Colored corn - reality or photoshop: getting acquainted with amazing varieties and trying to grow it yourself

For the first time, the American Carl Barnes began to grow multi-colored corn. He was inspired by the idea of ​​cultural revival, which was highly valued by the ancient Indian tribes. In the course of long and persistent work for many years, a farmer from Oklahoma obtained corn with grains of all kinds of colors.

Today, gardeners have the opportunity to grow crops in a variety of shades, from golden to bluish black. In this article we will tell you about the history of the creation of colored corn, the features of growing different varieties and methods of its use in everyday life and cooking.

Colored corn - fiction or reality

Those who have never seen corn with grains dyed in all colors of the rainbow will most likely think that the master of Photoshop worked on the images. In fact, such varieties exist, and from time immemorial.

Corn - An ancient culture that was grown by the indigenous people of North America and used as animal feed. And relatively recently bred multi-colored varieties are just well-forgotten old ones. Each ear is completely unique. If you take several pieces for comparison and carefully examine the drawing, you will notice that the color combinations do not repeat and the grain size is different.

The Spanish Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagun, in his memoirs about visiting Indian tribes, describes corn cobs of amazing beauty with black, blue, red, white and yellow seeds. The culture spread quickly throughout Europe, but gained the greatest popularity in Japan and China.

In the USSR, corn began to be cultivated during the reign of Khrushchev, who tried to quickly introduce it into agriculture... At that time, preference was given to sugar varieties with yellow and orange grains. The main task was to solve the problem of shortage of animal feed and at the same time increase profitability, and the decorative function did not bother anyone.

The most famous varieties

The world's most popular varieties are Glass Gem and Multicolor Aztec Corn. Let's consider the features of each of them in more detail.

Glass Gem

The American Glass Gem corn variety is characterized by a bright color with unimaginable color combinations. It appeared thanks to the efforts of the breeder Carl Barnes, who has Cherokee Indian roots, and his student Greg Sean. They came up with a name for the variety - Glass Gem, which literally sounds like Glass Gamma in English. The second name is more romantic - Glass Pearl, and it actually corresponds to reality. Corn kernels resemble mother-of-pearl small pearls, but boast a wider color range.

The process of creating a new variety was painstaking, and it took a long time to achieve the desired result. Barnes used different colors of corn and crossed with open pollination.

Glass Gem belongs to the siliceous grades, which means that the grains have a very dense structure, so they are not used for eating boiled... This variety is suitable for making rainbow popcorn and cornmeal.

In the photo - cobs of corn Glass Gem.

Multicolor Aztec Corn

This corn variety was born thanks to the Aztecs who once lived in the mountains of the present American state of Montana.Multicolor Aztec Corn is one of the most genetically diverse varieties widely cultivated today. The ears contain grains of all kinds of shades: orange, yellow, golden, purple, blue, red.

Unlike Glass Gem, this variety can use boiled, but only if the cobs are very young. When boiled, the colors do not fade and remain the same bright. More mature specimens are used for making flour, cereals, frying, baking and canning.

reference... Flavored bread with a high content of antioxidants is baked from flour.

Pictured is Multicolor Aztec Corn.

Characteristics and description of varieties

In the vastness of our country, the following varieties of multi-colored corn are grown:

1. Early pink glow. Super early variety of corn. The crop can be harvested three months after sowing. It grows in length no more than 1.2 m, the cobs are pyramid-shaped, about 15 cm long, the grains are painted in a lilac-pink hue, have a pleasant sweet taste. Corn is suitable for boiled consumption.
2. South America... Reaches a height of 2.5 m, the length of the ears is 22 cm. The seeds are of a variegated color. The ears are used for decoration, making popcorn and flour.
3. North America. The grains have a lilac-chocolate hue. The stem grows up to 1.8 m in length.
4. Nacre... A mid-season variety, it grows up to 2.2 m in length. The ears are 14 cm long and have a slightly rounded pyramidal shape. The shade of the grains is white-lilac with a mother-of-pearl tint. The ears are eaten boiled at the stage of milk maturity.
5. Magic kaleidoscope... It grows up to 1.8 m. The ears contain grains of white, yellow, brown, orange and black... Propagated using seedlings, which are planted in open ground in early May. Loves the sun and good drainage.
6. Strawberry... An ornamental variety, it has interestingly shaped cobs with sharp red grains. The culture loves warmth and grows best in regions suitable for growing sweet corn. Harvested in late August - early September. The cobs are shaped like berries or cones. Grains of milky ripeness have a sweet pleasant taste and can be eaten. During the period of intensive growth, the culture needs feeding with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Suitable for creating a hedge.
7. Amero... The variety is grown outdoors in regions with a sufficient number of sunny days. Suitable for consumption at the stage of milk maturity. The variety tolerates drought well, but with a lack of life-giving moisture, it loses its decorative effect. The grains are colored yellow, dark orange, brown and golden.
8. Mosaic... The variety has decorative ears with grains of black, white, gold and brown colors. They are grown on fertile soils of the southern regions. Corn is used to create decor.

Outside of Russia, the Violet Maize variety is widely known. This corn has grains of the color of ripe blackberries due to the presence of special pigments - anthocyanins. It has medicinal properties and is cultivated over vast areas in Peru.

Hopi corn is grown in Mexico and the southern United States. Its grains are dark blue in color, have a low glycemic index compared to yellow corn, and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Is it possible to eat multi-colored corn

Colored flint corn contains a large amount of hard starchy compounds. Therefore, the grains are very dense to the touch and are suitable for making popcorn, cereals and flour.

Colored corn varieties with grains of milky ripeness (not fully ripe) can be eaten boiled. These grains are quite soft and sweet in taste.

How to grow yourself

The technology of growing multi-colored corn is not much different from the usual sugar varieties. The culture loves the sun, fertile soil, tolerates drought well.For disembarkation, choose windless areas with good lighting. At the initial stage, follow the rules of moderate watering. Apply fertilizers in a timely manner: at the beginning of flowering and at the stage of ear formation.

Sowing begins in late April - early May, when the soil warms up well. The depth of laying is no more than 5 cm. Before sowing, the seeds are heated in the sun for several days, then dipped in a jar of warm water for 24 hours. The seeding step is 40 cm.

Application of colored corn

Corn with multi-colored grains is used less often in cooking than in arts and crafts. The fact is that not all varieties are suitable for food, given the special hardness of the grains. Some of them can be used at the stage of milk maturity, and after full maturation - as a decoration.

In cooking

Multicolored corn varieties are used to make popcorn, candy sticks, cereals, cereals and flour. Some of them can be eaten boiled at the stage of milk maturity. Such grains have a pleasant sweet taste and are endowed with a lot of useful properties. They are used to prepare soups, salads, cereals, bake bread, tortilla, and bake on the grill.

For decor

Colored seeds make a unique decor for the kitchen. They are poured into transparent glass jars in layers or chaotically, creating rainbow panels. Some craftswomen manage to make bracelets and beads from multi-colored mother-of-pearl grains. In the United States, ears of color are tied up and used to decorate a Thanksgiving home.

It is useful to give small grains to children for the development of fine motor skills and making crafts, but, of course, only under the supervision of parents.

Where to buy seeds

Colored corn seeds are easy to purchase. They are presented in assortment in specialized stores or on Internet sites. For example, on AliExpress or eBay, such seeds are sold at an affordable price. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, the germination rate of the Chinese product is more than 50%. The average price is from 35 rubles for a bag of 20 seeds.

Conclusion

Corn is a unique crop with a long history of cultivation and cultivation. We are used to seeing cobs of the traditional yellow color on the tables and we know practically nothing about multi-colored specimens. It turns out that their cultivation does not pose any particular difficulties. The main thing is to choose a well-lit place and fertilize on time. Choose edible varieties for planting. This approach is more rational in terms of saving money and labor costs.