to get your corn crop out and start getting the land ready to start again. I wish you a good and Good luck.