by Connie Oswald Stofko
A reader once asked me if only Native Americans were allowed to grow white corn.
“It’s our traditional food, but anybody can grow it,” said Layfayette Williams, project assistant with the Food is Medicine Project of the Seneca Nation, which aims to improve people’s health through native plants and cultural initiatives.
You can learn more about growing white corn and braiding it for drying during a corn husking bee to be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in the USDA Building, 210 Thomas Indian School Extension Dr., Irving.
The event is long because you won’t just learn about braiding corn; you’re asked to help get the corn braided. The corn is braided to prepare it for drying, then the kernels are used in traditional corn soup and bread.
“A lot of our traditional knowledge has been lost,” Williams said. “We’d like to see people gardening and growing white corn.”
Corn bread and soup will be served at the bee.
Participants are asked to bring their own hand pruners.
For more information or to register, contact Lafayette Williams at lafayette.williams@sni.org or (716) 532-4900, ext. 5016.
I hope they provide the recipes for the corn bread and corn soup. Both are great season staples.