Maara Hapi are pleased to be able to share 3 varieties of corn seed with Mai Kai Whānau this week. All grown and saved in our maara from seed shared by traditional seed holders in our community, Hanui Lawrence and Setha Davenport.
We are so proud to grow Hanui's Kaanga Ma. It is such a strong corn that so obviously thrives in our Hawkes Bay environment, rising up well above the other varieties and the last to harden off and producing large cobs of large kernels. Kanga Ma is used to make Kangapiro or Kangawai (fermented corn) and Kanga Pungarehu, corn cooked in ash which Hanui and her sister Naumai teach people how to make.
Setha Davenport of Setha's Seed shared with us her Navajo Black and Hopi Blue Corn seed. Hopi Blue is a traditional flour or maize corn grown to make flour for bread, tortilla, or polenta. It is a traditional and sacred crop that belongs to the Hopi Indian people of the Arizona region and was bought to New Zealand when the scare of GMOs first hit in the 90's to ensure it was kept GMO free. It will produce large cobs full of matte blue-black kernels for grinding into beautiful flour. Growing flour corn is a great way to start lessening dependence on industrial grains.
Navajo Black is a stunning corn shiny black corn neatly packed on a long thin cob. It can be eaten as sweetcorn when fresh but best harvested before fully mature which is before it goes very black. Please note it will requires longer cooking time than modern sweet corn varieties and will have a chewy, nutty flavour. Can be eaten steamed, barbequed, pan-fried, or dried to be added to winter soups and stews. The dried corn is stunning to behold and makes good flour corn as well as masa harina for tortilla.
Setha's growing instructions are "Sow into trays in October in areas where there is frost, to 4cm diagonal spacing and keep in glasshouse. Transplant out to 25cm diagonal spacing in garden bed in November-December taking care to protect from frost. Or direct sow at 10-20cm spacing in October-November taking care to protect from frost. A heavy feeder, will require fertile soil."
Last year we planted our corn in the Whānau Apanui styles, direct sown 10cm apart and 2 kernels per hole under the guidance of Jessie-Leigh Christiansen. Jessie's whānau whakaaro was that Kaanga likes company and does best when planted close to each other.
There is lots of korero around the traditional American three sisters planting method where corn, beans and squash or pumpkins are planted together - the corn as structure for the climbing beans; the beans for nitrogen from their roots and the squash as a living mulch, conserving moisture, suppressing weeds and pests. We haven't tried this but generally you give the corn plants a head start with seedlings about 15cm high before you plant out climbing bean seedlings at the base of the corn and between the rows. One or two squash plants will fill in the gaps. This method will suit the more conventional corn planting distance of 25cm.
Many thanks to Peter Alexander and Chris Hull for gifting us old iron corn huskers that make the job of getting the dried corn off the cob easy and fun. Our crew had such an inspired time opening up the dried corn husks and sorting and preparing the seed, it truly is a most sacred, beautiful and ancient crop. We hope you grow to love having it in your life as much as we do.
