• Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Mulch Gardening
    • Herbs
    • 2016 Vegetable Garden
    • 2015 Vegetable Garden
    • 2014 Vegetable Garden
    • 2013 vegetable garden
    • 2012 Vegetable Garden
    • 2011 Vegetable Garden
    • 2010 Vegetable Garden
  • Livestock
    • Cattle
    • Broiler Chickens
    • Laying Chickens
    • Butchering
    • Pigs
    • Sheep
    • Turkeys
    • Homestead Hog Butchering
  • Herbal
    • Natural Health and Beauty
  • Homestead Management
    • Homestead Management Printables
    • Homestead Management
    • SmartSteader (Homestead Binder App)
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Reformation Acres

Live Your Homestead Dream Today

  • Home
    • All About Reformation Acres
    • Subscribe
    • SmartSteader (Homestead Binder App)
    • Disclosure
    • Reader Questions
    • Affiliates
  • Blog
    • The Latest Posts
    • Farm Fresh Seasonal Recipes
  • Recipes
    • Farm Fresh Seasonal Recipes
    • My Cookbooks
      • Cake Stand
    • Food Preservation
    • Sourdough
    • Dairy
  • Contact
  • My Books
  • Recommended Resources

in Gardening

The Case Of The Mystery Veggie And The Mutating Corn

  • 21 August, 2010

Earlier in the growing season, we discovered a stray pumpkin plant growing amidst the corn. “What damage could it possibly do?” I wondered. The way I saw it was that it was just a little extra pumpkin that I hadn’t been planning on.

As the plant grew, I was more certain in my identification. The blossoms on the sprawling plant were large and orange just like a pumpkin or zucchini. When it began to produce, I first noticed a small, bright yellow, perfectly round gourd about the size of a golf ball, shattering my confidence in garden vegetable identification. Definitely not a pumpkin. As it continued to mature, it began to widen out at the center as pictured above. Now a week or two later, it has become more round again and is about the size of a softball.

I honestly haven’t the foggiest idea what type of plant this is, how to recognize it at maturity, what to do with it when it is mature,  or how it came to be growing in my garden. I imagine a little bird left it there, but what great aim it must have to have deposited it right into the garden!

Any guesses??

And does it make your corn do this?

My dear sweet corn has this awful fungus type growth that I can’t tell if it looks more like sweaty balled up socks or intestines. It’s creepy to be sure. There is a suspicion that it may be like that because of little hands peeling back the husk checking for if the corn is ready, but it’s just a hunch.

While drafting this post I wondered how would one go about Googling it? Corn with intestine fungus? Most likely one of the most unusual searches I would have ever done.

I decided to try it and don’t recommend it. It’s gross. Once I got past all the pictures of intestines and infected toenails, I saw one little image on page five that looked just like my corn. What we have is case of corn smut on our hands. Otherwise known as huitlacoche. And people eat it. Of course  if you’re going to serve it you might want to try calling it by it’s new name, “Mexican Truffle.” Oooh… swanky. According to the Corn Smut Wiki, high-end American restaurants are serving this dish that has it’s origins from the Aztecs. Farmers in Pennsylvania and Florida are intentionally trying to grow it for the restaurants. Thanks guys. I just wanted some sweet corn.

According to MSNBC,  corn smut is good for you!

For years, scientists have assumed that huitlacoche (WEET-LA-KO-CHEE) — a gnarly, gray-black corn fungus long-savored in Mexico — had nutritional values similar to those of the corn on which it grew. But test results just published in the journal Food Chemistry reveal that an infection that U.S. farmers and crop scientists have spent millions trying to eradicate, is packed with unique proteins, minerals and other nutritional goodies.

I’ll pass for now I’m just not that adventurous. Maybe in leaner times this could be useful information, however, if you’re game, you could try a recipe here.

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Your support is greatly appreciated and a real blessing to me! Thank you!!

Filed Under: Gardening

« My Dozen
Marauder »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to Reformation Acres!

I'm Quinn and I hope to encourage you to not wait until "some day" to experience the satisfaction found in a simple life. You can begin living your homestead dream today!

READ MORE

As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. We may also earn small commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

Categories

Your Favorite Posts

Homestead Printables

Let’s Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Butternut Squash Pie fresh bread
30 Homesteading Skills to Start Learning TODAY fresh bread
Plant Free Chicken Food fresh bread
Dexter Cattle – Pros & Cons dexter cattle

Copyright © 2023 · Privacy Policy • Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Market Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in