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Flour Corn Advice

 
Tori Escobar
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Hi!
I have planted a few varieties of flour corn this year in my homestead garden. I’ve noticed that the plants have started to dry out and turn brown.
I am not sure when to harvest husks and hang?
Has anyone advice on this type of corn?
 
Christopher Weeks
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Hi Tori, it might be valuable to tell us about your general location or climate, so we can judge whether our experience is applicable. My field corn hasn't started forming any visible ears yet and it's always a (failing) race to get them field-dried before snow starts to fall, so I can tell that I'm in a different boat than you are, but it doesn't narrow down what kind of conditions you're likely to be dealing with very much.
 
Tori Escobar
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Christopher Weeks wrote:Hi Tori, it might be valuable to tell us about your general location or climate, so we can judge whether our experience is applicable. My field corn hasn't started forming any visible ears yet and it's always a (failing) race to get them field-dried before snow starts to fall, so I can tell that I'm in a different boat than you are, but it doesn't narrow down what kind of conditions you're likely to be dealing with very much.



Good point! Our climates are vastly different. I am in southeast Oklahoma and I have a pretty long growing season. I planted the corn first of May. I have ears where the husks are already turning brown and dry. I just didn’t want to harvest them to early but they look like they’re done growing for sure. How long do they need to dry on the stalk?
 
Thom Bri
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Pick a few and peel back the leaves. Dig into the seeds with a fingernail.

Is it milky? Too soon if your goal is dry corn to mill.
Is it soft but not milky? Mmm, you can harvest, but you'll have to dry it more somehow. Or it will mold.
Is it too hard to dent with a fingernail? Okay to pick. But even so you should hang it loosely to completely dry.

But it's Okay to leave it longer, until the husks are fully dry. It can help to bend the ears down so the tips point down on the stalk. They will shed rain and dew better and dry faster and mold less. Around here farmers often leave it in the field until long after the snow flies, and pick it when the ground is frozen. Not ideal, but it works, can get bird and insect damage leading to mold if left too long.
 
Tori Escobar
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Thom Bri wrote:Pick a few and peel back the leaves. Dig into the seeds with a fingernail.

Is it milky? Too soon if your goal is dry corn to mill.
Is it soft but not milky? Mmm, you can harvest, but you'll have to dry it more somehow. Or it will mold.
Is it too hard to dent with a fingernail? Okay to pick. But even so you should hang it loosely to completely dry.

But it's Okay to leave it longer, until the husks are fully dry. It can help to bend the ears down so the tips point down on the stalk. They will shed rain and dew better and dry faster and mold less. Around here farmers often leave it in the field until long after the snow flies, and pick it when the ground is frozen. Not ideal, but it works, can get bird and insect damage leading to mold if left too long.



Okay, thank you so much for this description!
That is so helpful!
After picking, can I hang them inside the house to avoid further pest damage and to dry further?
 
Mark Reed
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If the husks are drying and turning brown the kernels are likely fully mature and at least beginning to dry themselves. At this point they are ready for harvest and can be finished drying inside, hanging under a porch or in a shed, on or off the stalk.  My personal preference would be to leave them in the field until 100% dry because I think that is the most natural way and I like the natural way when I have a choice.

In my climate though, I don't often have that choice as I have too many animal pests, especially squirrels and also especially with flour corn it can be subject to mold if a humid, rainy period hits on partially dried cobs. Because of that I sometimes pull up the whole stalk while there is still some green in the husks and hang it upside down inside to finish.

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Tori Escobar
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Mark Reed wrote:
In my climate though, I don't often have that choice as I have too many animal pests, especially squirrels and also especially with flour corn it can be subject to mold if a humid, rainy period hits on partially dried cobs. Because of that I sometimes pull up the whole stalk while there is still some green in the husks and hang it upside down inside to finish.


Thanks Mark!
I am also in a humid, semi rainy climate and so I think I will go ahead and gather the partially dried out ones to hang as you suggested. I’ve harvested several that are starting to mould and have succumb to black little beetles.
I appreciate your help!
 
Thom Bri
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Tori Escobar wrote:

Thom Bri wrote:
After picking, can I hang them inside the house to avoid further pest damage and to dry further?



Yes, you can hang it in the house or garage. There are some insects that can damage corn after harvest, so the quicker it gets dry and hard, the better. After my corn is dry I put it in the freezer at least a week to kill weevils.

Drying fast also prevents molds, some of which are poisonous. If an ear gets moldy, it's best to simply toss it.

 
Tori Escobar
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Yes, you can hang it in the house or garage. There are some insects that can damage corn after harvest, so the quicker it gets dry and hard, the better. After my corn is dry I put it in the freezer at least a week to kill weevils.

Drying fast also prevents molds, some of which are poisonous. If an ear gets moldy, it's best to simply toss it.

Okay, excellent! I will definitely place them in the freezer then. I suppose they are ready for use when they’re hard as a rock?
Do you store yours on the cob or just as kernels?
 
Thom Bri
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Tori Escobar wrote:


Okay, excellent! I will definitely place them in the freezer then. I suppose they are ready for use when they’re hard as a rock?
Do you store yours on the cob or just as kernels?

I used to store them on the cob, but the last 2 years had too many weevils, so last fall I shelled it all as fast as I could and put it in the freezer. Then stored it in a plastic container which seems to keep the bugs out. But I still see weevils crawling around in the garage, so plan to do the same this fall.
 
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