Glass Gem Heirloom Corn

I never really thought I'd want to grow much corn until today.

Too bad the seed already sold out for now.

Quick explanation of heirloom seeds and their importance?  Ok.  

In general, the best heirloom seeds are open-pollinated (by birds, bees, other insects, wind, natural means), and not hybrids which would not occur naturally.  Nor are they genetically modified in any way.  Because they're not hybrids they will sow true -- which means that if you properly grow, collect, store and plant an heirloom seed it will be true to it's parent plant.  

This is not true for, as a popular example, a hybrid tomato plant.  If you saved the seed of a hybrid tomato odds are if you planted the saved seed you would get a cherry tomato (per my experience) or at least one of the parent varieties used to create the hybrid -- not the hybrid itself.  Hybrids exist for a variety of reasons, mostly because they express the beneficial traits of the parent varieties.  I personally consider hybrids a hard sell because you must buy or renew each year -- not very sustainable environmentally or self-sufficient.

Heirlooms are important because of their genetic consistency and stability.  Plus they tend to pretty much always exhibit prettier and tastier qualities over the hybrids and GMOs.  There are also so, so, so many kinds.  Which has made for a lot of really neat seed saving movements, banks and libraries.  Besides being cool to collect -- they are of extremely understated importance to maintaining diversity in our food crops which, in turn, invests in the hopes that we will always have something edible to grow.  

Plus a lot of banks and libraries are regionally-focused which is a sustainability measure as well so that we spend less resources (water, greenhouse heating, etc) trying to grow things that aren't native or very well acclimated locally.

Did I mention they're prettier?

New recommended reading about heirloom seeds for sustainability by the director of Seeds Trust, Bill McDorman.

You are what you eat eats also: Part I

Just a reminder.

The egg on the right came from a happier, healthier chicken.  It's richer in minerals because it had a larger diversity of healthy food: more nourishing greens and wholesome bugs in it's diet!

Grass-fed/pastured hens are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept in confinement and fed primarily grains. Eggs from pastured hens contain up to 20 times more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than those their less fortunate cousins, factory hens. 
Pastured hens' diets are naturally complemented with bugs, earthworms, and other such critters that give their eggs a huge nutritious oomph. Although not necessarilly organic, pastured hens are usually much healthier and happier than their space-restricted and antibiotic-pumped industrial cousins. 
Pasturing is the traditional method of raising egg-laying hens and other poultry. It is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the tastiest, most nutritious eggs. 
Pastured eggs also have 10 percent less fat, 40 percent more vitamin A, and 34 percent less cholesterol than eggs obtained from factory farms. - LocalHarvest

The egg on the left is the egg many of us are used to seeing.  It came from a battery or conventionally-raised chicken who probably only ate soy and/or corn and/or unknown waste products.

The same for milk -- being slightly yellowish when higher in fat and pastured (Jersey milk) -- or pasture butter being almost orange due to the amount of grazing the cows are allowed.

Today I took a trip to the World Dairy Expo.  I did get to see Best Udders in Show -- or something similar.  But I did not learn anything about actual milk or cheese or DAIRY!  I learned about big machines, cow supplements and NEW feed (reminded me of commercials for new junk food fads like Dunkeroos but for cows).

Think about it -- have you ever seen a commercial for an apple or broccoli?  Do I have a point?

Anyway, things you eat, hopefully ate well too -- which excludes any foodstuffs that have their own commercial.

NEW Suggested Reading (on GMOs):

Last winter, well-known plant pathologist and retired Purdue University professor Don Huber sent a letter to Tom Vilsack, U.S. Agriculture Secretary. In this letter he states, “A team... [has] recently brought to my attention the discovery of an electron microscopic pathogen that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals and probably humans.
 Based on a review of this data, it is widespread, very serious, and is in much higher concentrations in Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans and corn, suggesting a link to the RR gene or more likely the presence of Roundup. This organism appears new to science!”