Canadian White Corn (Zea mays)
Antoine D'Avignon was passionate about heirloom vegetables. A pioneer in Quebec in the preservation of heritage seeds, he harvested, cultivated and shared several varieties which, today, would have been forgotten without him. For example, Louis-Marie's Crotte d'ours potato, Ice Grow tomato (from Suzanne Bourgeois), Huron wheat, and... this corn. he appeals to all Quebec corn that our grandmothers grew no longer exists. No one grows flour corn anymore. After the interview, a lady telephoned the radio station to say that she had in her possession seeds of flour corn that had been grown in her family for ages.<!--more-->And so it is that she shared with Antoine her precious treasure. Then that summer, Antoine talked about it to his friend, Mme France Bouffard, who asked him to give her some seeds. Hesitating, because he has very few, he ends up leaving him 6 seeds. She cultivates and multiplies them, then makes flour for her pancakes. The story could have ended like this, but it was without counting on the early death of Antoine, who took with him the story of corn. More recently, Mrs. Bouffard contacted me, who then worked at Semences du patrimoine . We speak. She tackles the corn, then sends it to me by post. Having had a good first harvest, we can therefore offer it to you in turn. To top it all off, Antoine had given the seeds to another of his friends, René Paquet, who has kept the corn husk to this day. And on the envelope, a name. Anita Fournier, from Nicolet. We are looking for this lady (probably deceased today) or her descendants. Please let us know if you know it. Note that some of the seeds have been sent to Seeds of Diversity for preservation. Hoping that you too will contribute to adding a new chapter to the story. Send us photos of your Canadian White Corn and we'll share them.
Plant type: Annual |
Quantity: Envelope of about 40 seeds |
Exposure: Full sun |
Shape: Erected |
Soil: Rich |
Watering: None |
Sowing: Directly in the garden |
Days to maturity: 85 to 95 days |
Germination: 5 to 10 days |
Plant spacing: 25 cm |
Row spacing: 40 cm |
Depth: 2 cm to 3 cm |
Width: 30 cm |
Height: 1,5 m |
Color: blanc |
Family: Poaceae |
Flour corn cultivated in Quebec for several generations.