Amanda Palmer corn updates.

Finally finished cleaning corn seed for the year. The shear amount of Amanda Palmer ears we chose to clean for seed by hand shelling was daunting in and of itself, particulary when pilled onto the daily list of chores to do on the farm on top of preparing for fall and winter, planting and harvesting other seeds, researching new varieties and histories all while trying to find time to build a new shed for farm equipement and cut fire wood.

All in all we produced well over 100 lbs of seed for this season. We have also been hand grinding grits and meal from this corn as well as shelling it as the primary food stuff for our turkey genepool, rabbits, and goats. I can't even begin to explain the amount of respect I have for the Native Americans and later settlers who ground their own corn. Even with the convinience of a modern hand cranked sheller, grinding corn by hand is no easy prospect; four times through the mill for grits, five times for meal, and it's still a bit "gritty". But the taste is fantastic, rich, nutty, real corn flavor, the addition of Tuxpeno germplasm adds something that I just can't quite pinpoint at the momnent in terms of taste. Right now the freezer is stacked with over 50 lbs of meal and grits and we had a wonderful serving of Amanda Palmer grits with fried rabbit last night, some of the best grits I've ever had, certainly better than anything you'll ever find at the store.

I'm also exceptionally pleased with the agronomic performance of this new synthetic population, lots of strong, stiff stalks, many prolific (2 ears or more stalks), large ears, good cool and wet soil germination, and excellent drought tolerance. Granted this is the first year for the inter maraige of these varieties, but the potential for some truly amazing future varieties is here. This is the field corn sister of my Astronomy Domine sweet corn. I've noticed a definite preference by the turkeys for red kernels and tuxpeno influenced kernels, more to come on that soon.

Above you can also a pic from last week of the corn crib, it's a bit more full than that now, the storage room for the corn/feed alone makes all the trouble of taking it down and putting it back up well worth while, later this fall we will be buying about 20-40 bushels of OP corn from a friend. Next season we hopefully will not have to buy any supplimentary feed.

Our goal is to allow the Amanda Palmer genepool and the Kiva turkey genepool to co-evolve with one another. Feeding the turkeys and ourselves the corn, recycling the cobs into turkey bedding, composting the bedding and manure, using the compost for AP fertilizer, and saving the seeds from AP for replanting, eating the turkeys; this is true self sufficient farming.

In the top picture you can see an outstanding Edamame Soybean selection which showed outstanding production qualities, we have been saving seed from our huge Edamame grex over the past few days as well, selecting the most productive and disease tolerant plants we find, we have been in drought for the last month and a half so drought tolerance and stress is already there and these were planted on completely unamended red clay, so low soil fertility is also automatically selected for. I also snaped a quick picture of one of the Rio Grande wild turkeys checking things out while I pick the edamame pods.

Smashing the glass box that is conventional agriculture!

Smashing the glass box that is conventional agriculture!


I didn’t attend college. Period.

That’s not just a statement, it is a declaration.

Now, maybe I didn’t attend college because I was lazy, or perhaps I didn’t attend because college had nothing to sell or tell me that would convince me to give up my life to debtors. I will let you figure that one out.

Over the last six years I have subjected my family, my fiance, and her family to my endless curiosity for all things agronomic with a heavy slant towards ecological solutions and breeding, driving them sometimes up the wall, I am sure, and leaving them all wondering how I would make a living for myself. I have grown, tested, trialed, and tasted more varieties of crops than I care to imagine. F1’s, Open Pollinated types, segregates, populations, synthetics. I have dabbled in soil sciences from all over the world, and taken a gander at the true possibilities that soil and various cropping systems on this southern Indiana farm can offer me by looking through the eye of a prism and following each individual “color” to it’s perspective end.

I have harvested acres of corn by hand and subsequently shelled it for seed until my hands were litterally bloody.

I have dabbled with poultry genetics and selected for meat, body confirmation, color, egg size, color of egg and and more.

I have grown crops completely unadapted to this bio-region in trials and breeding plots which often become the source of distress and disaster in unconventional systems which others would only scoff at.

I have cursed, pulled hair, kicked, screamed, been pissed off and generally aggrevated to the point of chain smoking.

I have aged 10 years in 6.

I have alienated friends and made enemies.

I have subjected myself to myriads of manual labor which will effect my health for seasons to come.

And I regret none of it.

For all of those negatives and from all of those moments of extreme aggrevation I have deduced that the root of all of this is knowledge and I’ve accomplished more than I have failed.

I have made friends.

I have opened eyes and minds.

I have had a hand in the fostering of new kinds of varieties which have never existed before.

I have mastered the “forcing” of many crops using only wood heat and plastic in winter weather.

I have discovered those things which work and those which do not.
I have observed nature in ways that many others have not.

I have created new methods of sustaining and creating soil fertility and have foregone sterile mixes in favor of homemade, compost laced solutions.

I have taught myself about trap crops, vermicomposting, herbal medicine, bio-intensive methodology, soil sciences, seed saving, plant breeding, animal husbandry and so much more.

And most importantly I have put myself through School of a type very few others in recent memory ever have. “Warior Training” is perhaps more apt.

I would call myself an agronomist, even if I am missing the “official” credentialed piece of pulp paper that the world might accept as “proof” of such a claim. I don’t need it.

I have created something out of nothing.


And now it is time to move forward with this “gnosis.”

It’s time to smash the glass box that contains “conventional” agriculture.

The conventional agriculture that keeps us tied up in the slave trade of petrochemical fertilizer, genetically modified traits, and “ORGANIC STANDARDS” as set forth by the USDA.

The time for trial and error are over and the time for proof of concept have arrived. 2011 will be the year that I take the first true look at what I have been working on, taking the amalgamated teachings of the best methods and varieties I have utilized and placing them into a fully functional “eco-logical” garden of Eden.


Breeding work will continue with poultry and perennials and the occasional hybrid vegetable, but the introduction of many new varieties and their implementation into the overal scheme and outlay of the farm and it’s profits will take precedence.


In time I hope to open the eyes and minds of many in our bio-region to the true possibilities available to those of us who can think in terms of .5 - 50 acres instead of 500. 5-100 birds as opposed to 20,000.

I hope to help people recognize their true culture, a culture of agriculture, free of the bindings which hold “conventional” agriculture in place and breaking the bonds placed on us by our government and the mainstream media. To help foster those ideas which draw us together and help us see that the binds of civilization are held together only by our ability to use agriculture, in a sustainable way, to our advantage.

To be continued:

A fantastic Interview with Dr. John Navazio via seeds of change.

Well it snowed here, a lot, and because of that snow I am tending to stay close to the house a bit more and spend some time studying before the season kicks in hard. Later this week I'll be making a couple thousand soil blocks and starting seeds. Some have already been started for the greenhouse project, I've also got some new baby rabbits, my first experience with rabbit kindling and it's going pretty well so far. One of the incubators is full of turkey eggs as well and during all of this I am attempting to kick my bad smoking habbit, so even when it's slow it's still a bit busy.

That being said, while looking around the net for some information regarding a few seed varieties I am searching for I came accross an interesting and very informative interview via Seeds Of Change with plant breeder extrodinaire Dr. John Navazio. Anyone with an interest in seed saving, self sustainable agriculture or particularly plant breeding should check it out, there is a ton of good information in there particularly in regards to selecting from a diverse set of genetics (without any actual cross polinating) for new varieties of food and flower plants. I think after reading this many more of you will veiw yourselves as plant breeders as opposed to seed savers after reading this one.

The interview is here:

http://www.seedsofchange.com/market_growers/field_report_navazio_32.aspx

Tim Peters Perrinial Grains Project and Associated News coming soon.

Big news is coming soon regarding Tim Peters/Peters Seed Research and Hip-Gnosis Seed Development/Homegrown Goodness and the release of the Perennial Grain project! We have another interested association that will be working with us on this high value project! Stay tuned, big things are happening! Bigger than we ever could have expected!

Alan Reed Bishop
Hip-Gnosis Seed Development/Homegrown Goodness

New Vernacular regarding plant breeding.

I struggle a lot with words like "segregation" and "De-Hybridization" when speaking about the art of creating an F1 hybrid and then growing out the save seeds through the various filial generations, mostly because the words sound negative and kind of, well...eugenicist. It bothers me. Little things often do. They are called "ticks" and I have plenty of them.

So, from now on I will refer to the F1 generations as "mothers", the F2-F4 generation as De-Evolution and anything past this point as "REvolution". Yeah, I made up another word or phrase, that's another tick.

Whatever Will, Becomes What Is:

Whatever Will, Becomes What Is:
Landraces and Folk Seed Varieties in Self Sustainable Agricultural Systems. A “post-historic” method (post-modern, pre-historic). Or the “Back to the Future” solution to modern, sustainable agriculture.

By: Alan Reed Bishop
Bishop’s Homegrown/Homegrown Goodness/Hip-Gnosis Seed Development


There is not enough room on the internet to archive the many discussions between home gardeners and market farmers regard Hybrids vs. Open Pollinated varieties. The issue itself stirs the passion of many enthusiasts and many debates have see-sawed back and forth across the tide of many a gardening forums and popular opinions. Here we seek to explain the importance of both, but particularly the relevance of Open Pollinated and Landrace regionally adapted seeds and the potential that new hybrids provide the intrepid plant breeder in regards to new genetic recombination’s.


Humankind has been cultivating the soil for anywhere upwards of 10,000 - 20,000 years, selecting, adapting, tilling, planting, growing, and ultimately eating varieties which are well suited to their circumstances, climates, and tastes. Seed has been saved and passed from generation to generation and much pride has been taken in this, the most important aspect of civilization building. All of this seed is representative of the cumulative hopes and dreams and history of specific agrarian societies encompassing the entire globe. Wherever there is civilization, there must be some type of agriculture; even invasive societies have to rely on the weight of agriculture on the backs of their captive towns and districts.


Genetic diversity and inherent observation are the keys to sustainable agriculture and its development at that point in our past. At some point in our distant past multiple hunter gatherer societies must have found seeds germinating in their fertile waste piles, or otherwise early and accidental compost, this knowledge (gnosis) fostered the idea of permanent agrarian civilization and thus began the cultivation of the earth. Many mistakes must have been made, many may have perished from starvation from the worst of these catastrophes but each mistake made was a new collective lesson learned. Surely the biblical book of Genesis makes the clearest metaphor and record of such an occurrence. Could the Tree of Knowledge have been the first cultivated food crop, the exile from the Garden of Eden representative of having this Gnosis which will change your life forever, once you have this Gnosis you can never go back to a Hunter-Gatherer society (we were provided by nature), because now it is forever ingrained as part of the human experience? (Thus begins greed and power mongering, Kane and Abel?)

These lessons and genetic memories are still carried in our collective psyche, our DNA spiral, our universal mind and in the genes of the seed that we plant; we only have to listen and observe closely to read this unwritten history book.

Looking at the genetic diversity of the past, present, and future of our edible heritage one can see the lines, sometimes drawn clearly, other times nearly invisible, a living mystery, of the evolution and selection of our various food crops. One thing is for sure, all are the result of some form of genetic hybridization (accidental or purposeful, nature made or man made), stabilization, further hybridization, selection, and ultimately preservation of Genes (sometimes the genes are more important than the variety)

Take for example corn, developed at some point in our distant past by messo-Americans from the grassy weed Teosinte and developed into the worlds largest staple food crop, to the extent that corn was making the long trip across the Atlantic and Pacific long before Columbus arrived to claim that he had “found” Amerika and making the trip from South America to Canada by way of the indigenous Native American Tribes and their trading long before Henry Ford created the first Model T or the Spanish introduced horses.

Many methods have existed and have been created parallel to the development of our genetic heritage for implementing various genes from one variety of food crops into another closely related variety. In the past I have discussed the cultural mixing of various seed types in order to create a diversified genetic family tree or pedigree for many varieties, often resulting in recombination’s of genes that add specific benefits to the original seed in the form of environmental adaptation, disease or pest resistance, or nutrition. Another method that is still incorporated today in Mexico via the very genetically diverse Maize crop grown there is a form of natural wind pollination by way of planned field integration. Say you are growing a variety of corn that you really have faith in, but particularly enjoy the traits shown by a friend’s crop, perhaps you would grow your corn next to his corn to ensure cross pollination, you gain something you wanted in your crop from his and he may gain something from yours. The results of course are hybrid seed which will in the F1 generation show some degree of hybrid vigor but over time will be selected for the traits that the grower finds the most important. Without this type of naturally occurring but human manipulated crossing, many of our food crops would long ago have gone into extinction and with it any number of important cultures and information. Of course over time man developed more complex hybridization and selection methods, particularly timed out and thought out methods of cross pollinating one crop variety with a closely related crop variety by hand, leading to more refined plant breeding programs after Mendel had thoroughly explained dominant and recessive genes, ironically using a food crop, namely peas, to prove his theories.

Thus far we have made no mention of the anomaly of modern GMO crops, some will argue that Genetic Modification of crops, or the movement of genes between two wholly unrelated species is just a natural advancement of the principals of traditional plant breeding, but this is far from the truth as it works against all that nature has shown us about the movement of genes between species and how those genes are then tested by time and nature. This breakdown of cell walls and movement of genes between completely unrelated organisms can hide many unexpected and hazardous consequences including allergic reactions, pest and disease control issues, and other unknown variables. These, my friends, are quite literally Chimeras.

As we can objectively look at our agrarian past and the natural evolution and selection of crops used to feed agrarian societies we can see just how important that hybridization has been to our agricultural heritage and civilization as a whole. Without hybridization the list of crops that we currently enjoy and which we have enjoyed for hundreds of years would have been forever altered, particular emphasis has been placed on work with grains, those most essential of human food crops.

Of course hybridization is one thing, segregating out those genes, or bringing them into their fixed and open pollinated states is equally important. These inbred and Open Pollinated (self replicating) lines formed the basis for stable agrarian cultures to rise up, thrive, and flourish in growingly complex systems. A quick look at ancient Mesopotamian agriculture and South American agriculture (Peru and the Amazonian Basin) in particular will give one a concrete sense of exactly why cultures and regions are so closely associated with their crops and will give us an anthropological basis for speculation of the rise of religious belief and spiritual certainty and the importance the ancients placed on sacrificing food crops to perceived notions of gods (often representative of the combined forces of nature and their effect on cropping and harvest).

Many Open Pollinated varieties can also be considered folk varieties or landraces, this is to say varieties particularly adapted to, associated with, and traded and grown amongst the people of a certain bio-region and or culture. These varieties have withstood the test of time, disease, drought, pests, famine and more and still stand with us, nearly unchanged, years later. The current rise in interest of OP and “Heirloom” varieties is proof that at some point during the “Green Revolution” that what worked 1,000 years ago, still works now. As we have learned since the time of the “Green Revolution” the trade off for self sustainable fertility and regional adaptability of open pollinated and landrace seeds in exchange for
cheap and unsustainable energy and fertilizer was neither a wise or warranted trade, leading almost completely to an eroded food base in regards to lost and extinct genetic varieties, less nutritional food, and the whole sale polluting of millions of acres of valuable crops land, waterways and more via petrol based inputs which are not necessary for landrace and regionally adapted varieties.


The modern farmer concerned with self sustainability has more options that ever, but would do well to study up on Open Pollinated, Landrace and Folk Varieties while also not discounting the worthiness of home created hybrids for the sake of segregation or the segregation of non-GMO hybrids with useful genetic traits into an Open Pollinated Derivative. To discount any of these options is to miss out on an equal share of what we have experienced in the past 10,000 years in regards to agriculture. The thing is, these decisions are hard to make without the proper information.


Part of the problem is that so many are concerned only with growing anything that they find interesting instead of growing only those crops which have been time proven to grow well in your particular climate and situation. Often times one will hear others make mention of the superiority of hybrid seed over OP because the user had a bad experience with an open pollinated crop. More often than not this failure is to be blamed on a poor variety selection then on the fact that such varieties were “Open Pollinated”. Now more than ever the heirloom seed movement is making available a terrific amount of diversity, certainly suited well to the intrepid backyard plant breeder who sees the value in the genes contained in that crop more than the value of that particular variety to his particular environment. Unfortunately many first timers and non plant breeders don’t make this distinction, poorly choosing a variety from the High Dessert Southwest to grow in the Humid Deep South river deltas, failure is almost always guaranteed in these situations to some degree or another.


The trick is hunting down varieties that have been stewarded and selected to grow in your area over a number of years. Folk varieties, landrace varieties, commercially released Open Pollinated varieties. There is an art to such a search and much to be learned. Some of my favorite moments in life have been gleamed from visiting with locals who have produced their own seed from local varieties for generations, often glad to have someone to “gift” the seed to as their gardening years are long over. These varieties produce better on our farm and under our “Eco-Logical (read organic without certification) conditions than any modern commercial hybrid and don’t often succumb to pest or disease or drought conditions that have taken down varieties that are otherwise not adapted to our conditions.

Using these landrace and open pollinated varieties we can create the sustainable farms of the future using the footprints of our past. These varieties are adapted to the natural fertilizers of organic gardening in conditions that modern hybrids have not been engineered to handle, they can fend off most of the blights associated with agriculture without the use of petrol chemicals and carcinogenic pollutants and they honor our agricultural past.

Filling in the gaps then becomes the issues, as many times there are gaps in local seed varieties. For example, here in Pekin Indiana in the Ohio Valley we found that we were without a local watermelon variety adapted to our climate which is unfortunate given the large allotment of watermelons grown in the White River Valley in Jackson County Indiana to our immediate north. As such, it was necessary for us to create a pool of new F1 hybrid varieties using parent plants which could donate the required genetic dispositions and traits to our new varieties. These F1 varieties were then grown and selfed and seeds from the projects were bulked, the F2’s have been evaluated and seed once again bulked, next year the F3’s will be evaluated and selections made, in a few years we will have created (with any luck) an Open Pollinated variety that is well suited to our climatic farm conditions and which represents our cultural bias in regards to looks and taste. A new piece of Americana if you will. With any luck others will help us distribute this new variety in our region, to keep it alive, and in time it may indeed become a “folk variety” or “heirloom.

If one approaches such projects knowing the importance of the work and the artistry that goes into all the facets of seed saving, plant breeding and selection then one already knows that the outcome of such a project can only further their grasp on self sustainability, culture creation, and spiritual importance. If it doesn’t exist then you must help it evolve, it is part of your heritage to do so, as such "Whatever you will, becomes what will be." With the exception of Mother Natures own selection criteria of course!

Homegrown Goodness Messageboard News: Major anouncement from Tim Peters of Peters Seed Research

On January 1'st we will be announcing a major project involving Tim Peters of Peters Seed Research and his much lauded perennial grain projects. Tim has spent years on perinnializing grains of various types for use in sustainable agricultural practices and which could lead to many new revolutions and revelations in the future of feeding the world! Stay tuned to The Homegrown Goodness Message Board for more information!

Here is an article by the Seed Ambassadors about Tim, be sure to check it out!

The Kusa Seed Society

Thanks for the heads up to CanadaMike over at The Homegrown Goodness Message Board. I recently posted about my interest in open pollinated grains and the experiments that we would be attempting in the growing of these precious nutritional crops. Mike recently informed me of the existence of this seed society and their seed offers. It seems like a terrific organization though I have not had much time to check out the site for myself lately, I'll be making some time later this week and be ordering for sure.

Check them out here:

http://www.ancientcerealgrains.org

Updated Year 3 Pedigree of Astronomy Domine

Year 3 Pedigree of Astronomy Domine Sweet Corn:

(New information in bold at bottom of post)
Three Year Pedigree of Astronomy Domine Sweet Corn: Notes on parent lines in original two mass crosses as well as selection criteria and explanation of intent and novelty.

Explanation and Intent of development:

Astronomy Domine Sweet Corn is the working name of a “mass cross” breeding and selection for sweet corn which meets a niche demand in Southern Indiana markets for a multi-colored, open pollinated, enhanced nutrition, drought tolerant and genetically diverse sweet corn of special interest to home gardeners, seed savers, and market gardeners looking to fill a niche. The project has evolved over the past year by way of the Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Project to include and inspire home gardeners and plant breeders across the United States and Canada to use the first generational germless from the original mass cross to develop and increase the diversity of regional strains of Astronomy Domine which may later be renamed by participating growers to their own desire.

Multiple lines of colored open pollinated and hybrid sweet corns were planted together in a small eight row block on our small produce farm in Pekin Indiana in the 2007 season. The corns ranged days of maturity from 55-90 days, planting was staggered so as to further facilitate crossing between late maturing, mid maturing, and early maturing varieties leading to a harvest date that was literally all over the map in the late summer and early fall of 2007. No irrigation was performed and the plot was fertilized only with composted chicken manure. Very little earworm damage was noticed and the corn seemed mostly unfazed by the record setting drought of 2007, sans the genetics provided by Ruby Queen hybrid sweet corn (Burpee’s Seeds). CCorn planted early in the season (as early as April 23’d) was somewhat affected by the cool soil emergence; however this provided us with a bit of selection for cool soil emergence issues. Seed was interplanted in bare spots over the next three weeks to further facilitate the crossing of different maturing dates.

Colored corn kernels are of particular interest to us in our breeding experiments due to the high levels of Anthocyanins which free radical scavenging amino acids are thought to be important in both combating and preventing cancers.

This corn also represents progress towards a self sustainable, Open Pollinated sweet corn developed for organic and natural growing systems as well as selected for multiple uses. Fresh Culinary, Dried or made into corn meal, and ornamental uses. Also represents an attempt at developing a “Value Added Seed” line with the added value present in the free amino acids that pericap color imparts. This experiment also represents an attempt at developing defined color traits in the early milk stage of sweet corn for the purpose of attracting market customers and for the added nutrition of the pigmentations of these corn kernels.

Note:

“Value Added Seed” - Is a term that I use to describe seed of special interest which contain added traits which set them apart from standard varieties. Particularly traits which make the seed novel and in most cases higher in nutrition than alternative seed.

Pedigree:

The following is a listing of the corns included in the original mass cross of 2007 as well as some descriptive notes regarding each variety:

Ruby Queen Hybrid- Sugar Enhanced deep red kernelled hybrid variety introduced by Burpee. Tolerant of Rust and Stewarts Wilt. Not cool soil tolerant but a good source of color and anthocyanins. Color apparent at milk stage.

Blue Jade-Open Pollinated SU variety sourced through www.seedsavers.org . Very diminutive and dwarf variety that is actually acceptable for pot cultures. Short season, developed in the north. Deep blue kernels at maturity, increasing in color as the conversion of starch progresses. Apparently somewhat drought tolerant. Planted throughout the three week period. Color apparent at late milk/early starch stage
Millersburg Red Sweet Corn- Open Pollinated SU variety that was sourced locally in neighboring Orange County Indiana. Large Kernelled late season variety, not as deep red as ruby queen, more subdued earth tone and diluted red color. Large Ears and Tall plants. Color apparent at late milk stage

Millersburg small- Open Pollinated SU Variety, sourced from the same location as above but smaller diminutive plants that mature early, probably the result of inbreeding depression. NEarly identical to above variety. Color apparent at late milk stage

Red 101-Open Pollinated SU variety, sourced from Purdue University. No history was reported other than a possible breeding line from a “corn lab” once located in Clark County Indiana. Late season, large eared and kernelled, deep red cultivars. Tolerant of Stewarts Wilt, cold tolerant seed. Three ears to a stalk. Color apparent at milk stage.

Mushrooms Martian Double Red Sweet Corn- Open Pollinated SU Variety. Sourced through Sow Organic Seed. Bred by Dr. Alan Kapuler of peace seeds. Purple kernelled mid-season type, high in anthocyanins (reportedly higher than that of blueberries), mid to late season. Pedigree includes “True Platinum”. Color apparent at milk stage

Triple Play- Open Pollinated SU variety from Seeds of Change. Could not locate a history or a breeder. Small plants bear three small ears of SU type corn which matures to shades of blue, yellow, and white. Color apparent at late milk stage

Black Mexican- Open Pollinated SU Variety. Reportedly grown in the New York area by Native Americans, primitive and early form of sweet corn. Small plants which produce ears which turn from white to deep blue. Not nearly as sweet as modern varieties even SU types. Color apparent at starch stage

Black Puckers-Open Pollinated SU Variety. Sourced from a seed trade. Nearly identical to Black Mexican with slightly different shaped kernels and some crossing with a red variety. No History Provided. Color apparent at starch stage

Country Gentleman-Open Pollinated SU Variety. Sourced from www.seedsavers.org . Old fashioned white sweet corn. Late maturing, large kernelled and large eared corn, popular with home gardeners. Apparently a parent of popular SU and SE hybrids Silver Queen and Silver King

White 101- Open Pollinated SU Variety. Sourced through Purdue University. Large plants, very late season, near last to mature. Large ears and huge kernels. Makes a good roasting corn but not so good boiled.

Hopi-Pink Sweet Strain- Open Pollinated SU Variety sourced through a trade. A sweet version of the Hopi-Pink flour corn popular among seed traders and corn collectors. Appeared to suffer some amount of inbreeding depression. Beautiful Pink Kernels of sweet corn. Mid Season type. Color apparent at milk stage.

Hookers Sweet- SU, Open Pollinated type. Grown By Ira Hooker and offered by Seeds of Change. White/yellow kernelled sweet corn of good quality, great for roasting. Color is apparent at late milk stage.

Howling Mob- SU, Open Pollinated type. Old fashioned roasting corn, sweeter than most old roasting ears. Late season, large ears, large kernels. Tolerant of Stewarts wilt.

Black?-SU, Open Pollinated type. Very early season. Sourced locally from a farm stand customer. No history given other than grown in the family for years. Appears to differ from other black types. Color apparent at late milk stage.

Double Standard- SU, Open Pollinated bi-color type. Sourced from abundant life seed foundation. Could find no history or pedigree or breeder.

Washington County Orange- SU, Open Pollinated type. Gifted to me by an elderly farming couple years ago. Apparently a selection of a mutant field corn plant from back in the 50’s. Grown for generations by the same family. Mid-Season. Yellow Kernels turn orange-ish red at late milk stage.

Silver King- SE, Hybrid Type. Great tasting and high yielding modern white hybrid.

Golden Bantam- SU, Open Pollinated type. Popular with home gardeners, originally introduced by Burpee’s Seeds man. Plump golden kernels. Mid season type.

Ashworth- SU, Open Pollinated type. Early season sweet corn developed by Fred Ashworth originally supposedly named “rat selected”. Great early season type.

Pastel Colors-SU, Open Pollinated type. Gifted to me by an Appalachian friend in Manchester KY, represents work with segregating crosses of flint types and sweet types. Mixed seed stock from various selections. Late season, large ear types. Colors present in milk stage.

Festival Multicolor-SE/SU types. Developed by Ken Ettlinger of The Long Island Seed Project.

Four other unnamed segregates were also massed into the field. These segregates represented my earliest attempts at sweet corn breeding and were comprised of various crosses of the above.

I feel that it is important for the reader to know that each of the varieties listed above in the cross are also being maintained in their pure state in our living seed bank at Hip-Gnosis Seed Development to preserve their cultural heritage and genetic diversity. Some are being further refined for possible future release. Of particular interest is the Pastel Color line for further development and release.

Seed was selected from the most productive, drought tolerant, healthy, and interesting plants and bulked together for distribution and planting in 2008.


Several new seed stocks have since been added to the mix to further integrate positive traits which we will begin selecting for after this seasons new mass cross. The seed stocks added to the mix include:

Rainbow Inca-SU, Open Pollinated Type. Developed by Dr. Alan Kapular from a mix of southwestern and heirloom sweet corns as well as a large eared, white Chokelo variety from Peru.

Painted Hills-SU, Open Pollinated Type. Developed by Dr. Alan Kapular from a cross of breeder Dave Christianson’s flint corn “Painted Mountain” crossed to Ashworth. Nice diversity of colors, very genetically diverse, large kernelled type.

Cocopah-SU, Open Pollinated Type. Obtained from Native Seeds/SEARCH. A southwestern Native American variety of primitive sweet corn in a wide rainbow of colors.

Anasazi: 85 days. A very diverse strain that has 5 to 7 foot stalks, with 8 to 12+ rows of multi-colored kernels.


Future Development:

This year we will have two selections of Astronomy Domine that we will work with. The first will be the original stock with the added genetics mentioned above in a new mass cross. The selection criteria will as always range a wide array of positive traits including cool soil germination and emergence, tolerance to disease, lodging resistance, drought tolerance, and taste, coloration in milk stage, pest tolerance, and taste.

This corn could be widely selected and allowed to re-hybridize every season or diverse selections could be made and selected for uniformity. The idea here is to basically develop an excellent open pollinated corn for organic systems which also incorporates enhanced nutrition and fills a niche market, while also striving to develop possibly the most genetically diverse sweet corn ever introduced.

The second selection of Astronomy Domine will include the original stock and the added genetics mentioned above inter cropped with a white SE type sweet corn, most likely Silver King. The Silver King will be planted in alternating rows and detasslled. This should lead to the large ears and large kernels of Silver King in the array of colors of Astronomy Domine while maintaining the SE genetics for enhanced sugar. The corn from the mother Silver King plants will be used for the fresh market and seed will also be bulked into seed saved from the 2008 crop for future development.

I can and do forsee future crosses planted in mass for years to come with this project, corns only benefit from hybridization and as long as I can keep introducing new genetics to the mix, particularly those of colored genes I will probably do so.

Much of my work with this corn experiment was inspired by Dave Christianson who has spent thirty plus years breeding his Painted Mountain Flint corn.

I will update this pedigree and research as the growing season in 2008 and selection work begins.

Updated: Two new accessions added to second year pedigree. Martian Jewels and Martian Jewels selected for Pink and Gold. Both from Alan Kapulars Peace Seeds by way of Homegrown Member Pugs.

Update for Year 3: Recently I had the distinct pleasure of opening my mailbox to find the first returned seed sample from Johno. John made some very nice selections and already there is a clear difference in strains. Our selection is much darker in color than Johns selections and the seeds of our strain are a bit smaller, this selection has now been added back to the F-3 seed from this year for integration. A number of new accessions have also been added to the list via ARS GRIN:

Nueta Sweet Corn-Yelow-no information currently

Millersburg Red Sweet #2-Red sweet corn apparently from Millersburg New York.

Aunt Mary's Sweet Corn-White corn from Wisconsin. No further information

Sweet Corn (Indian)-another multi-color selection, from Colorado, no further information available.

2009 will see yet another in a succession of mass crossing of even more genetic diversity into the Astronomy Domine line. 2010, stabilization will become the focus of this experiment.

Independent plant breeders and their importance in the 21'st century

I was responding to a post about our little blog over at Patrick's blog (http://www.patnsteph.net) when I realized that my response might make for an interesting blog of my own, so as follows is my copy and paste blog entry (with minor corrections):

I think we are on the verge of some great things in the sphere of agriculture and plant breeding on an independent and self-sustainable level considering the number of breeders showing up recently on our message boards (http://alanbishop.proboards60.com). It was only a couple of years ago that the majority of all conversations held on gardening web-sites based on organic/eco-logically grown practices were based on only open pollinated/heirloom seeds and their conservation and it seemed like any talk of breeding work using these varieties or commonly available hybrids was heresy condemned by forum arguments and the general shunning of plant breeders, little did people realize that the seed planted by folks like Alan Kapuler, Ken Etlinger, Frank Moreton and Tom Wagner had already began to sprout and take root and suddenly experienced heirloom gardeners were becoming interested in plant genetics and alternatives to the available heirlooms.

Looking back I suppose it was only a matter of time as the general problem within the heirloom seed movement was that there was a growing contingency of what I call “seed snobs”, that is to say completists whom thought they could grow any heirloom seed anywhere and it would be better than anything on the market, OP or not, that was considered new and possibly trendy.

The problem with that line of thinking is as we all know Heirlooms are adapted to specific climatic and micro-climatic conditions and have been adapted to those conditions for generations, this is something that can not be changed with only a year or two of work regardless of experience, this of course led to any number of disasters with both experienced gardeners trying heirlooms for the first time and new gardeners giving them a go in their earliest attempts at food production and this is not to mentioned the experienced heirloom gardener who thinks he can pull of that miracle of growing a crop from the high dessert in the humid Ohio Valley (lesson learned), something that just can’t be done with much measured success from my experiences.

I think this more than anything has opened gardeners up to looking for local heirloom seeds and regional ones and then looking to independent plant breeders for segregating and unstable genetic material and the direction to make selections from this material that is young enough in the Filial chain for them to make educated decisions in selection criteria in creating their own variety or strain adapted to their area. In this way gardeners can fill in the gaps in their locally sourced heirloom seeds, create an alternative to what’s available, and generally create the “Wow” factor in not only their neighbors but even in experienced heirloom gardeners.

Of course this isn’t discounting the work being done with alternative crops such as Quinoa, Amaranth, Yacon, and Oca by new up and coming independent plant breeders, it is often us who first find an interest in these crops (by way of the previous generation of independent plant breeders/seed savers) and then introduce them to the wider heirloom growing audiences. We set very good examples I think.

In the near future I look for this to be the next big gardening movement, thanks in part to Carol Deppes book, "breed your own vegetable varieties", which changed the perceptions of heirloom gardeners in response to plant breeders, I think we will see many more backyard plant breeders coming up with unique innovations, a very good example of this is Ken Allen and his Tetra Baby watermelon which Michel Lachaume (Canada Mike) turned me on to this previous season, be sure to look it up as it is a very interesting work of “art”.

A few years down the line I don't see it as impossible to find listings of one variety of seed followed by their "strain" identification including various selection criteria and what region that the source material was selected in and from whence the original mixed genetics came from. A database of varieties and their various alternative strains if you will, this will give gardeners a better grasp on selecting new material that is adapted to their location already. I foresee how this can open many doors for the independent plant breeder.

All in all the new wave and old wave of independent plant breeders are responsible for some very terrific things in regards to plant breeding, we are the future of gardening really, particularly when it comes to “Functional Foods” or as I call them “Value Added” seeds and their continued adaptations to local climates.

-Alan Reed Bishop

The new and true Green Revolution; part one of a two part rant (rough draft)

The new and true Green Revolution: A call to arms for all farmers and gardeners interested in self sufficiency and natural agriculture to take a stand.


The twentieth and twenty-first century have seen the rise of big agri-business by way of the green revolution, petrol-chemical agriculture, and the re-writing and destruction of historical agriculture which has been practiced for over 10,000 years. Never before have species disappeared so rapidly or completely and not only from our agricultural fields but also from their natural environments and never before has the role of supposed “ownership” and the artificial, dangerous, and untested genetic modification of plants and animals been an issue on the minds of farmers and consumers as it is today.

One of many paths to power as proven throughout history is the control of food supply. If one is to effectively control food supplies one must first control the seed. “He who controls the seed controls the feed.” as a friend of mine often says. Our seeds have been taken from our gardens and out of our hands, breaking a bond of generational knowledge and seed as saved and passed down for generation after generation often accompanied by much legend and information. Instead it has been stolen and locked up in litigation, red tape and ownership while being re-sold to the original owners in fanciful packaging for far too long now. I believe it is time we take our power back, returning it to the fields and families where it belongs all around the world.

In the responsible, sustainable, fields and farms of tomorrow we must make every effort to become more sustainable by any means necessary, and it is only by taking a stand and fighting for what we believe in that this effort will be realized. It is time for a true green revolution which will not consist of high priced amendments, petrol chemicals and false information, but instead will consist of deep spirituality, love, peace, knowledge, trade, and respect as well as firm footing and the bravado to fight for those things worth dying for. If all of these previous ideas don’t fall into line, none of this will mater and we will only further cater to corporate greed and the destruction of the very earth that feeds and nourishes us, it is indeed time to fight fire with nothing less than fiery passion!

We have watched, particularly in the United States, as our governments have made mistake after mistake while catering to the petrol-war machine and big business while driving the middle class completely out. Other countries are experiencing the same, particularly in Europe, while even others have seen far worse. Many Ideas are bandied about, most misguided, some just flat out wrong and morally unjustifiable while meanwhile around the world the layman continues to work with innovation, integrity, and pride within the basis of systems which are either completely new and innovative or thousands of years old and tested by time, never being heard or seen because they are not in a position of power to make such projects profitable for a corporation or government, often frowned upon because these innovative men and women don’t have the “required education” to be any more than a nobody in the eyes of the power brokers. While those of us who stand alone can prove a point, together we are and army and with the power to change our reality and purge our system of the evil which is infecting it.

Agriculture is but one small area, but a very important one to start with, for without food, ideas, culture, spirituality and niche roles cannot be realized.


The saving and trading of seed is paramount to sustainable agriculture and keeps many small farms afloat in a time of turmoil the world over. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the world and the responsible inhabitants therein are raped we must stand up to those who would subdue us and cut the metaphorical throat of their bonds; materialistic desire and the cash flow which keeps their blood pumping. The unnecessary transition of material wealth coming annually from the poor to the rich in exchange for the privilege for one to grow their own garden and eat their own food without the option of saving seed is not only an insane idea but completely unprecedented in the annals of history

I am making a stand and a call that all of those responsible farmers and gardeners not only do what they can find it in themselves to do to be more environmentally responsible, but to also make it a point to show big agriculture and petrol business as well as our own governments that we are tired of being pushed around. Just like in the Victory garden campaigns of world war one and two, I call for you, the backbone of America to become more responsible in you use and treatment of the land and it’s resources as well as flying the flag of your independence in the face of those who would otherwise tread on you. False patriotism and alignments with ones own prideful sense of country will do nothing to help further these ideas, indeed they are the very reasons these ides are never cultured or seen to fruition.


It is time to implement green graffiti techniques, planting in public spaces for the good of the environment and the people, in a way that will leave you anonymous but also give you great pride. It is time to start implementing breeding projects which will give us our seed back by effectively saving, selecting and growing out F1 hybrid seeds or by using PVP type open pollinated seeds in new breeding experiments and distributing them world wide.

It is time to start the lobbying against the era of artificial genetic modification and to tell the Monsanto’s and governments of the world that we will not allow it; not here, not now, not ever. It is time to start making gardening more about feeding the earth and the family and less about feeding the rich; it is also time to make agriculture more spiritual and less mechanical.

It too is time to work harder than ever on and with a system of black market trading of seeds and the distribution thereof around the world, finding nooks and crannies into which much seed and plants can be exchanged with cultures around the world, further strengthening our bonds as responsible agricultural stewards and also as a human worldwide family working for the good of our mother, our environments, our nutrition, and our very soul and spirits. It is time to ensure genetic variability and bio-diversity while also working within regional and local agricultural systems and with the world at large. There are no boundaries other than those drawn on maps by men who set in underserved places of power! Internet technology makes this easier than ever before and should be utilized at every opportunity.

It is time to build bridges between the communities of the world and find our common ground, to work with innovative new ideas that will help solve modern dilemmas by way of forgotten technology or new options that are “Eco-Logically” sound.

It is time to encourage the youth of the world to become involved, to utilize local and regional resources to take back the land and farm the land that is too quickly being covered with low rent housing, build on flood plains and prone to disaster. Our misuse of resources, our laziness, our placidity, and the uninformed opinions of journalists who have never touched soil are slowly eroding not only our agriculture, but our very spirit and culture. The very “ terroir” of our lands has been raped and pillaged by power brokers for too long now. Pick up the shovel and put down the video games, experience reality as you never have! The youth are the key, if only they will realize what true knowledge and culture means.

Much work has been done by many dedicated people at our Homegrown Goodness site (http://Alan bishop.proboards60.com) to work with diverse peoples, cultures and farming systems around the world to distribute and obtain seed which at times and in certain countries it is illegal export or import for fears that are solely corporately related. It is time that we all come together and shake hands, exchange culture, ideas, knowledge and seeds.

I too believe that it is time that we educate those who would otherwise not understand our passion, our beliefs and the facts about natural sustainable gardening, while instead of fighting those who would subdue us and who would otherwise become our adversaries. we shall instead prove deeply our point with sound research, observation, and hard impassioned work; sometimes one cannot wait for a door to open and instead has to kick the door down!


More to come in part two; “Bio-fuels, local agrarian living, practicing simplicity and humility, and working towards sustainable living!”