'Bear Island' Flint Corn (Zea mays)

Very old, rare multipurpose flint corn of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Nation in the upper Midwest. 8-10 ft. tall stalks are strong and highly-productive with little lodging on our farm. Multi-colored ears of yellow, red, white, pink, blue and striped kernels are beautiful and make a delicious cornmeal when ground for flour. We consider this a "no waste" variety and an excellent use of available land -- ears make good fresh corn on the cob in the milk stage; supple green outer husks are good for tamales; mature stalks are excellent for fall decoration or chopped as mulch for weed suppression or mushroom substrate. Here we mulch our Bear Island Flint Corn with straw, undersow with Ojibwe or Potawatomi beans, and inoculate it all with winecap mushrooms (Stropharia rugosoannulata) for reliably productive, sustainable, and multi-functional yields from the same beds. Planting depth: 1.5 - 2 in. Plant spacing: 12 in. (1 ft.) Row spacing: 2 ft. Plant height: 8-10 ft. Days to maturity: 85-95 To impr