Here is one of nature's little wonders.....the corn plant....let me tell you a little about it.
Right now, it's about 3 inches high. In 60 days, it will be over 6 feet tall, at the top of it's tassel. Did you know that corn, is actually in the grass family? That's right, grass. Long, long ago, the ear was put at the very top, where the tassel is now, just like the head of seed on the grasses we know today do, when they grow tall and put out seed to reproduce. Also long ago, each kernel had it's own husk around it, instead of one giant husk that covers the whole ear now. Corn like this has been found deep in caves here in the United States, where the temp and humidity have stayed constant and carbon dated as far back as 10,000 years ago. Someone carried this corn deep into these caves...we don't know who. Every ear that a corn plant puts on, will always have an even number of rows.
Today's corn is remarkable. Parts of it can be used in everything from making gasoline to plastic. It is used in literally thousands of products, as well as it's traditional use as feed for livestock. There is a great difference between field corn the sweetcorn that we eat. The sweetcorn has a much higher sugar content, making it more palatable for us to eat. The variety I planted this year is called Bodacious....it has a mix of white and yellow kernels and is so sweet, that it almost melts in your mouth.
The potential offspring or the little plant in the picture, are destined to be picked by me at the height of their potential, boiled in water, slathered with butter, sprinkled with salt and placed in my tummy....and I'll love every second of it!
The night air, has been so crisp and clean the last few nights....it has a fragrance of it's own and has been remarkable. The full moon on Saturday night has hardly started to wane at all. Even last night, the moonlight that streamed into the room, through the double sliding glass doors, was so bright as to cast my shawdow on the carpet as I walked through the house with all the lights out. I don't know if I can ever recall moonlight so bright in the spring time. I stepped outside around midnight to take in the moon and the night air for a few minutes. The rocker on the porch is the perfect place to sit and take in all of the night. Frogs sang in unison from the pond, as a nighthawk and an owl gave their calls to any creature that was awake to hear. A light breeze would momentarily stir the branches of the honeysuckle and ting the pipes of the windchime and then lay them quiet as it went down again. A freight train blew it's horn, as it approached the gravel road crossing 5 miles north of me. A pheasant cackled in the field across the road, probably startled by a coyote out on a night hunt. After 20 minutes or so, I was ready for bed and for the night air and night sounds to keep me company all night long.
UPDATE
Leaving on my motorcycle trip in the morning ( Thursday )...won't be back until sometime late Monday....
Be good while I'm gone!
Right now, it's about 3 inches high. In 60 days, it will be over 6 feet tall, at the top of it's tassel. Did you know that corn, is actually in the grass family? That's right, grass. Long, long ago, the ear was put at the very top, where the tassel is now, just like the head of seed on the grasses we know today do, when they grow tall and put out seed to reproduce. Also long ago, each kernel had it's own husk around it, instead of one giant husk that covers the whole ear now. Corn like this has been found deep in caves here in the United States, where the temp and humidity have stayed constant and carbon dated as far back as 10,000 years ago. Someone carried this corn deep into these caves...we don't know who. Every ear that a corn plant puts on, will always have an even number of rows.
Today's corn is remarkable. Parts of it can be used in everything from making gasoline to plastic. It is used in literally thousands of products, as well as it's traditional use as feed for livestock. There is a great difference between field corn the sweetcorn that we eat. The sweetcorn has a much higher sugar content, making it more palatable for us to eat. The variety I planted this year is called Bodacious....it has a mix of white and yellow kernels and is so sweet, that it almost melts in your mouth.
The potential offspring or the little plant in the picture, are destined to be picked by me at the height of their potential, boiled in water, slathered with butter, sprinkled with salt and placed in my tummy....and I'll love every second of it!
The night air, has been so crisp and clean the last few nights....it has a fragrance of it's own and has been remarkable. The full moon on Saturday night has hardly started to wane at all. Even last night, the moonlight that streamed into the room, through the double sliding glass doors, was so bright as to cast my shawdow on the carpet as I walked through the house with all the lights out. I don't know if I can ever recall moonlight so bright in the spring time. I stepped outside around midnight to take in the moon and the night air for a few minutes. The rocker on the porch is the perfect place to sit and take in all of the night. Frogs sang in unison from the pond, as a nighthawk and an owl gave their calls to any creature that was awake to hear. A light breeze would momentarily stir the branches of the honeysuckle and ting the pipes of the windchime and then lay them quiet as it went down again. A freight train blew it's horn, as it approached the gravel road crossing 5 miles north of me. A pheasant cackled in the field across the road, probably startled by a coyote out on a night hunt. After 20 minutes or so, I was ready for bed and for the night air and night sounds to keep me company all night long.
UPDATE
Leaving on my motorcycle trip in the morning ( Thursday )...won't be back until sometime late Monday....
Be good while I'm gone!
Corn......hehe....
my grandpa used to grow the most amazing corm.