Period Parched Corn?

[Dreamer42]

Greetings,
I have read several accounts of soldiers picking up corn off the ground that was intended for horses, then preparing it for their own consumption. For those who would know better than me - Would deer corn, or some other larger corn, be more authentic for parched corn than today's small, engineered, corn? Are there any health issues associated with trying this?

- Jay Reid
9th Texas/165th NY
Bank's Grand Retreat

[mobluegraysoldier]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Jay,
I've used parched corn as part of my impression for years. In the past I used common year field corn, but due to concerns about genetics and GMO's I would recommend seeing if you can track down some open pollinated corn. Reid's Yellow Dent would be a good variety if you can find the seed. You will probably need to grow it yourself and it has a long maturation period, like most heirloom and open pollinated crops. If you can, see if you can find someone raising corn for meal. You might be able to substitute instead.

As far as the process of "parching" just take the shelled corn and put it into your skillet and heat it over a fire or burner, stirring and shaking the kernels to allow even browning. The corn, when done, should have changed color from yellow or white to tan to brown color. Some of the kernels will pop open or split like popped corn. Allow the kernels to cool, and place into a cloth sack for carrying the field.

I regularly used it as part of my school presentations and of course enjoyed it while in the field. It of course is something you can do in camp as part of your LH presentation.

Kevin Baker; aka, mobluegraysoldier

[Spinster]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Reid's Yellow Dent for sale here:

http://www.southernexposure.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?store_code=SESE&screen=PROD&product_code=41308

Along with other of the rarer seed stock. Of course, these folks expect you to plant the seed, grow your own, save some back, and do your part to perpetuate these old seed stocks.

[McKim]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Bloody Butcher is a dent type that has been around since 1847 and would be a good one to have around for your impression.

http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/vegetable/corn/corn.html

Thad Dolzall

[Dreamer42]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Thanks Kevin and Lawson. Will try those. I have done parched corn in the past with great success, both in the kitchen and over flame. Thanks again.

- Jay Reid
Dreamer42
9th Texas/165th NY

[billwatson]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Blue Heron Mercantile SOMETIMES has parched corn available at very reasonable prices. Even if you don't see it on their Website, drop them a line, they might have it anyway.

http://frontierfolk.net/blueheronmercantile/

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

This may seem a naive question - but is it an absolute certainty that 'parched corn' was cooked? I question this supposition because one of my childhood friends in Texas was from the back of beyond in Arkansas and his family were about as traditional as you could imagine. They used to dry shucked corn and keep it in large glass jars and eat it as a snack. They called this parched corn. I used to eat it myself and it still had a hint of moisture in it and none of the 'carmelized' taste that you get with cooked 'parched corn'.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

This may seem a naive question - but is it an absolute certainty that 'parched corn' was cooked? I question this supposition because one of my childhood friends in Texas was from the back of beyond in Arkansas and his family were about as traditional as you could imagine. They used to dry shucked corn and keep it in large glass jars and eat it as a snack. They called this parched corn. I used to eat it myself and it still had a hint of moisture in it and none of the 'carmelized' taste that you get with cooked 'parched corn'.

If we're talking about corn that's matured and dried on the stalk, like corn for fodder as mentioned in the original post or corn for meal, a person will need to do something to break through the hard outer layer and make the inner layer edible--roast it, pound it and boil it, turn it into hominy, etc.

If one can choose the maturity of the corn to start with, there are other options. Sounds like what you're talking about is similar to this 1861 instruction for drying corn, but you have to start with green corn (in the corn-on-the-cob stage), not mature corn and especially not mature field corn.

Do you know what type and maturity of corn your relatives started with?

To DRY SWEET CORN FOR WINTER USE. — Boil, in the after part of the day, until it is heated through, young sweet corn freshly gathered, spread it thinly in some convenient place until morning. As soon as possible, the next morning, cut it, from the cobs, and spread it thinly in the sun to dry. If the day is favorable, it will dry so as to be out of danger of souring in one day; if so, take in the corn before the dew falls, and spread it on a table overnight. If, on the contrary, it has dried but little and there is no danger of rain, it will be less likely to sour if left spread in the air all night, than if spread in a close room. It will take three hot, sunny days to dry perfectly, when it must be put in a dry, tin pan, and heated very hot over steam, to destroy any insects' eggs which may have been laid in it. Hang it away, out of the reach of mice, in strong paper bags; there isalmost as much danger of vermin in corn as in fruit. There is no corn fit to dry but the old sweet corn, the Stowell is too hard when dry ; we speak from experience. There is an early corn perfectly white which is often dried and passed on people as sweet corn. It is so much more prolific, that growers prefer to raise it. It can be told from sweet corn by chewing. The sweet resembles the taste of chestnuts, is soft and easily chewed, while the other is hard and not very sweet.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Sweatshop Tailor]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Yes! That sounds exactly like the process and product I encountered in my childhood. They definitely started with green corn (I see now that it must have been boiled before removing it from the cob) and the taste (like chestnuts) is absolutely right.

So, would this be another type of 'parched corn'? If so, I can say that I much prefer it having eaten both 'pan fried' and 'boiled & dried'. Also, on the basis of the quantity consumed by my friend's family it can be produced on a fairly large scale with ease.

Thank you very much! I will try to make it myself now.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Hank,

Now, I have to ponder which one of Stowell's fine products they mean, as they didn't specify Evergreen (still commonly available today), which works just fine, and is definitely a pre-CW sweet corn. Parching has not worked as well with a meal corn, such as Virginia (Texas) Gourdseed. Good post.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Hank,

Now, I have to ponder which one of Stowell's fine products they mean, as they didn't specify Evergreen (still commonly available today), which works just fine, and is definitely a pre-CW sweet corn. Parching has not worked as well with a meal corn, such as Virginia (Texas) Gourdseed. Good post.

For what it's worth, here's the same author's advice on growing garden corn, p. 316:

Early Darling is the best for the first crop; it ripens within a week of the Tuscarora, the earliest corn. Large Sugar, is the finest variety, much before Stowel or any of the new varieties.

All those are found in Fearing Burr's Field and Garden Vegetables of America, 1865, with descriptions and some pictures, except Large Sugar. Early Darling is listed as Darling's Early. Tuscarora is listed as Tuscarora, synonym Turkey Wheat. The only Stowell is Stowell's Evergreen and I bet that's what she means.

I wonder if Large Sugar is the same as Twelve-rowed Sweet in Burr? It's listed as larger than Stowell's Evergreen (7"-9" long vs. 6"-7" long) and may be an older variety, since Burr says, "It is the parent of one or two varieties of superior size and excellence, to which it is now gradually giving place."

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Charles Heath]

Re: Period Parched Corn?

Hank,

As you know, Burr's is one of my favorite references. Oddly enough, where some claim Evergreen is a 85 or even 110 day corn, the ears fill out in the milk stage in about 55-60 days. That's a good boiling state. More to the subject of parched corn and hominy products, which are becoming increasingly scarce thanks to the demand for corn for fuel, a few of us have been looking towards the following, but it is a Goldilocks and the Three Bears situation, varieties notwithstanding, when it comes to too big and too small. Just right has not been found just yet:

Morocho partido (Granulated White Corn 1)
Mote Extra Grande (Big Hominy)
Mote Selecto (Select Hominy)
Maiz Mote Pelado (Giant White Corn)
Maiz Trillado Blanco (Granulated White Corn 2)

Goya carries some of these, as well as a few South American wholesale outfits. A trip to the local Latino store can be beneficial, and tasty. Slightly off topic, but since the beta test rations for an event next October (2009) are sitting here on the kitchen counter fresh from Market Internationale, this is worth a mention. In any case, if someone really needs 50 to 100 pounds of parched corn, then buying by the 25 pound bag is economical, although most of what I see on the market (other than the Amish parched corn) is heavily toasted. Generally, the dried corn from Cope's is nice for a boiled mush, but it is way too fine as a parched corn.