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| Two of the three sisters, beans and corn |
Although it's only the first of August, I can feel the autumn approaching. Now is the time of plenty in the garden: the garlic is harvested and curing, cucumbers are everywhere, blueberries coming ripe, tomatillos galore, tomatoes turning red on the vine, uncountable numbers of ground cherries, peppers red and hot, kale getting a second wind. The greenhouse is pretty organized for the first time EVER, too. I'm fast approaching that time of year that is my favorite: inside while storms rage beyond the walls, enjoying the saved bounty from the garden, and planning the next year's.
That corn, up there, is heirloom hopi blue corn. This is the first year that I'll actually have a crop, since the deer have destroyed three previous years' worth. This year, though, I got smart: I built a fence around the raised bed that the corn (and beans, and squash: the Three Sisters) is in. And the deer haven't made a dent. Anyway, this year I planted a full 4'x12' bed with the Three Sisters, and there is a LOT of corn out there now. What, you ask, am I going to do with the ~40 ears of corn that are maturing out there?
Why, I'm going to make corn flour. This involves a fun technique called "nixtamalization". Basically, it's as follows:
- Harvest the corn. This is going to be interesting in and of itself, since I need to let the kernels dry on the cobs.
- Cook the kernels in limewater. This loosens the outer hulls and makes the corn more digestible.
- Rub the hulls off. This results in hominy! Yes, hominy, from which we make grits.
- Grind the kernels. This results in masa, aka corn flour.
- Profit!
That's one of the great things I've found about gardening, in general: there is always something new to learn, something new to try, and without fail it's satisfying.
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