This is the result of my planting the Tibetan milling corn seeds I got at the March Against Monsanto / Organic rally. I added the “/ Organic,” because the rally I attended was in Connecticut and I missed the march part. The planners of the rally were trying to make it be more than a negative thing, which is why I chose to attend in Connecticut rather than Massachusetts. They were trying to promote organic food and growing and all that. And those seeds were sure something positive I got out of attending. And, I realize, they were more than just physical seeds. They were seeds for some new growth in my own life.
I can not tell you how satisfied I feel that I just milled my own corn. So, so, satisfied. I have a smile on my face and a smile in my heart. I just milled my own corn that I grew from seed! It’s such a miracle. I already believed that life was a precious gift, but as I am getting more connected to the earth I am just in awe of what a miracle it is.
I am convinced that I missed my calling earlier in life. I should have been a farmer.
I think if we could connect everybody to the land, there would be much less trouble in this world. We need that grounding with the ground that makes us appreciate our world and the importance of taking care of it.
I’m only glad I have figured this out before it’s too late. I have the rest of my life to grow my own food and learn more about it. And I’m still able enough to do some of the heavy work required. And I have Andy for some of the really heavy stuff! I know a woman in her 80s that still puts in 12 hour days in her garden, so my plan is to get the heavy stuff done over the next few years as I get the land established and then let nature do most of the work (permaculture ftw!*).
I only got 5 cups, yes. But, I learned that 5 cups of dried corn seeds pretty much makes 5 cups of corn meal. (I even think it makes a tidge more, which I can’t quite figure out. I must have been at a different angle when I read the amount of kernels.) I also learned – by doing – about growing and harvesting and drying the corn. And my corn did not have worms. Some ears had little black bugs, but they were on the outside or in between the husk layers, not on the corn itself.
I stopped by a farm stand last weekend and picked up some corn on the cob.
“Is your corn GMO?” I asked the lady.
“No,” she assured me.
“Do you use pesticides?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Because people don’t want worms in their corn.”
Next year, I’ll be growing more milling corn plus sweet corn. Because this customer can deal with worms in her corn.
If she gets any.
*ftw = for the win
PS I did the milling in my favorite kitchen appliance – my Blendtec blender. The milling part is one of the reasons I got it.