HGR raising heritage, open pollinated varieties of corn
2021-09-14 - Taylor Co., KY - Photo courtesy Homeplace on Green River
By Billy Joe Fudge
On the Left is Boone County White. It was developed after the Civil War in Boone County Indiana by repetitive selection of particular grains from a corn called White Mastodon. Notice there are a few grains that were cross pollinated by pollen from a different variety nearby.
Second from the left is Indian Corn. It is used a lot as seasonal home decor but is a good corn for a lot of uses.
Third is Bloody Butcher. There are a couple different stories but it was developed in the middle 1800's in the mountains of West Virginia or Virginia. It was reportedly used a lot in the making of Moonshine and is gaining popularity with some small distilleries today such as Jeptha Creed in Shelby County, Kentucky.
And on the right is Hickory King. It was a local favorite in South Central Kentucky and was often mispronounced as Hickory Cane. It has large flat grains, a small cob and is readily identifiable by its eight rows of grain. In Southern Adair County where I grew up it was most often called Eight Row Corn. According to records, Hickory King was developed after 1880 by a Mr. A. O. Lee in Hickory, Virginia from a single ear of corn given to him by a friend. Comments | Permalink
2021-09-14 - Taylor Co., KY - Photo courtesy Homeplace on Green River
By Billy Joe Fudge
On the Left is Boone County White. It was developed after the Civil War in Boone County Indiana by repetitive selection of particular grains from a corn called White Mastodon. Notice there are a few grains that were cross pollinated by pollen from a different variety nearby.
Second from the left is Indian Corn. It is used a lot as seasonal home decor but is a good corn for a lot of uses.
Third is Bloody Butcher. There are a couple different stories but it was developed in the middle 1800's in the mountains of West Virginia or Virginia. It was reportedly used a lot in the making of Moonshine and is gaining popularity with some small distilleries today such as Jeptha Creed in Shelby County, Kentucky.
And on the right is Hickory King. It was a local favorite in South Central Kentucky and was often mispronounced as Hickory Cane. It has large flat grains, a small cob and is readily identifiable by its eight rows of grain. In Southern Adair County where I grew up it was most often called Eight Row Corn. According to records, Hickory King was developed after 1880 by a Mr. A. O. Lee in Hickory, Virginia from a single ear of corn given to him by a friend. Comments | Permalink