Names of varieties of corn for popcorn, their cultivation and storage

Among varieties of corn pop corn is popular. Popularly called popcorn, both children and adults love it. This is a healthy, tasty and low-calorie product containing vitamins and minerals.

You can get such products by self-cultivation in a summer cottage. The main thing is to choose the right variety, observe the conditions for care, and then heat the grains in a pan and eat popcorn.

What should be the seeds to get popcorn?

Corn seeds can be divided into two varieties - sugar variety (or maize) and popcorn. In order for the grains to burst, they must have a low content of starch, protein and fat, a thin shell, resembling a varnished surface, but tightly attached to the surface of the seeds.

It bursts when heated in a skillet with the lid closed. Steam starts to be evenly distributed in the beans, which causes the grain to burst and shade. If the grains are ripe and stored properly, the corn will open up perfectly.

Famous varieties for popcorn

To get your favorite popcorn, the well-known popular varieties of popcorn are suitable:

1. Volcano. This plant is up to 2 meters high. It is a thermophilic culture. The grains are yellow. The seeds resemble rice grains. The ears have a maximum length of 22 cm. From each one can get about 120 grams of grain.
2. Pop. It differs in a small height - about 130 cm. Despite this, the crop gives a large yield. Yellow-colored ears have grains up to 250 grams.
3. Zeya. It is considered an early maturing variety. It matures in 80 days. The grains are darkish red. On the one hand, they are pointed, on the other - rounded.
4. Hotel. Also an early ripening variety. It has a number of advantages over other varieties in that it easily tolerates drought. The ears are about 20 cm long, the grains are yellow, the plant grows to a height of about 2 meters.
5. Grandmother's joy. The variety is early maturing. When ripe, the grains acquire an orange color, the cobs are small - about 12 cm. It grows up to 1.5 meters. The variety is valued for its high yield. But these plants are demanding for watering and feeding, do not tolerate drought.

Among the early varieties there are early maturing plants, the ears of which are small, 5–10 cm. The height is also small - 120 cm. The name of this variety is Red popcorn. Attracts with excellent yield and taste.

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Nurturing

To make your own popcorn, you first need to choose a popcorn variety that matches the natural conditions and try to cultivate it in your garden.

To understand which variety is needed, the following nuances and features should be considered:

1. Corn can be planted on clay, loamy, black earth, podzolic soils. It does not grow only on sand, this is due to the fact that corn grows high: most varieties reach 2 meters.
2. In order for the plant to stay in the wind, it will be necessary to form powerful roots, and this is impossible on loose soil. It is bad if the corn grows, it will affect the harvest.
3. All varieties of corn are heat-loving plants, so it is necessary to plant seeds when a constant temperature is established and the ground warms up to 12-15 ° C.
4. Growing is best done in a well-lit place.
5. It is desirable that the site be flat.
6. Swampy places are not suitable. Stagnant water after watering or rain is not suitable for corn.
7. It is necessary to remember: it is recommended to change the place of planting of corn every year, taking into account its predecessors. The place of the beds is suitable if tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and beets grew on it.
8. It is not recommended to plant corn in one row, as the yield will drop sharply. You need to plant about 3-5 rows.
9. Before as plant corn kernels in open ground, it is recommended to soak them for a day in warm water, pre-treated with potassium permanganate. Once they swell, it's time to sow.

It is necessary to choose a landing method, observing a distance of 50x50. The soil is pre-cultivated with a rake, with the addition of nitrogen fertilizers. You will need to pull out all the weeds, and water the holes, then plant 3 grains in each, deepening by 2-3 cm and sprinkling with earth.

To prevent the soil from drying out, you can cover the wells with plastic caps made from transparent bottles. It is recommended to wait about 12 days for seedlings.

After the popcorn corn has grown, the strongest is selected from the three plants, the rest are removed.

Care

When the weather is favorable, corn is easy to care for, especially when planting varieties that are resistant to dry conditions. Such plants only need water once a week, and moisture-loving plants such as Vnuchkina Joy require almost daily watering.

To obtain a large harvest, it is recommended to feed the plants, and for this you need to know which fertilizers are best applied:

• After the corn rises, feed it with organic fertilizers 3-4 times a month.
• When "panicles" appear, nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers will be needed.
• When the cobs begin to form, it is advisable to apply nitrogen-potassium fertilizers.

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Bursting corn varieties cannot tolerate weed growth and must be removed regularly. Pests such as moths, flyworms and wireworms can also negatively affect the harvest.

It is important to know: if there is no wind, corn is poorly pollinated, so you will need to shake the stems yourself so that the pollen on the panicles falls on the embryos of the cobs located in the leaf axils.

How to harvest and store crops?

The cobs should be picked only when they are dry, if they are harvested earlier in their raw form, the opening of the corn when making popcorn will decrease. To accelerate ripening, it is recommended to open the ears during its growth, exposing the grains, but it is not recommended to break off the "clothes".

After collection, it is important to know how to store it properly. A cool, well-ventilated area is best for the ears. It is very important that it is dry. Dried ears are put in a cloth bag or net for storage, and it is not recommended to separate the grains.

How to make popcorn at home?

Making popcorn is much easier than making a meal. To do this, you need to prepare a frying pan, preferably a cast iron and gas stove.
To get popcorn with caramel you will need:

• corn kernels, about 1/4 cup;
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon.

For cooking, take a dry frying pan, pour vegetable oil into it, cover with a lid and put to heat on the stove. Then pour out the corn grains, granulated sugar and be sure to cover with a lid.

After the contents of the pan have warmed up well, you can hear the beans begin to open. Once everything has calmed down, it is best to pour the contents of the pan into a deep bowl so that the caramel does not start burning.

To get popcorn with powdered sugar, you need to prepare about the same number of grains for popcorn, vegetable oil, but cook popcorn without adding sugar. After the popcorn is cooked, pour it into a bowl and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top, stirring well. You can also use salt: for the taste of lovers.

Popcorn is considered a nutritious food that contributes to satiety. Those who monitor their weight should remember that this is a low-calorie product. It is prepared from special varieties of corn that can be grown in your garden. There are no particular difficulties in growing grains: the main thing is to let the corn ripen well before picking the cobs. Store in a fabric, breathable bag.