Magic Manna
Crop: Corn (Zea mays)
Breeder: Carol Deppe Fertile Valley Seeds
OSSI Pledge Date: January 2015
Release Date: Before 2015
Bred for Organic Systems: Yes
Commercial Availability: Yes
Stability: Finished Variety
Description
85 days. Bred for organic systems. Sister** to other Manna varieties. Very early flour corn I bred from Painted Mountain that shares its earliness, vigor, and resilience. Selected for flavor and cooking characteristics. For parching, gravy, bread, sweet breads, pancakes, cookies, and cake. (Not for polenta.) Also a beautiful ornamental corn. Ears 8” long, 8-12 rows, on 5’ plants. Solid colored ears of three basic colors—deep-red/red/pink, brown/tan, or white/peach. All make great cornbread. The red/pink (only) are also great parching corns. The brown/tan ears (only) make great brown gravy and savory bread (without sugar). White/peach ears (with added sugar) have a distinctive pancake flavor and are great for pancakes, cakes, and cookies. You can use Magic Manna corn flour to make angel food cake using any angel food cake recipe. Likewise, just substitute the corn for wheat flour to make pancakes, adjusting water to get the right consistency in the batter. (I add the baking powder last, after I have added just enough water to get a batter of the desired consistency. If you mix baking powder into the dry ingredients, you can’t adjust the water amount easily.) To make bread or sweet breads, use the Universal Cornbread recipe in The Resilient Gardener. Magic Manna is described in detail in The Resilient Gardener along with recipes. Bred by Carol Deppe. Seed Saving information: Magic Manna has a white endosperm and a clear aleurone and is variable for pericarp (skin) color. Yellow and black kernels don’t belong in the variety. Very pure flour corn type. If any flinty, dent, or sweet kernels appear, cull the entire ear they are on. Ear row numbers between 8 and 12 are acceptable. All “Manna” varieties are sister* varieties and can be grown side by side in the same field. Just eat the edge row where another Manna variety is adjacent and save seed from the rest. A little gene flow between the different varieties in the Manna series is fine.
Source: https://www.caroldeppe.com/
Availability from OSSI Seed Company Partners
