Corn is the most unusual in the world

• The most unusual corn in the world

The history of corn "Glass Gem" begins with Charles Barnes - a farmer from Oklahoma, in whose veins flows the blood of the Cherokee, Scots and Irish. Mr. Barnes is engaged in growing corn. Moreover, it is unusual! In 1994, a local agricultural fair Karl met with Greg Schoen. Farmers share a love for the corn, and they became business partners and friends. Barnes is now more than 80 years, and he opened his friend all the secrets of growing unusual colored corn.

Corn "Glass Gem" gives a wide variety of translucent ears of the most incredible colors. And each of them - is unique.

It is a kind of flint corn, and its grain can be ground to produce grains and make her popcorn. Unlike the sweet corn that has not eaten in the form of grains. However, its unusual iridescent beauty made her one of the latest tools to create works of decorative art.

tells Carl Barnes: "In 2005, I met Jose Lucera in Santa Clara Pueblo, north of Santa Fe. We became good friends, and I agreed to grow rainbow corn on his land ... From 2005 to 2007, we have removed some of the many crops of corn cobs this ... "

"This" new blood "has helped to strengthen the color of corn gene pool ... In 2008, we planted have just colored corn. I have selected the best grain and cobs and put them to get even more color combinations. "

His friend advised Schoen sell colored corn for everyone.

The seeds went to Kenya, Mexico, Israel and India. Schoen wants more people to know about this rainbow miracle.

In 2009, Schoen also gave a lot of these grains in the non-profit research organization Native Seeds / SEARCH in Tuscany, Arizona. Now these seeds are sold there.

Corn Glass Gem - this is one of nearly 2,000 unique and rare species of corn seeds from the bank Native Seeds / SEARCH.

This organization maintains, distributes and documents the many types of agricultural seeds and their wild relatives. They study the role these seeds play in cultures of the inhabitants of the south-eastern United States and the north-western part of Mexico.