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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Sun May 13, 2012, 09:12 PM May 2012

Monsanto WISHES it could make corn this cool

By Jess Zimmerman


“Glass Gem” corn looks almost CGI, but it actually comes out of the ground that way. It’s the product of a small farm and a retro, handcrafted approach to agriculture — “genetic modification” from back when genetic modification meant painstaking generations of selective breeding.

The corn was grown at Seeds Trust, a small family-owned Arizona seed company that’s committed to sustainable agriculture. Seeds Trust’s seeds are mostly open-pollinated, non-hybrid crops (thoroughly checked for contamination by GMO pollen), which they say is better for sustainable agriculture. The Glass Gem seeds were just brought in for babysitting, according to Seeds Trust president Bill McDorman:

Seedsman Greg Schoen got the seed from Carl Barnes, a part-Cherokee man, now in his 80s, in Oklahoma. He was Greg’s “corn-teacher”. Greg was in the process of moving last year and wanted someone else to store and protect some of his seeds. He left samples of several corn varieties, including glass gem. I grew out a small handful this past summer just to see. The rest, as they say is history. I got so excited, I posted a picture on Facebook. We have never seen anything like this.

Of course, like most of us, Glass Gem corn looks better when moodily lit, but in the light of day it’s still pretty fly:

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Monsanto WISHES it could make corn this cool (Original Post) n2doc May 2012 OP
What is the nutritional value of this type of corn, compared to maiz and other types of corn? Zalatix May 2012 #1
Frozen corn on the cob from the grocery store ain't got shit on this! Systematic Chaos May 2012 #2
Is it edible or display? LadyHawkAZ May 2012 #3
All corn is edible if you dry it and grind it into meal. slackmaster May 2012 #19
I wouldn't want to eat it -- just look at it! Beautiful!! nt gateley May 2012 #4
Yep. bluestate10 May 2012 #23
Quite pretty, but ... surrealAmerican May 2012 #5
Field corn. There is a popcorn version. knitter4democracy May 2012 #7
Beautiful! Sanity Claws May 2012 #6
make a rainbow in it and i'm sold leftyohiolib May 2012 #8
Link Electric Monk May 2012 #9
+1000 Liberal_in_LA May 2012 #10
WTF? sakabatou May 2012 #11
Probably more natural than the all Yellow stuff BrownianNotion May 2012 #12
Yes but... it's unsettling.. sakabatou May 2012 #16
Colored corn is not only natural, it is thousands of years old. dixiegrrrrl May 2012 #17
Looks yummy to me LadyHawkAZ May 2012 #20
That's pretty Kalidurga May 2012 #13
gorgeous corn azurnoir May 2012 #14
That is an amazing piece of food... Glad to know this seed company is protecting it from Monsanto... midnight May 2012 #15
WANT!!! Odin2005 May 2012 #18
link? druidity33 May 2012 #21
A couple of years but Seed Trust is still in business... Luminous Animal May 2012 #24
Bling on the cob. Beautiful! nt raouldukelives May 2012 #22

Systematic Chaos

(8,601 posts)
2. Frozen corn on the cob from the grocery store ain't got shit on this!
Sun May 13, 2012, 09:15 PM
May 2012

I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks?

knitter4democracy

(14,350 posts)
7. Field corn. There is a popcorn version.
Sun May 13, 2012, 10:03 PM
May 2012

My store has it, and they get it from a local Amish farm. Good stuff.

Sanity Claws

(21,862 posts)
6. Beautiful!
Sun May 13, 2012, 09:56 PM
May 2012

This corn is beautiful. I wonder what it tastes like. Even if it doesn't taste great, I'd still grow it for decorative purposes.

BrownianNotion

(21 posts)
12. Probably more natural than the all Yellow stuff
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:09 PM
May 2012

There's no GMO on this, and making corn all yellow took a lot of effort and selective breeding. The natural wild corn was not all yellow before being domesticated, I think.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
17. Colored corn is not only natural, it is thousands of years old.
Mon May 14, 2012, 11:55 AM
May 2012

Used to be, colored corn of any design was called "Indian corn"
check out the images on Goolge..there are too many for me to download and post.
Just go to Google images and type in "Indian Corn"



azurnoir

(45,850 posts)
14. gorgeous corn
Sun May 13, 2012, 11:52 PM
May 2012

will be looking for seeds for next year, we already grow ruby red this is even better

thanks

midnight

(26,624 posts)
15. That is an amazing piece of food... Glad to know this seed company is protecting it from Monsanto...
Mon May 14, 2012, 12:09 AM
May 2012
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