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A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

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Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#21

Post by evgen »

breput wrote: post #3

Maize has more human induced genetic diversity than any higher order organism. There are many "heritage" maize varieties grown for various reasons - my favorite is a type of popcorn that grows very small kernels (search for "tinybutmighty popcorn"). That said, this seems like mostly an advertisement for a brand of bourbon whiskey. Most of the specialty maize varieties have a similar origin story, usually with some dr…

Absolutely the best popcorn! I became so obsessed with it that I have my parents smuggle over ten pounds or so every year.

While maize has some of the widest genetic variation Out there, in practice I think it is paradoxically the most frequent monocrop you will see. Lots of genetic options but each field will have almost no genetic diversity.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#22

Post by Dylanfm »

phillc73 wrote: post #19

Cool story. I have a similar interest in barley for brewing. I like to find heritage or land race varieties to try. I often use Maris Otter[1], which is quite easy to obtain. However, others like Hana[2] and Chevallier[3] can be more difficult to buy. Scottish Bere[4] is another grain I'd like to try, but haven't been able to find any for sale, either whole grains or malted. Seems like only flour is available. [1] ht…

I was planning to grow a small amount of bere this year through a seed sovereignty program here in Scotland. Lockdown disrupted that, and the seeds didn’t arrive. Hopefully next year.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#23

Post by sparky_z »

flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

Your warning at the end doesn't seem to square with your willingness to eat new varieties you've never seen or heard of before. How do you know beforehand that whatever mutation caused that Mulberry tree to produce fruit all season didn't also add toxic compounds to the berries? Is this a do as I say not as I do situation?

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#24

Post by easytiger »

eitland wrote: post #17
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

> I found an italian plum tree growing near my house that I picked clean and saved hundreds of pits from last year. Don't all plum trees need to be grafted? I was fairly sure that planting most fruit trees including plums from seeds would mostly result in small sour fruits (and in the case of wild plums from my childhood: almost thorny branches)? I am quite hesitant to ask since you seem to be quite into this and I o…

You are correct. Most fruit trees are produced vegatatively by grafting from a proven cultivar.

The naturally pollinated ovule of each resultant seed will inherit characteristics of both parents thus giving a practically certain likelihood of an inedible/undesirable fruit.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#25

Post by japanuspus »

eitland wrote: post #17
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

> I found an italian plum tree growing near my house that I picked clean and saved hundreds of pits from last year. Don't all plum trees need to be grafted? I was fairly sure that planting most fruit trees including plums from seeds would mostly result in small sour fruits (and in the case of wild plums from my childhood: almost thorny branches)? I am quite hesitant to ask since you seem to be quite into this and I o…

In general, you should not expect that growing a fruit seed will yield a plant with similar fruits (if it will grow at all): Most of the fruits we enjoy are carefully bred for good sugar/acid balance, and offspring will mostly be quite different. In addition, most fruit trees are grafted onto stems of other varieties to get better root characteristics.

The nicest counterexample I know of is the danish apple "Filippa", which is a rather acidic apple that stores well (I usually eat my last Filippas early March): This variety can grow from seed and be left on its own root.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#26

Post by peanutz454 »

sparky_z wrote: post #23
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

Your warning at the end doesn't seem to square with your willingness to eat new varieties you've never seen or heard of before. How do you know beforehand that whatever mutation caused that Mulberry tree to produce fruit all season didn't also add toxic compounds to the berries? Is this a do as I say not as I do situation?

Mulberry is not a berry, its a composite fruit. There is such a small chance of toxic Mulberry. A little adventure is fine. If you really have to - start by putting the juice on lips, graduate from there, waiting at least a day between next step. When I pick fruits in the wild, I take a really small bite. But really, if I had to grow a Mulberry I would get a professional to do it for me from a known cultivar.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#27

Post by wolfhumble »

breput wrote: post #3

Maize has more human induced genetic diversity than any higher order organism. There are many "heritage" maize varieties grown for various reasons - my favorite is a type of popcorn that grows very small kernels (search for "tinybutmighty popcorn"). That said, this seems like mostly an advertisement for a brand of bourbon whiskey. Most of the specialty maize varieties have a similar origin story, usually with some dr…

Would love to try, and love the name! :-)

This video gives a little more info that I found useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3AIJH1oAMY

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#28

Post by throwaway_pdp09 »

sparky_z wrote: post #23
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

Your warning at the end doesn't seem to square with your willingness to eat new varieties you've never seen or heard of before. How do you know beforehand that whatever mutation caused that Mulberry tree to produce fruit all season didn't also add toxic compounds to the berries? Is this a do as I say not as I do situation?

Living is a risk. The chance of toxicity occurring in new plants is possible but quite small, but it's not likely to kill you, just make you sick. Full recovery is highly likely.

Life in perfect safety is not worth much to many people (inc. me), and indeed not possible unless you have a large cushion of money. Your small-c conservatism is fine for you and I won't judge you on it, but please don't expect it of others.

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#29

Post by gadders »

flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #15

I love this story. Wild/forgotten cultivated crop seeds are fascinating to me. I pick, taste and save as many different wild foods that I can find. I have found wild chives growing on an island in northern ontario, they're flowering in my backyard right now actually! I have sampled hundreds of different mulberry trees and saved the best tasting and largest berries to hopefully one day create a mulberry farm. I have e…

I would suggest trying Wild Garlic (ransoms) [1]. Very common in the UK and very strong garlic flavour.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ursinum

Re: A Nearly Extinct Bootlegger's Corn Gets a Second Shot (2018)

#30

Post by at_a_remove »

breput wrote: post #3

Maize has more human induced genetic diversity than any higher order organism. There are many "heritage" maize varieties grown for various reasons - my favorite is a type of popcorn that grows very small kernels (search for "tinybutmighty popcorn"). That said, this seems like mostly an advertisement for a brand of bourbon whiskey. Most of the specialty maize varieties have a similar origin story, usually with some dr…

A brand that I had a hard time trying to track down, by now, unless I wanted a long drive to another state.
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