Re: Corn: From Seed to Oven

[Shamrock1121]

When it comes to corn flour, I hope you don't mean the thickener cornstarch (which is what corn flour is in some countries), but rather flour milled from the whole seed of corn. *Do you have a corn sheller *??? *Shelling corn by hand isn't a fun occupation. *:P

Yellow dent corn - http://waltonfeed.com/self/corn.html

Is named for the indentation that forms on the top of each kernel as it dries. *This is what we commonly call field corn around here and is the corn variety grown in the American corn belt. *It's softer than flint corn because of the large endosperm and thinner bran and easier to grind/mill. *I purchase dent corn for milling corn meal, as well as corn flour - although I've only needed corn flour a few times. *I always keep at least 25# of yellow dent corn in storage for making corn meal. *There's nothing like corn bread made with freshly-milled corn meal *;D.

Flint corn-
Is similar to popcorn in looks. *Just as the name implies, it's hard as flint and difficult to grind. *It has a hard bran and a small amount of hard endosperm compared to dent corn. *It comes in a color range of white to red and is also known as Indian Corn. *This is the type of corn that polenta is milled from.

Then there's sweet corn which is typically grown in gardens for eating freshly picked - before the corn/cob dries. *It can also be dried and used like other dried corn varieties. *When it's dry, it gets even sweeter and has a slightly caramel taste - much different than regular yellow dent corn.

I'd suggest a call to your County Extension Office for information about what varieties may work best in your area.

Corn Math:

- An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows.

- A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.

- A bushel of corn (NO COB - just gain) weighs 56 pounds.

- A pound of corn will mill a pound of corn flour or cornmeal.

- The only difference in corn flour, cornmeal and corn grits are the different particle size and it may be ground from whole or degerminated corn (processed corn where the germ is removed).

- I'd suggest only using freshly milled corn flour or corn meal - and NOT storing it for very long after it's milled. *If you MUST store it, store it in the freezer. *There's enough moisture in these products when you freshly mill them, that if they are refrigerated condensation can form and the corn flour or freshly-milled corn meal can mold. *Because it also includes the corn germ, the germ oil will rapidly begin to go rancid after milling, so get the best nutrition possible and try to only use freshly-milled corn products when milling the whole corn seed.

Modified to add: *

What kind of mill? *I have a Corona Corn Mill, which is a hand-powered mill that will make coarse corn flour to coarse corn meal or corn grits. *COARSE is the type of milling this one does. *

My Whisper Mill (now goes by the name Wonder Mill) will mill the large grains/seeds/beans - including corn, garbanzo beans, fava beans, etc., but will ONLY mill it into a fine flour.

My new Nutrimill will mill corn into a rather fine grind of corn meal AND a fine flour.*

Would you share some of your recipes using corn flour? *

-Karen

[Shamrock1121]

1. Don't get nervous about storing flour in the refrigerator if it's going to be for a short period of time, but it's better if you tuck it in the freezer. Such a simple option. ALL whole grain flour should be kept in the freezer to slow down the oils from going rancid.

I think it's just as important where and how you store your grain as well. If you don't store it properly, that's possibly the first place mold can begin to develop. It's the same with foods you dehydrate at home. Improper dehydrating and improper storage of dehydrated foods = mold. Never eat moldy foods of ANY kind.

I keep my leftover milled flour in the freezer. By the end of the week I'll mix whatever dabs I have left and make a quick bread or cookies with it to use it up. Frozen flour will keep well and is useable for a good long while. It's just that the nutrients will degrade rapidly once it's milled, EVEN if it's frozen, so try to mill what you need for a week or so and freeze it.

2. Good grief :o!!! You'll buy 5# of expensive almond flour, but wouldn't consider purchasing one of the most nutritious foods - chia. A wholesome seed you could actually keep in storage at room temperature.

I doubt if your almond flour is ruined by the move, but I also doubt that it has any redeeming nutrition left in it after all this time. Almond flour has a very short freezer life, so try and get it used quickly. It's a poor keeper. I've used it when creating gluten-free baked goods. If you'd like some recipes using almond flour - holler, and I'll post some.

You can easily make a good substitute for almond flour by grinding your own almonds in a food processor and making a finely ground almond meal. It's just a little more coarse than almond flour. Even better for you if you use the method found in the book, "Nourishing Traditions", where you soak the almonds overnight in lightly salted water and begin the sprouting process of the almonds. Then drain and dehydrate until crispy dry. This makes almonds more nutritious and easier to digest, which commercial almond flour ISN'T. That's how I make almond flour replacement - and only in amounts as needed and for a fraction of the price of commercial almond flour. REAL almond flour has the oil removed - which is the heathiest part of it. Almond flour is a highly processed food without the benefits of the whole almond.

3. Lime-soaked corn is a traditional method used to remove the hard bran on the corn. Then the remaining endosperm and germ are dried and milled. They didn't have modern milling equipment like we have now, so this made milling and grinding corn easier. I wouldn't trade my Corona Corn Mill for anything. I can get the grind (fine to coarse) of cornmeal I like to work with. I also add cornmeal to my homemade wholegrain Bisquick-like mix.

4. Your recipe didn't include corn flour ???. I was hoping for one that included it, since corn flour is what you were interested in. Cornbread recipes are a dime a dozen - corn flour recipes are rare finds.

In the recipe you posted I'd omit white flour and use freshly-milled whole wheat, kamut, or spelt. I'd use homemade kefir for the milk, agave nectar or honey for white sugar (don't use that either), and I haven't had shortening in the house in over 20-years, but would use a healthy fat - coconut oil - instead. That and freshly-milled corn meal. I need to make a couple batches of cornbread this week and get it in the freezer. I also bake it in my solar oven which helps keep the heat out of the kitchen.

-Karen

[Shamrock1121]

sandycane -

- Sprouted and dried almonds can be ground into a fairly fine grind in a food processor, but I can see how almond flour might work better in a particular recipe. You can also make your own almond paste. I don't know what you pay for these foods or how often you are using them, but almonds are still a pretty good price at Sam's.

-Corn has a lot more common uses than corn flour. Corn flour also adds a lot of corn taste that isn't always a good thing in baked goods... It's occasionally used in conjunction with other flours in gluten-free baking. The recipes are usually using masa harina (corn flour used for tortillas).

Spelt (also called dingle and widely used in Germany) and kamut are the ancient forms of today's wheat. They are NOT hybrids and have a lower glycemic impact on blood sugar than high-glycemic wheat. Spelt is a bigger seed than wheat and has enough gluten in it to make a fairly nice loaf of bread - just don't knead it as long because there is less gluten and a more delicate gluten than in todays flour milled from wheat. Spelt is what developed into hard and soft wheat. I like to use spelt in quick breads and cookies - baked goods where I don't want a lot of gluten-development.

Kamut developed into durum wheat (the type of wheat that is best used for pasta). It's big plump grain looks like wheat on steroids.

I also use triticale, which is a "new" hybrid, high-protein, version of durum wheat and rye mixed. I use 20-25 different grains/seeds/beans - milled into flours, flakes, meals, grits, multi-grain cereal blends, and whole.

Here's a picture for you: http://waltonfeed.com/self/grains.html
Set the curser on each grain and it will pop-up with what grain/seed it is.

-Kefir is a fermented dairy product that produces a curd that resembles yogurt and is a much heathier choice than yogurt. I use REAL kefir grains, not the commercial powdered version of it. I use it as a substitute for buttermilk, plain yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream.
http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

Agave nectar is a natural, honey-like sweetener that has a very low-glycemic impact (that means it doesn't raise blood sugar like sugar does) and is appropriate for use by most diabetics and people with other blood glucose conditions. It can be used in all cooking and baking like sugar. It aids in browning and feeds yeast in breads (unlike chemical sweeteners), it helps bread and baked goods to stay fresher/moister longer. It has a very long shelf-life and it doesn't crystalize like honey does. I've use it instead of sugar for many years and I keep large amounts of it in storage. I can sweeten a quart of homemade ice cream with 1/4 of a cup - it's much sweeter than sugar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup

-Karen

[Shamrock1121]

Next question about corn to be milled...

Do I leave it on the stalk to dry or, pick the ears first and then dry? How long does it take to dry and where should this be done (oven, attic, barn in the sun)?


This is another question to ask your Extension Agent. There's not ONE way, but different strokes for different folks. It can be dried using food preservation methods
of sun-drying, solar-drying, or dehydration with a
home dehydrator. You can even take a bag of frozen corn and dehydrate it for making dried corn.

Check out these links:

You Too Should Discover Dried Corn -
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1975-09-01/You-Too-Should-Discover-Dried-Corn.aspx

Oven-Dried Sweet Corn
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1999-06-01/Oven-Dried-Sweet-Corn.aspx

Traditional Navajo Recipe
http://waltonfeed.com/peoples/navajo/recipes/drycorn.html

The Art of Drying Vegetables
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/driedveg.html

Sun-Drying Corn
http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx14090.pdf

Here's a link to an antique corn dryer. People use them for drying wet mittens and gloves on now.
http://www.rockdale-remnants.com/product/Hardware%20Corn%20Dryer%201

As a kid, we allowed corn to dry on the ear, but we had the job of husking it. We ran it through a corn sheller to remove the corn from the cob. We burned the cobs in the stove. Then we ran the corn through a grist mill to chop the corn up into bits small enough for the chickens to eat.

We removed dried popcorn from the cob by hand (and I wonder why I've had arthritis in my hands since I was 14 ???) We used to sit around watching TV on Saturday night and pushed the dried popcorn off the cob with our thumbs. If you are strong enough and have hands big enough, you can remove popcorn with a wringing motion using both hands going in opposite directions around the cob.

All this reminds me why I purchase dried corn ;).

I did dehydrate some frozen corn I bought on sale the other day, and I'll make parched corn out of that. Just Google - parched corn - if you want to know how to make that.

-Karen

[Shamrock1121]

What is your source of purchased dry corn?
I was hoping the local Farmer's Co-op would have grains and a grinder but, they don't.
I did find a Universal grinder at the local old-timey hardware store. Any comments on that brand?

What about a hand-crank sheller? There are quite a few on eBay...looks like they are all pretty much the same.

Oh, and I called the extension office and they weren't much help.

Corn Source:
Heartland Mill Inc.
Marienthal, KS
www.heartlandmill.com/
1-800-232-8533
I also get spelt, rye, and occasionally white wheat from them.

I have a Universal Food & Meat Chopper #1. My mom gave it to me for Christmas in 1972 to grind baby food for our daughter. It's not designed to work with grain - just food and meat. I use mine to grind cooked roast beef and bologna for ground sandwich meat, and that's pretty much it.

I don't have an opinion on corn shellers. I haven't used one in 40 years.

I must have the last County Extension Office with half a brain left. Perhaps it's my perky personality or my long association with them, but they are great at providing me all kinds of information. If they can't get it, I'll contact people at Kansas State University who CAN! I've taught and taken classes through them for years and years. I can't believe they couldn't tell you what's the best variety of dent or sweet corn to plant for your area.

I live in a rural area with all kinds of friends and family that grow field corn, but I'd just as soon order mine ready-to-use that isn't drown in chemicals the farmers use on crops around here. Heartland Mill sells certified organic grain. I don't have enough room for corn in my garden. Picking, husking, drying and shucking corn is not high on my list of things to do. Be sure to let us know how your corn experience goes.

-Karen

[sillymom]

I am not sure this is the place to put this but....
Has anyone had popped sweetcorn?
When your sweetcorn is dry on the stock take is off the cob.
Heat some oil in a pan put your corn in like you are popping popcorn. Only the corn does not pop into popcorn it pops into a ball. When golden brown take out, put salt on and let sit out. Tastes alot like peanuts but with the corn taste.
Sillymom