parched corn

[Irish Bill]

I was reading a webpage that had some recipes and found out how to make parched corn. My dilemma is where and how to get plain corn kernals to make it. I have searched high and low and my only two solutions is to plant my own corn and dry it out the natural way on the stalk (I have tried growing corn in my own garden and never ever have any success), or to buy ears of corn from the grocer and dry it out (which I tried it and it only rotted)

Any help will be appreciated.

[Blair]

Bill,

Give your local Feed and Seed store a try. Be sure they understand you want whole kernel field corn (not chicken feed or crack corn).

[mark britton]

While perhaps not ideal in some folks way of thinking, you can also acquire whole kernel corn still on the ear that is sold as food for various small animals such as squirrels. It's just dried ear corn so should be perfectly acceptable for human use, although it is marketed as animal food.

Mark Britton

[Poor Private]

My wife and I have a sheep/goat farm and what we do is go to our local Farm Store and buy bulk corn on the cob. The price WOW real expensive 6 bucks for a 50 pound bag. I have even used this for a demo in making corn liquer. I set up a non-functioning still (hidden away), and sit out front and grind the corn to meal-- I usually get lots of help grinding by the younger spectators. Nothing like a interactive demo.

[hiplainsyank]

Go buy some ears of corn from the produce section at the grocery store and make your own. Pull back the husk and hang the ears up somewhere to dry out on their own.

This will actually be edible, too, once the time comes to eat it. I doubt that dried modern field corn resembles what people ate as parched corn in the 1860s. In fact, last summer I planted an heirloom variety of sweet corn that pre-dated the Civil War. If the @#$% squirrels hadn't gotten into it so much I might have had enough ears to make some period parched corn as well...

I could be wrong, but parched corn for human consumption comes from sweet corn that was past being good for boiling and eating. Field corn is either ground for meal or given to animals as feed.

[Blair]

There would seem to be a mystery here that tends to escape notice by most people.
There is in fact a really large variety of different types of corn available today.
We have corn that is specially bread and developed for Popping. Generally referred to as Popcorn, I think there are at least 10 "common" varieties available today and that is if you don't count the ones that pop in colors.
Most species of corn go through several stages of development that make, cause or are best suited for specific types of cooking, preparation and preservation. Some of these may even be eaten cob and all. Miniature corn found at salad bars is a variant of a popping corn that is picked in its early stages of development and canned.
Corn maybe cooked, toasted, roasted, parched, eaten raw, on the cob or off the cob, boiled, steamed, stewed, creamed, ground, coarse or flowered, fried, soaked, turned into hominy, dried and ground again, cracked, puffed, fluffed and stuffed, turned into animal food for dozens of different type and kinds of animals including the human type form the exact same kernel. Absolutely amazing at the different type and varieties
Grilling a half dozen ears of sweet corn on the grill in the back yard is not the same thing as parching a half dozen ears of field corn, any more than creamed sweet corn is anything like hominy grits. They are all different, types of corn some at different stages of the corn's development.
Get a grip people! What you buy at your local Super Market is "not" what most CW soldiers were dealing with. That type of corn was available only for a very short time in a years growing period.

[hanktrent]

I could be wrong, but parched corn for human consumption comes from sweet corn that was past being good for boiling and eating. Field corn is either ground for meal or given to animals as feed.

Considering that sweet corn was a fairly new thing, only becoming widely common in the mid 19th century, and parched corn was old, I'd say that parched corn was originally and typically made from field corn. Besides, there was just so much more field corn available. Even if a soldier came across some mature sweet corn and needed to parch it--not a usual thing--the problem is that ears at the produce section aren't even mature sweet corn; they're still green.

Get a grip people! What you buy at your local Super Market is "not" what most CW soldiers were dealing with. That type of corn was available only for a very short time in a years growing period.

What he said. Honestly, even with all the new varieties that have been developed in the last 150 years, one can at least choose the same basic type and the same basic maturity level as in the period.

If you want mature field corn for processing in some period way (hominy, parched, cracked, whatever), then go with some of the suggestions above to get mature field corn--feed stores, squirrel corn, etc.

If you want to imitate green corn that soldiers picked in the field in summer and boiled or roasted--the vast majority of which would be field corn--that's a little more difficult, but not impossible. You'd need to find a farmer who'd let you pick his field corn in the milk stage.

If you want to imitate green sweet corn like a family might eat boiled or roasted from their garden in summer, buy the ears of corn at the store.

If you want to imitate period popcorn, buy popcorn the way it's sold, mature and dry.

The varieties will of course be different--the sweet corn will be bred to be sweeter and hold its sweetness longer, for example--but that'll get you as close as possible without growing heirloom varieties.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[hanktrent]

Trying out my new highspeed connection on google books--whee!--I ran across this, about the history of sweet corn (http://books.google.com/books?id=HnoZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA259&dq=%22sugar+corn%22&as_brr=1&output=html), from 1920, which explains why the average soldier, and indeed the average southerner, was probably not eating the bulk of their parched corn made from sweet corn:

While sweet corn was mentioned previous to the year 1800, it does not appear to have been used much as a garden crop previous to 1825, which is about the date when it was first offered by the seed trade. Sweet corn seems to have come into general use as a garden crop by the late fifties. Home drying for family use was extensively practised, and later commercial drying was developed. With the development of commercial canning, 1880-90, sweet corn became an important canning crop.

Sweet corn culture, both as a market-garden crop and for commercial canning, developed first in the northeastern states. With the development of commercial canning, the crop moved westward into the corn-belt...

South of the Ohio River sweet corn has never developed as a commercial crop [meaning up to 1920 when this was written]. This is probably due in part at least to attacks of the ear-worm. While the ear-worm is often injurious in the North, it is much more common and destructive in the South.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Irish Bill]

Thank you guys, I appreciate your responses. You all have been very helpful

[brown30741]

Hank Trent's quote "While the ear-worm is often injurious in the North, it is much more common and destructive in the South."

And it still is.

[Blair]

Bill,

You need to tell us what these "recipes" are that you found for parched corn.
Parched corn makes for a perfect munching food "while on the march!"
Kind of a 19th Century version of the Power Bar/Candy Bar

[reb4lee]

I thought I would revive this thread. While doing a google search for parched corn I found this.
http://www.gallerycrafts.net/item205.htm

Has anyone bought it from them? If so, is it worth buying?

[Blair]

Arron,
What they are showing you is "Popped field corn". It does not Pop like pop corn because it is not pop corn, it is field corn heated and popped in the same way.
Parched corn is still moist, on the cob, in the corn husks and heated along side the fire or on a grill in tinfoil.
Why buy it? When you can make either one, for yourself at home or in the field? It is wonderful food on the march or in camp and last for days.

[Artyman]

It has always been my impression that parched corn was made from "indian corn". You know, that colored stuff we see decorating stuff during Thanksgiving time. I actually grew some in the late seventies and parched it.

I often see the stuff sold at pioneer days type events during the fall.

Harry

[Irish Bill]

sorry Blair, I should have said how to make parched corn not recipes for it.
I did make some at home and found slab bacon grease works the best and gives it a nice flavor, and if doing it on a stovetop a cast iron skillet is best since it spreads the heat out evenly.

[Blair]

William,

Pretty tasty stuff, isn't it?
Now try a little experimenting. A touch of onion powder or garlic powder or a sprinkle of dry chives, a dash of sea salt.
If you roast the corn a little past when the popping stage is done... when the kernels are starting to get a little dark from the heat, they will chew easier and seem to digest better.

[garretttcrooks]

if you prefer to buy this corn you can get it here http://turkeyfootllc.com/driededibles.html

[Blair]

William,

Mr Garret Crooks in his posting points out some very good an nutrition food stuffs people can carry with them while on campaign.

http://turkeyfootllc.com/driededibles.html

Some of these are a great deal more time, or seasonally relevant than others.
Many of the grains are available year round. Field corn of course, but there are lintels, barley, oats, split peas (dried green peas), black eyed peas to name but a few.
Unlike the roasting required of things like coffee and or field corn, which require quite a bit of heat and some time to fix or set up for the next day. These other grains require only a light "toasting" (not to be confused with the heavy "roasting" of coffee and field corn). They can be done while in the field, but My recommendation is to do this at home before you come out.
The "toasting" I am talking about helps theses grains cook faster when the Campaigner sets up a camp where a fire is appropriate.
This "toasting" also makes many of these grains easier to ingest and digest while on the march as a snack type food. (1860's trail mix if that is what you want to call it)
Once this "toasting has occurred these grains do not preserve for long periods of time. They do have something of a shelf life after the toasting where they don't before toasting.
Bacon fat, lard and other oils/greases may shorten this shelf life even more, but for a week to 10 long campaigner type event, these food stuffs can be your life line to reality and, ho yes, survival, I almost forgot that part.
Experimenting does not hurt and it is something you can do at home and between events.

[Irish Bill]

William,

Pretty tasty stuff, isn't it?
Now try a little experimenting. A touch of onion powder or garlic powder or a sprinkle of dry chives, a dash of sea salt.
If you roast the corn a little past when the popping stage is done... when the kernels are starting to get a little dark from the heat, they will chew easier and seem to digest better.

Out of all the seasonings, Lawrys Seasoned Salt is my choice...
but that stuff is good on anything.
And if anyone wants, here is where i got my recipe on how to make it...
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1659
I find that using a cast iron skillet works the best since it spreads the heat evenly.

[PvtMudflap]

Actually, try your local oriental grocery for parched corn ready to eat. I bought several bags a couple of years ago and it's fairly tasty.

Don't know where to send you if you are the DIY type.

E. Mudflap

[yerbyray]

Group,

I visited our local hispanic grocery store today since I have free time since it was raining and I am in between jobs. I found in bulk dried white whole kernal corn for 70 cents a pound as well as a version of "indian corn" for 80 cents a pound.

Brought it home and broke out the cast iron as some drippings and made two pounds in a matter of minutes.

This has got to be the easiest quickest most authentic thing we can make and it is rather tasty.

The have some "large" kernal white corn dried for 2.20 a pound. Each kernal is the size of a dime. I parched 8 ounces of this and man is it sweet and delicious.

Too bad I can't do this for profit.

[DulcimerPlayer]

Along with the historic corn do a historic re-enactment of Pellagra, now that would be dedication.

[RJSamp]

And not fun at that....reminds me of the movie Apocalypto and the disease ravaged city...

Acutally most yellow corn kernels from 1861-1865 went for animal feed, not human consumption/parched corn. Now if we're talking white corn/hominy/samp, that's a horse of a different breed.

Pellagra really becomes an issue in the rural south in the early 1900's.....

[yerbyray]

I did the white corn today and it is even sweeter and easier on the chewing.

[3rdUSRedleg]

On a similar note;
If you go to "weise" market and buy the polenta
already cooked in what looks like a fat sausage
type of casing, slice it down and fry it with your bacon.
Makes for some good eats, and wrapped in brown paper
will last in your haversack (pre cooked) for a week.