mandan corn

larson1951

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Apr 8, 2009
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we got our hands on some real heirloom mandan indian "Bride Corn" seeds
planted them this spring and a few are starting to mature and show the colors
this is a nutricious corn used by the mandans and does well with organic fertilizer
it is used as decorative corn now days since the new generation sweet corn is so much better
these were planted with a fish or two buried with..the fish were freshwater drum (sheephead, which is the fish that pearls are found in the head by the 'ear ' area)....or
maybe largemouth and smallmouth buffalo fish....since none of the latter were very good eating since they had catfish, walleye, sauger, sturgeon etc for eating.
....and i might add they had plenty of food, (fish, meat, and garden produce)
this corn was planted with the fish and also squash was planted every few plants which covered the ground and helps choke the weeds...
...in addition a few beans were planted in each corn mound so the beans would climb the corn stalks.
the mandan beans were what we now still buy at the grocery store....Great Northern Beans, which is a prolific variety that came from the mandans
the seeds were reproduced by George Will who had seed a house in ND and also studied the mandan culture as did Ernst Steinbrueck
i realize this post is out of place but considering the time of year and the mandan culture i hope it is OK with everybody

this is it: IMG_1695.jpgIMG_1696.jpg
 

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unclemac said:
great northern s are the only beans my father would eat....with a ham hock and cornbread...dry cornbread, none of that sweet soft stuff. Mama used to grow Indian corn for us in the summer....I remember it being lots of reds of speckled.

Sounds like a good meal to me. Red speckled corn bread, sounds heavenly to me!
 

it ends up that it is good tasting and makes great corn flour
gotta pick the last of it tomorrow
can't wait to see the rest of the colors
 

That all black ear looks unique. Probably not that common? :icon_thumleft:
 

How Amazing! I feel like moving to North Dakota!!! You are finding such awesome artifacts and to find charred corn cobs! What kind of soil do you have that they don't disintegrate in the ground?
 

How Amazing! I feel like moving to North Dakota!!! You are finding such awesome artifacts and to find charred corn cobs! What kind of soil do you have that they don't disintegrate in the ground?

it is river bottom soil
by the missouri river
 

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