Uncommon Corn

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There also may be important nutritional differences between modern hybrids and many varieties of OP corn. For example, according to research geneticist Linda Pollak of the USDA Agricultural Research Service at Iowa State University, protein is often higher in OP corn, though the amino acid balance in all corn needs some fine-tuning to make the proteins more usable. Pollak is pursuing this goal with ongoing plant breeding; she also is working to develop OP corns with more stable and healthful fats. "We think we can improve the ratios of fatty acids so the corn does not go rancid so quickly, and we can also improve the healthfulness of the fat so it is comparable to olive oil."

Pollak says she also sees a promising future for farmers who want to grow their own high-protein corn for livestock feed: "By having corn with a better amino acid balance, farmers wouldn't have to supplement corn with more costly soybean feeds." Within two years, Pollak says, she hopes to release OP corn varieties that set new health and nutrition standards.

Then there is the spiritual side of hand-tending a plot of corn. Carl L. Barnes, an American Indian corn expert who lives in Turpin, Okla., says, "There are three types of poverty: physical, mental and spiritual. When you turn to the soil and raise corn, all of these poverties disappear."

WHOLE CORN COOKERY

If you start with a good-tasting variety, handle it properly and cook it with care, whole-grain corn can be the basis for some of the most satisfying food on earth. Glenn Roberts, founder and owner of Anson Mills, speaks of heirloom corn the way vintners speak of wine, describing blue corn grits as having "flavor nuances that start out mineral and then blossom into citrus peel" as they slowly cook at temperatures of less than 180 degrees. Anson Mills, which was named "Agricultural Business of the Year" for 2002 by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, sells cornmeal, polenta and grits to top chefs and, by mail order, to other consumers, and works to preserve 20 types of heirloom corn.

To get the full flavor from any type of culinary grain corn, Roberts says, it's essential for the corn to ripen and dry on the stalks. Slow drying, low-temperature milling and immediate refrigeration of freshly ground corn keep the flavors alive.

Because whole-grain cornmeal retains its natural oils, you often don't need to add butter or other fats when baking with it. "I never add fat to corn bread, since the (corn) meal already has fat in it," says Zoe Caywood, owner of War Eagle Mill in Rogers, Ark. The mill grinds and sells organic corn and other grains, and Caywood's War Eagle Wholegrain Cookbook III (available at www.wareaglemill.com ) includes dozens of recipes using whole-ground corn. "To retain flavor and nutrients, it's important that the grain never becomes heated in the grinding process," Caywood says.

You don't have to be hungry to be tempted by hot, whole-grain corn bread, but what about mush? Would you like it better if we called it polenta? Either way, mush or polenta is made by cooking 1 part cornmeal in 3 parts lightly salted water until the mixture thickens. Then, it is poured into a pan to cool into a smooth cake that can be cut into pieces. So-called "instant" polenta is dehulled, degerminated, cooked, dried, very finely ground and devoid of a rich corn flavor. In contrast, fresh, coarsely ground mush is renowned among knowledgeable corn cooks for the fantastic flavor it retains. A similar comfort food from corn is spoon bread, which is wann mush mixed with eggs and milk, and baked into a fluffy casserole.

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