A few weeks ago, I posted about this incredible landrace variety of corn I was growing in a couple of my elementary school gardens (Link to OP with pics and explanation: https://www.reddit.com/r/gardening/s/dWZONNgUy3). 'Chapalote,' as it is called, has a history of being grown in the Sonoran Desert that dates back to around the time the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built. This is supposed to be a dual purpose flour/popping variety. As long awaited and promosed, here's my full report:
- Poppability (4/10): Unfortunately, this isn't a very easy variety to pop. I attribute a lot of my difficulties to my own human error. I don't think I was able to get the moisture level right during drying to achieve good poppability, and overall I was only able to get about 40% of the kernels to pop at best. I've been able to achieve much higher popping rates with modern hybrid popcorn that I've grown. It seems to require a higher temperature to pop than commercial popcorn varieties (I achieve the best results at around 430° F). That being said, The kernels that did have the right moisture content popped very nicely, almost as well as store-bought popcorn kernels. This rating is based only on my own personal experience as a gardener who desires crops that are easy to prepare ane consume – I'm sure there's an appropriate way to dry and pop it that I haven't learned yet. After all, the Native people who developed this variety have probably been popping it for millennia. My drying methods involved either leaving the ears on the stalk, in the shed, or on my counter until they seemed dry enough. If anybody here has any insights on how to prepare heirloom popping corn, I'd greatly appreciate it!
- Taste (10/10): The flavor of the kernels that DID pop was absolutely SUPERB. This is by far the most delicious popcorn I've ever eaten. The taste is full-bodied, complex, and nutty to the point where it's even good without any salt. I popped it in olive oil over a portable induction stove, and given the level of heat required, next time I would go with an oil that has a higher smoke point. Unfortunately, I did burn some of the kernels, but this didn't compromise the flavor too much.
- Texture (9/10): Since the fully popped kernels didn't QUITE pop as much as standard popcorn owing to the lower moisture content, they ended up a bit more dense. 'Chapalote' absorbed some the olive oil and CC its flavors very well without becoming too soggy. It almost has a chewy quality to it, but without sacrificing too much crunch. Personally, I like it this way – it lends itself to a more satisfying mouthfeel. I would say that this denser, less crispy texture isn't for everyone though, so I'm giving it a solid 9 out of 10.
- Students' reaction (10/10): Many of my students also reported that it's the best popcorn they have ever tasted! They kept asking for more and even wanted to eat kernels that didn't successfully pop. Several of them reported that trying this popcorn was their favorite thing we did during all of our gardening classes. That's enough to make it worth planting at my school gardens again next year.
Overall, I would DEFINITELY grow 'Chapalote' again. If I'm able to achieve better popping rates, this variety will easily become a staple in all of my gardens. I hope to make masa out of it at some point to see how it tastes in tortilla form.
by solarpunkfarmer
14 Comments
Wonderful! Congratulations! I think I might give that a try next season
So cool!
What a fun result! Now I’m craving a bite of the best popcorn in the world…
If you are doing this with your students, then consider each class having an active role in cultivating the prior class’ seeds! You can teach so many things from this activity; group think, genetics, statistics, etc.
Next up, landrace cannabis!
Observer’s experience: 10/10 thrilled with what you’ve done here! What a wonderful gift to share with your students 🙂 So cool
That’s awesome! Years ago, I grew blue corn and brought it into my kindergarteners classroom. Everyone got a chance to take the kernels off the cob, then grind it with an antique coffee mill. We then made cornbread muffins with a toaster oven. Kids and teacher were stoked!
I love popping corn over a fire. Just fill with oil to coat the bottom. Make sure to swirl the pot every couple of seconds. No Burnt corn guaranteed.
Wonder if this would pop easier in a real popcorn machine. I love popcorn but until we bought one of the theater-style ones I didn’t know how good popcorn could be
I love this kind of thing; having my first garden this year I’ve found a new respect for plants and the whole process of growing something from seed. Seeing it come to fruition to be able to eat and save seeds for next year, It’s a timeless process and makes me feel connected to plants in a completely different way.
To see you grow something from seed that has been around for that long just kind of blows my mind!
I’d love to try growing this in the UK but I imagine our climate probably isn’t the best. I’ve planted some flint corn which looks super healthy compared to the common sweet corn I put in the patch over but it’s STILL maturing; so the experiment continues !
Thanks for sharing.
What a fun and adorably wholesome lesson!
That’s pretty cool, where did you get the seeds from?
Masa is the way with this one! 🥰 or if you have a grain mill it makes great cornbread too.
I’m also growing this variety in my natural garden! Where’d you get your seeds from? I grew mine from the Experimental Farm Network. Glad to hear they tasted great! I’m planning to plant all the ears I harvested, but maybe I’ll just buy more seed and try at least one of the ears. How long did you let them dry out?