Today was the day to store our dried sweet corn as seed for next year's crop. We had selected ears of corn which looked to be some of the best we had grown this year. We clothes pinned them up on cords strung between our beams in our log cabin. These have been drying here for about a month or more.  When the kernels are completely dried and well dented, you can take store the corn seed.

 

We have a large pretzel or cheese ball container in which to save our seed. We label the container with the date and the name of the seed which we are storing. This year we are storing Golden Bantam Cross sweet corn. You can store the seed for 2 to 3 years unfrozen, or in the freezer for a long, long time.  You have to make sure that the seed which you are storing is from heirloom open pollinated plants. This way the seed will stay true to the produce that was grown the year prior. Make sure the seed is well dry before attempting to store it for the next season / seasons as it may mold if it isn't.

 

 

The larger container allows me to stick both of my hands, along with a cob of corn, down into the container. With my hands in the container, I encircle the cob with my thumb and forefinger and rotate my hand around the cob, brushing the corn off of the cob into the container.

 

My son actually just puts one of his hands into the container and pushes the corn off of the cob.