Celebrating the Life of Carl L Barnes
Carl
is of half Cherokee, half Scotch-Irish ancestry and was born in the
family's original farmhouse about a half-mile from his current home.
His father had moved the family west, where they acquired land and set
up farming on the High Plains. Carl spent his childhood on this
homestead, and the family lived through the 1930s Dust Bowl years,
staying to survive the ordeal rather than leaving as many did at that
time in our history.
To a seed geek like myself, Carl L Barnes was a hero. We were sad to hear of his passing on April 16th, 2016.
Seed Broadcast,
"Family,
friends, and the seed saving community mourn the passing of Carl
'White Eagle' Barnes, who died in Grove, Oklahoma on Saturday morning,
April 16. Carl was known for his years of work with heritage corn,
enabling many Native tribes to recover and reunite with their sacred
seeds."
"In
the course of growing some of the older corn varieties still being
farmed at that time, Carl began noticing ancestral types of corn
re-appearing in his crops. As he isolated these, he found many of the
variants to match up with traditional corns that had been lost to many
of the Native tribes - particularly those peoples who had been
relocated during the 1800s to what is now Oklahoma. Thus, he was able
to re-introduce specific corn types to the elders of those tribes,
and this helped their people in reclaiming their cultural identities.
The corn is, to them, literally the same as their blood line, their
language, and their sense of who they are." Continue Reading
What are some of the Heirloom Corn varieties that Carl worked to "Back to Life"?
The
Glass Gem Corn is probably the most popular variety at the moment. A few others include the
Painted Mountain Corn and the
Cherokee Long Ear Popcorn. These are some of the most stunning heirloom corn varieties I have ever seen!
This week we'll be highlighting our
Heirloom Corn varieties. If you have additional questions please ask!
***ALL of our Corn varieties are Heirloom, Non-GMO and Organic***
Heirloom Sweet Corn traced back to 1864.
Despite its name, it appears to have originated in upper NY, and was
probably derived from Iroquois Black Puckers
Originally from Virginia and traced back to 1845. Stalks grow 10-12 ft. tall producing 2 to 6 ears per stalk.
A
beautiful blend of brightly colored long ears, wonderful for fall
decorations, and is great for popping. This beautiful corn was selected
by Carl Barnes, a world-renowned Cherokee corn collector from
Oklahoma.
Beautiful 4½ in. ears, great flavor. 15 rows per ear. 6 ft. stalks, 1 ear per stalk, above-average pest resistance.
The ears reach 7-8 inches long and
produce a sweet and delicious, white kernel. The ears have no rows, as
this is a shoepeg type, and kernels are packed in a zigzag pattern
Produces
a diversity of gorgeous translucent, jewel-colored ears, each one
unique. A stunning corn variety selected over many years by Carl
Barnes, a part-Cherokee farmer and breeder from Oklahoma. Selected from
crossing several traditional corn varieties and saving seed from the
vivid, translucent kernels. Size of ears range from 3-8 inches
Considered a staple corn of the Hopi
people, this corn can be eaten as a sweet corn when young, or allowed
to dry it can be used to make flour.
Hopi Blue has a higher protein
content than a dent corn and makes wonderful tortillas. The 7 inch,
dried blue ears also make great autumn decorations. Plants are 5-6 feet
tall.
VERY RARE and hard to find corn variety.
Painted
corn is extremely cold and drought tolerant for a corn. Painted
Mountain corn grows about 5' tall producing ears about 7" long.
Released commercially in 1856.
This
delicious white sweet corn is regarded as the "King of All White Sweet
Corn Varieties", has been popular for over 160 years.
The
popular, cute, little ears look just like big strawberries, just 2"-3"
long. The 4' plants produce 2-4 ears each; great for fall decorations
or making delicious popcorn.
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