corn harvesting

so you have grown some field corn and it is now time to harvest it

if at all possible wait till the plant is dry,
if you have to harvest wet, then pull the entire plant and let it dry somewhere safe,
but you could dry fresh eating corn and get workable seeds from it, just not ideal, so don't go nuts trying to harvest it perfect if you have other conditions limiting it (like it will rain on your harvest)

first thing to do is snap the cob off the plant
then pull the husk back
like all theses

the husks wick the water away and it all dries faster that way, so don't take the husks off the cobs
it is well worth your time to dry the corn before you try to shell it and store it. (harder to do it later)

but you want to end up with kernels, and not cobs..

you will only shell the corn one year by hand, it is painful by hand for any amount,
the second year you will get some device to help you,
there are simple hand tools that are just a circle with something jutting out to the inside to knock the kernels off, you just put the cob in it while spinning it and it strips them all off,
here is a cute one, but I sure would not make it quite that way,
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-corn-sheller/
I would use a board with a hole cut in it and have bolts stick into the center (super cheep to build)
you can buy them cheep (and fancy)
http://www.agrisupply.com/hand-corn-sheller/p/55261/
never ordered from these people..

and then there are hand crank ones (here is mine) and they are super fast

 and here is where I got it.
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/corn_sheller_hand_operated_crank_manual_antique_walnut_stationary.aspx

and you can end up with a bucket full of corn (ok, this one is mostly empty, but it is 2 years old (white mohave corn in case you are wondering))

now you are left with the problem of what to do with it...  have never seen anyone use it in this form.
likely you will be wanting a grain mill if you want to make corn bread or polenta,
there are many out there,
I have the Country Living Grain Mill and it is fantastic, just get the bean auger with it for corn.
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/country_living_mill.aspx
but it is a bit pricey and there are many others out there that will do plenty well enough for making corn meal at a way lower price.
if you are making corn tortillas you do not need a grain mill, you need a wet mill
or hominy, you need nothing more.

and when you are waiting for your grain mill to get shipped you will have to store your corn,
or when you are just storing your corn for later use (grind corn fresh for best results)
grains usually store well when they are less than 10% moisture
and you test for moisture by taking a sample of your grain (yes this works for any grain),
you want that sample in a jar with a lid so the water does not get out when testing,
get the sample from the middle of your stored corn,
weigh your sample in the jar,
then take the corn out and put it thin on a cookie sheet and bake it at about 250F for an hour or so to dry it out totally, put it back in the jar fast ish
then you weigh it again.
and at some point weigh your jar with your lid
you then subtract your jar and lid from your 2 sample weights,
then take the jar subtracted cooked weight (this is your dry grain weight) and subtract your wet grain weight to get the water weight that was in it.
then divide the water weight and the dry grain weight to get your percentage
(I am sure someone else out there does a better job at telling you how to do that)


now for kitties playing monday morning (3min.), and yes this makes it an exciting day here.