Corn, Abenaki Roy's Calais Flint

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The story of corn and people is a beautiful one of co-creation. Thousands of years ago, Indigenous people in modern day Central America worked side-by-side with a wild grass named Teosinte until it became what we know as maize, or corn. From there, it traveled north and south all over the Western hemisphere along trade routes, and hundreds of different indigenous groups adapted it for their unique place on earth, where it shaped their diets and cultures. For thousands of years, Native communities have cared for their maize despite colonizers trying to separate them from it in order to control them. Both the corn and the corn stewards have survived, and it is through the generosity of both of them that we have the gift of corn today.

This heirloom variety, the Abenaki Roy's Calais Flint, most likely comes from the Coosuk Abenaki Nation. It was selected again and again for its long, thin, cylindrical ears. This particular flint corn is perfect for grinding into cornmeal and being made into polenta, hominy and grits.

Seeds Grown by Banbury Farm in Buhl, ID.

70 seeds.

Directions: Direct seed after last frost. This corn prefers to be sown once the soil temperatures have reached at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Corn is wind pollinated and should be planted in at least 4'x4' blocks to achieve full cobs. Harvest when cobs have dried completely on plant.