A couple of years ago, in 2012, I read
an article about the so called 'Glass Gem' corn that had become a bit of
an internet sensation. When I first saw the images of it, I thought they must
have been photoshopped. Intrigued I thought I would try and grow some. I
finally managed to source the seed from somewhere in America, for a paltry $3.
So, this spring, a little dubiously, I sowed up the shrivelled little
kernels that arrived. I planted them in a grid with my normal sweetcorn, due to
the fact that sweetcorn is wind pollinated and this is meant to be the best way
of getting the best pollination results, and therefore, more importantly
succulent cobs! Many months passed with anticipation. But come the autumn the
cobs were ready to harvest. The anticipation was replaced surprise and I was
really impressed with what I found.
The cobs were filled with lots of multicoloured
kernels. There seemed to be three types; the two shown in the photo and a third
pink and white type. When freshly picked the kernels were a really translucent,
but went milky over time. The variety was selected by Carl Barnes, a
part-Cherokee farmer and breeder from Oklahoma, over many years by
crossing several traditional corn varieties and saving seed from the most
translucent kernels. For more information see:
I didn't try the cobs this year as I
wanted to save the seed for next year, but then, they shall have the all
important taste test!
