An extremely exciting parcel was waiting for me in the mailbox yesterday morning. It was a packet of 'Carl's Glass Gem' corn seeds from Native Seeds/SEARCH. I ordered these rare and difficult-to-obtain seeds on March 1 and had been eagerly awaiting their arrival since then.
Seeing the small manilla envelope with a Native Seeds/SEARCH return address brought an enormous smile to my face. I practically skipped inside the house to have a look at the contents of the parcel with my fiancé. Here are a few examples of what we saw...
Even in a dried state the seeds look remarkable, maintaining their rich color and subtle sheen. It is going to be thrilling to harvest each ear of corn from the plants we will grow this year.
'Carl's Glass Gems' is a flint corn so the kernels can be popped or ground and used for flour. However, as beautiful as the kernels are, we will set aside a few cobs to use as a fall decoration. The remaining cobs will be allowed to dry so that we may save the seeds.
A half Cherokee, half Scottish-Irish farmer by the name of Carl L. Barnes is the individual who is responsible for creating the Glass Gems corn. Because I couldn't possibly tell the story any better than Greg Schoen, the person who Mr. Barnes entrusted with his corn seeds, please visit the sources below to learn about the history of this beautiful corn.
The Origins and Journey of 'Carl's Glass Gems' Rainbow Corn by Greg Schoen
The Story of Glass Gems Corn: Beauty, History, and Hope by Stephen Thomas
A short video that includes a photo of Carl Barnes as well as images of 'Carl's Glass Gems' in a range of colors.
Seeing the small manilla envelope with a Native Seeds/SEARCH return address brought an enormous smile to my face. I practically skipped inside the house to have a look at the contents of the parcel with my fiancé. Here are a few examples of what we saw...
Even in a dried state the seeds look remarkable, maintaining their rich color and subtle sheen. It is going to be thrilling to harvest each ear of corn from the plants we will grow this year.
'Carl's Glass Gems' is a flint corn so the kernels can be popped or ground and used for flour. However, as beautiful as the kernels are, we will set aside a few cobs to use as a fall decoration. The remaining cobs will be allowed to dry so that we may save the seeds.
A half Cherokee, half Scottish-Irish farmer by the name of Carl L. Barnes is the individual who is responsible for creating the Glass Gems corn. Because I couldn't possibly tell the story any better than Greg Schoen, the person who Mr. Barnes entrusted with his corn seeds, please visit the sources below to learn about the history of this beautiful corn.
The Origins and Journey of 'Carl's Glass Gems' Rainbow Corn by Greg Schoen
The Story of Glass Gems Corn: Beauty, History, and Hope by Stephen Thomas
A short video that includes a photo of Carl Barnes as well as images of 'Carl's Glass Gems' in a range of colors.
"These are the seeds that sing."
~White Eagle / Carl Barnes
