Beautiful glass gem corn from heirloom seeds!
I never knew corn could be so beautiful! But when I stumbled across this variety of glass gem corn I had to learn more. Glass Gem Corn is a beautiful natural corn variety founded by a man who wanted to get back to his roots.
Carl Barnes, Half-Cherokee Native American, grew up in a farm in Oklahoma. While tending to his own corn crops he began noticing ancestral varieties that looked like the traditional corn of his people once lost to the Native Tribes in the 1800s. Through the years Barnes was able to isolate the strain and recreate the traditional corn. He bred the more colorful varieties and shared them with others as they grew; in sharing the seeds he was also sharing a piece of his culture.
“The origin of this corn at first seemed obscure, as Carl had done experimentation with many kinds. But more recently, he shared with me that to his recollection the rainbow corn was derived from his crossings of Pawnee miniature corns with an Osage red flour corn and also another Osage corn called ‘Greyhorse.’ This was probably during the late 1980s. I once asked him where it really came from and he just replied, “Spirit.” – Greg Shoen
The kernels themselves look like beautifully colored beads all in a row, a truly breathtaking find that will add a wonderful dose of color and surprise to any dish or garden!
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Want your own Glass Gem Corn seeds? Native Seeds/SEARCH is a company that cares about seeds, where they go, and where they came from. Click here to join the priority waiting list for your own Glass Gem Corn. Enjoy these photos of Glass Gem Corn:
Spiraling corn
Beautiful blues and pinks!
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Featured image via Glass Gem Corn/Facebook