The beautiful pearl-like spheres pictured above are not gems, but kernels of what’s being called glass gem corn. Glass gem is an heirloom varietal corn developed by a man named Carl Barnes, a part-Cherokee farmer living in Oklahoma with a long interest in breeding America’s native strains of corn..
Barnes is probably the person responsible for the years of cross breeding that gives the heirloom variety its intense colors. Barnes was one of the pioneers of the heirloom seed movement, participating in the original Seed Savers Exchange in 1981 in Tuscon, where he was known for his vast seed collection with its emphasis on Native American strains.
The glass gem seeds ended up in the safekeeping of seedsman Greg Schoen (Barnes had been his “corn-teacherâ€), who then turned them over to Bill McDorman, who runs Seeds Trust. McDorman planted a few seeds last year in his garden, unsure of what to expect. The resulting brilliantly-colored corn inspired him to post a picture on Facebook, and the story took off from there.
Despite its candy-like appearance, glass gem wouldn’t be sweet to eat. Like most Native American varieties, it’s what’s know as a flint corn, which is traditionally ground for flour and can also be used for popcorn. But that hasn’t stopped requests for the seed from pouring in, so many that Seeds Trust web site crashed under the weight of all the traffic.
The glass gem varietal celebrates America’s original agricultural diversity. It’s a tradition that is under the constant onslaught by agribusiness, which is a business with little room for plant diversity or the careful stewardship of a “corn teacherâ€. Here’s hoping that the outpouring of amazement and desire brought on by these beautiful pictures translates into ongoing support for America’s natural agricultural diversity.
