Ryan Burkitt

Thom Bri wrote:Looks good!
I have a lot of ears showing the same damage to the tips as in your pic. I either break the tip off or if the damage is small pry out those seeds. Don't want to let mold ruin the whole ear. My early picked corn has a lot less of the worm damage, but the later picked has more.
Do you plan to make flour?

Looking at making mostly grits and regular flour. But a small portion will be masa flour. Did masa flour last year and it was pretty close to making tortillas.

Timothy Norton wrote:That looks awesome!

I snuck a peak at one of my ears and it isn't quite ready yet. I can't wait to see

To be honest it wasn’t quite ready, but the husk was brown so I picked just see how they were doing. Probably wait til end of September to pick the rest.

Deedee Dezso wrote:Bloody butcher is one of the varieties I'd like to grow. However,  I'm in an uphill battle to grow anything. Here's a portion of that story...

Having recently moved to western West Virginia from Southern California has been an eye-opener.  We are located at the top of the hills here, and it seems its all clay just below the surface up top. I've asked a few farmers in the hollars (bottoms) if they are on clay. Nope. I'm jealous but challenged.

In the pursuit of corn growing, I see many only planting a row or possibly 2. I've always been instructed that corn requires block planting; multiple rows close together (plants 6-8 inches and rows 12-18 inches) because it's a wind pollinated plant. With only 1-2 rows, the wind might only pollinate the row "downwind".

I'm working towards growing grain crops on my clay. I'm of the opinion that I need dump truck loads of wood chips, straw, & manure across even just 1 small field to achieve this. I've signed up with chip drop but nothing has come of it. I recently inquired of a hay farmer if the giant round bales I see sitting in the rain are trashed that I might get some for this endeavor. I was told they are still good for use. So I keep my eyes open for bulk materials.
Maybe one day before I die or become too decrepit ill get to grow corn.

Apparently if you get the soil biology right it should break up the clay for you, but I think you’re on the right track with using organic matter. Have you tried hot compost or Johnson Sue?

Best success so far growing bloody butcher maize. Still waiting on other cobs to mature. Only problems I had were cutworms and corn smut, other than that pretty resilient variety. Impressed with the size of cobs too!

Eileen McCabe wrote:In greater Seattle, curly or bitter dock are abundant. I have heard of harvesting the seeds for flour. Has anyone done this? How have you separated the seed from the brown papery covering?

That’s a tough one, I too would like to know how this is done. All the videos I watch the chaff is Grinded up with seeds and eaten that way.

For the longest time I’ve thought about selling dried grains and flour for human consumption. Either at farmer’s markets or a at home store. However, I realize it’s not as simple as selling produce, because there are cottage laws and regulations for farming, storing, and processing grains. I’m wondering if anyone has tried it. Is it possible to do at small scale from home? And how do I research regulations and equipment that can be used legally?

John C Daley wrote:From Quora
"Salmonella: One of the primary concerns with backyard eggs is the risk of Salmonella contamination.
Chickens can carry Salmonella bacteria, which can be transmitted to the eggs.
To reduce this risk:
- Ensure chickens are healthy and vaccinated if possible.
- Collect eggs frequently and store them properly.
- Wash hands and surfaces after handling eggs.

Egg Quality: Backyard chickens may not always lay eggs that meet commercial quality standards.
Factors like diet, stress, and environmental conditions can affect egg quality.
Ensure that chickens are fed a balanced diet and kept in a clean, stress-free environment."

Also issues like dirty straw and mud everywhere can be an issue.

I feel like I’m pretty good about changing their bedding. I also rinse the eggs throughly before cooking, always wash my hands, and I over cook the eggs. But there could be other
possibilities I’m overlooking. How often does one change the bedding.

Phil Stevens wrote:My ex had this problem and had to go off chicken eggs for a while. We discovered that if we stuck to whole grain feed mixes from certain suppliers that she didn't have trouble and finally decided it might have been the maize that some mills were using.

Maize has never been a problem for me, but wheat has, but one thing I forgot is sometimes soy bothers me.