It's ALMOST here! #harvest2016, #fall2016 or as "Kernel Free Day" says #themostwonderfultimeoftheyear! We're literally days or even hours away.
Popping Ears
We planted our popcorn babies in May... and now at the end of September and the cusp of October, our popcorn babies are all grown up and almost ready for harvest.
We've done some preliminary handpicking of Popping Ears to see how this year's crop is looking. Early pickings reveal some pretty ears. We're pretty excited about how they turned out.
In addition to the yellow Popping Ears (far left in the picture) we had last year, we're excited to add a harvest of white Popping Ears (far right). In addition to these two varieties, Nate experimented with cross pollinating the yellow and white popcorn. We ended up with this beautiful ear we've affectionately called "Peaches and Cream" (center). Each one is a different mix of yellow and white popcorn kernels. The kernels resemble the white popcorn in shape, with some distinctly white in color. While the yellow kernels are a paler yellow than their yellow popcorn brothers. We like to think of it as a pretty resemblance to both of their 'folks'.
While trying to prepare for harvest and quality checking the popcorn, we of course had to do a test pop of our new white Popping Ears. This job is tough, I tell ya! Look how pretty the white popcorn popped off the ear! The moisture on the Popping Ear is approximately 13.5% which is perfect for popping! We couldn't be more pleased with how the white Popping Ears turned out and are hopeful they will be a crowd pleaser!
Not to be left out, we did a test pop on our Peaches & Cream mixed ear of yellow and white kernels. He's not quite ready to meet his public yet:
Notice how the kernels have mostly all popped and stayed on the ear. The moisture for this guy is a little too high yet! Have no fear, he just needs a little more time to dry out a bit and he'll be popping off the ear in no time. With several 90 degree days this past week, it won't be long!
Nate and his dad have found a way to mechanize some of the labor intensive process of picking our Popping Ears. Our hands and backs are very grateful! This will make the picking process go much faster - and allow us to get our Popping Ears in our online store and local pumpkin patches, grocery and gift shops that much sooner!
Stay tuned. We'll keep you updated as #harvest2016 continues. Subscribe to our website or follow us on facebook to know when 2016 Popping Ears hit the online store!