Backstory
Back in the Middle of February I ordered Cherokee Purple Tomato seeds and Corn Maiz Morado or Kulli Corn seeds. Well, I never received that order and re-ordered them on the 8th of March. Lo and behold here they are!
Why Are They Important?
There are several reasons, I would say the corn has more of a significant role and many purposes during and after growing. First, This corn variety grows considerably tall and this little detail will help me grow another seed variety this year that I grew last year. I'm talking about the Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean. Last Year I grew 3 plants successfully and saved a good amount of seed. I bought bamboo sticks and made a make-shift trellis of sorts. Now that I have a lot of seed for this year I would like to grow more than 3 plants and actually be able to enjoy eating said bean and not have to worry about growing just for seed. So instead of buying bamboo stalks and putting them together I just plant the seed and a stalk will be available. Less work, save time, save money.
Second, corn and beans are great companion plants. The corn provides as stated previously, a place for the bean vine to grow up upon, co currently the bean plants are great at taking nitrogen from the air and putting it back into the soil which the corn plants can utilize in growing and producing ears.
Lastly, This particular variety of corn has special attributes and characteristics not found to the same extent or at all in other varieties. This Morado/Kulli corn is considered to be an ancient variety that originated in Peru. It is one of the darkest known variety being a dark blue-purple nearly black color. Why is this well it has the highest amount of what is called anthocyanins which is a flavanoid pigment. It is supposed to be very nutritious and high in antioxidants. It can be enjoyed in many forms. If picked early it can be eaten as a sweet corn. It can be grounded into a flour if let to mature, But probably the most unique use is brewing it into a highly reserved drink known as chicha morado. This consist of the purple corn juice, cinnamon, clove and pineapple. The dye that is produced from this corn can be used to dye cloth and fabrics so in an way it even has a textile use.
Now for the Cherokee Purple tomatoes, I heard they were good and wanted to try them so I bought the seeds. The end.