From Susan S. Lang, originally posted on The Essentials, a daily blog from the staff of the Cornell Chronicle. (Slightly edited.)
Everything you wanted to know about Iroquois corn but didn’t know to ask is available in the new book, Iroquois Corn: Its History, Cultivation and Use from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service.
The book is written by Jane Mt. Pleasant, associate professor of horticulture and former director of the American Indian Program at Cornell. The 59-page treatise, with 19 illustrations, focuses on the traditional, open-pollinated Iroquois varieties of corn similar to the varieties European colonizers found when they first landed in North America and that are still cultivated today.
The book explores the importance of corn to Iroquois and North American history and culture; the botany of corn and corn types; and planting and preparing corn.
NRAES is currently accepting pre-printing bulk orders of 20 or more copies. Single copy sales will likely begin in December.