TRADITIONAL NATIVE CORN & FOOD

Continued from last week

Reprinted from Kakhwakon Cookbook Recipes, sponsored by Mohawk Indian Housing Corporation

GREEN CORN

During the last days of August, the corn will reach milk state. “Green Corn” is a name to denote the time before the corn is ripe. When the tassels turn brown, watch the ears. You will know when this is by checking the kernels on the stalk, Break the kernel with your thumbnail by pressure and a burst of white corn milk will run. Recover husk or birds will notice. The other sign is given by the birds that will descend on your corn patch to eat the green corn. Birds are able to know, smell and see the milk state. The corn will remain in this state for seven to ten days. Once you are put on notice, immediately pick the corn and shuck. Split all of the rows of kernels in two, right through the middle, running the knife downward. Scrape or cut the white corn kernels at the cob level with a paring knife or any favorite knife that is sharp. Use a downward motion from top to bottom, scraping and removing all split kernels around the cob. Allow the kernels to drop into a shallow pan no more than 2 inches deep and wide enough to catch the falling kernels. Roasted green corn has another great flavor. This can be achieved when the ears are roasted with the husks intact over an open fire pit or grill. Turn at intervals until the husks are blackened all around. Some people like to soak the corncobs in water for ten minutes to give extra steam. Try both ways. The roasted corn is cooled, then husked. The kernels are split in half, then scraped off the cob with a knife into a pan. Once this is accomplished, the green corn or roasted green corn can be made into soup. Remains that cannot be used immediately are placed into freezer bags and frozen for later use until it is again needed.

STOKING THE WHITE CORN

The corn cures when the husks and stalks turn light brown. Pull the cornstalks out of the ground with the husks attached. Tie the stalks together into a bundle 2 to 3 days before the first frost. The stoking will allow the nutrients to rise into the corn from the leaves and stalks and corncob kernels. If stoking is eliminated the kernels will be light in composition weight. After the curing has taken place, braid the corn in the field. Procedure for braiding is to first remove the nub end of the stem where is attaches to the cob. Shuck and remove all, except for a few husks, 4-5 left. Pull the remaining husks back. The husks must be pliable to braid, and if they are too dry, spritz with a mist bottle of water. One whole braid consists of a bushel basket of corn to maintain with control of under 150 pounds. If you don’t mind heavy braids of corn and can carry it, you can braid as many husks as you want. The person doing the braiding must start with three corn, holding the husks. The two outer husks are flipped over the center husk, creating a twist and securing the beginning of the braid. Each additional ear is entwined into the main braid and needs to be tightly woven, or else the weight will cause the braid to fall apart when hung. Later the braid may shrink and loosen unless tightly plaited. At the end, the husks are braided and tied into a knot with a loop. The corn is hung from the loop on rafters for closed air-drying. Whatever cannot be braided goes into the corncrib.

SHELLING THE CORN

After the corn is air dried, there is time throughout the winter to shell the corn. For food purposes, the whole kernel must be intact. If there are split kernels, it is wasted and you must throw it aside or remove it from the batch. To utilize the chipped kernels, one can grind them into cornmeal, as some do. Dent corn does not shell well, as 30% of the kernels break in a mechanical corn sheller. The broken kernel cannot be used for cooking, leaving chicken feed as another alternative. Wear gloves to protect the hands and shell the cob by wringing. Work in a twisting motion to de-kernel the cob. The other method to shell the corn is by rubbing two cobs together in a twisting manner, one with the kernels intact and the other without. A butter knife run between the rows is done to loosen the seeds. It is said if a seed is dropped, it must be found or else the lost seed spirit will continue to cry.

Solomon Cook

STORING THE CORN SEEDS

The seeds are influenced by soil, weather and selection. A preference by certain individuals is given to the center of the cob as the best seed selection choice. The end seeds may be used for corn soup. The nose seeds are preferred for medicinal purposes when the tip is fully covered with five kernels, a genetic trait. The corn seeds must be stored in a dry cool place. Excessive high temperatures damage the germ. Cold temperatures, zero degrees and below does not injure the germ as long as there is no moisture content. Ideal is at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Under 24% of moisture is sufficient. When stored in metal containers, there is the risk of the metal drawing moisture in the form of droplets and ruining the seeds inside. If stored in a plastic container, air will not penetrate and mold will form to ruin the seeds. Wooden containers for seed storage is a better choice since it allows air circulation. The drawback is rodents can chew through the wood. Pottery was the best method of seed preservation used in the past. The seed pots had covers or tine openings somewhat larger than the size of the seed itself. Rodent damage and theft was halted, especially when they could not enter the storage area or be drawn by the smell of the corn. The seed pots were buried in underground mound pits where earth temperatures remains constant at 58 degrees Fahrenheit.