Non-GMO corn.....a real looker, too!

In my quest for non-GMO corn for making traditionally prepared hominy and cornmeal for cornbread and possibly tortilla chips, I chose seeds from Baker Creek.  Wade's Giant Indian corn looked like a good one, and so colorful, too! 

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and these frightening "foods" are showing up everywhere.  There are two aspects of GMO's that are really worrisome....well, three, actually.  First, the seeds are modified so that the plant can be doused with chemicals (mainly herbicides), killing competing weeds without killing the crop.  This means that we are ingesting lots more of these deadly substances if we are not diligent....which is very hard to do since they are not labelled as GMO, worrisome aspect number two.  And worrisome aspect number three:  There have been rat studies that strongly indicate that ingesting GMO grains as even part of the diet can cause multiple system breakdown.  I was going to link studies but a quick online search brought up too many good ones and I couldn't choose.....simply put GMO rat studies into a seach engine and prepare to be driven straight to the farmer's market or the organic section of your grocery store....or to your garage or shed for a spade to start a garden.

Isn't this a pretty option?  I didn't get much due to a wacky weather year....rain, rain, and more rain.  I picked up the corn stalks after Hurricane Irene flattened my garden, and staked up as many as I could.  In the week that followed, we got another 8 inches of rain and the stakes just couldn't hold up the heavy stalks.  I managed to get about 10 ears, enough for seed for next year (hope springs eternal in the gardener's heart!) and enough corn to play with recipes.

Can you see that odd yellow ear in the back, with the occasional dark kernel?  I believe that is an ear that was pollinated by a neighbor's sweet corn.  Because of all the rain during pollination of some of the ears, many were poorly developed....but the kernels are still good to eat.

I saved the most beautiful and colorful ears for next year's seed:

An added perk.....they look lovely bundled up with baling twine and hung from my mantle, where I will admire them until the urge for cornbread strikes.