My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx

or

http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n

He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm guessing
it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in, milk,
salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.

I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking for
a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from the
Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
information.

(Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've all
had that experience!)

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
> Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
> during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he
>
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>
> He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
> ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm guessing
> it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in, milk,
> salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.
>
> I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking for
> a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from the
> Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
> information.
>
> (Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've all
> had that experience!)
>
> Jill

I am not from that area, but I have a friend who is and she has a recipe
her mother used to make to illustrate what they ate during the depression.

Flour was toasted brown in a heavy skillet. Once it was dark but not
yet burned, lard was added, cooked in, and then off the flame milk was
slowly stirred in. Returned to flame and cooked gently for a bit. Salt
and lots of pepper was all the seasoning at the end. Apparently the
browning gave it the effect of meat gravy. It was eaten with or over
anything they had.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
>Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
>during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he
>
>http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>
>or
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>
>He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
>ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm guessing
>it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in, milk,
>salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.
>
>I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking for
>a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from the
>Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
>information.
>
>(Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've all
>had that experience!)
>
I Googled parched corn recipe.... it sounds dry to me. Recipe
narratives mention popcorn in the same sentence. Not sure where his
gravy came from.

Here's what one blog says:
"Tastes nothing like the Planters corn nuts. My husband says that
these crack instead of crunch, and mine taste like corn with some
salt. Well, that is what they are. I didn't expect that my first
non-burning of said corn snack was going to be perfect. They are not
bad, but not what I would encourage my friends to eat. They do have
that same jaw soreness that the store bought corn nuts induce."

--
See return address to reply by email

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
>> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched
>> Corn. Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
>> Pennsylvania) during the Depression. Information on Parching corn
>> he
>>
>>
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>>
>> or
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>>
>> He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
>> ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm
>> guessing it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour
>> stirred in, milk, salt & pepper. It was most definitely something
>> very inexpensive.
>>
>> I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's
>> looking for a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is
>> anyone here from the Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this?
>> Thanks in advance for any information.
>>
>> (Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers;
>> we've all had that experience!)
>>
> I Googled parched corn recipe.... it sounds dry to me. Recipe
> narratives mention popcorn in the same sentence. Not sure where his
> gravy came from.
>
> Here's what one blog says:
> "Tastes nothing like the Planters corn nuts. My husband says that
> these crack instead of crunch, and mine taste like corn with some
> salt. Well, that is what they are. I didn't expect that my first
> non-burning of said corn snack was going to be perfect. They are not
> bad, but not what I would encourage my friends to eat. They do have
> that same jaw soreness that the store bought corn nuts induce."

I don't think this was anything like Corn Nuts (the snack). I love those
things but I sure wouldn't consider putting gravy of any kind on toasted
Corn Nuts!

jmcquown wrote:
>
> sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched
> >> Corn. Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
> >> Pennsylvania) during the Depression. Information on Parching corn
> >> he
> >>
> >>
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
> >>
> >> or
> >>
> >> http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
> >>
> >> He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
> >> ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm
> >> guessing it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour
> >> stirred in, milk, salt & pepper. It was most definitely something
> >> very inexpensive.
> >>
> >> I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's
> >> looking for a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is
> >> anyone here from the Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this?
> >> Thanks in advance for any information.
> >>
> >> (Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers;
> >> we've all had that experience!)
> >>
> > I Googled parched corn recipe.... it sounds dry to me. Recipe
> > narratives mention popcorn in the same sentence. Not sure where his
> > gravy came from.
> >
> > Here's what one blog says:
> > "Tastes nothing like the Planters corn nuts. My husband says that
> > these crack instead of crunch, and mine taste like corn with some
> > salt. Well, that is what they are. I didn't expect that my first
> > non-burning of said corn snack was going to be perfect. They are not
> > bad, but not what I would encourage my friends to eat. They do have
> > that same jaw soreness that the store bought corn nuts induce."
>
> I don't think this was anything like Corn Nuts (the snack). I love those
> things but I sure wouldn't consider putting gravy of any kind on toasted
> Corn Nuts!

I wondered about that too regarding corn nuts. I like them a lot as
well, although spouse doesn't due to the odor -- too much like Fritos I
suppose. Anywho, I agree -- gravy and corn nuts a pair do not make!

Sky

l, not -l wrote:
> On 17-Jun-2007, sf wrote:
>
>> I Googled parched corn recipe.... it sounds dry to me. Recipe
>> narratives mention popcorn in the same sentence. Not sure where his
>> gravy came from.
>>
>> Here's what one blog says:
>> "Tastes nothing like the Planters corn nuts. My husband says that
>> these crack instead of crunch, and mine taste like corn with some
>> salt. Well, that is what they are. I didn't expect that my first
>> non-burning of said corn snack was going to be perfect. They are not
>> bad, but not what I would encourage my friends to eat. They do have
>> that same jaw soreness that the store bought corn nuts induce."
>
> GladCorn http://www.gladcorn.com/ is a commercial product that is a
> close cousin, if not the same thing, as parched corn.
>
> My mother, age 85, who was born and lived much of her life in rural
> Kentucky, enjoyed a trip down memory lane when I bought her a bag of
> GladCorn. She said, when she was a child, they made parched corn in
> a cast iron skillet from field corn kernals - the hard (dent) corn,
> not soft, sweet corn.

Dad did call it "parched field corn" but that's normally used as livestock
feed. Of course during the depression that may be all they had. He didn't
mention it being crunchy.

They ate it as a treat, much as we would eat
> popcorn today. Often it was available after harvest, when families
> would walk through fields picking up the ears of corn missed by the
> mechanical reapers (called gleaning) I recall gleaning my
> grandfather's corn field as a child, in the early-to-mid fifties.
>
> Who knows what a poor family might do for a meal; if parched corn was
> all that was available to fill you up, you might make a little gravy
> to stretch it or make it a bit easier to swallow as a main course.
> Of course, in the alternative, the fellow who'd like to have some
> might just be confused - I do know a lot of folks who ate at hominy
> smothered in gravy.

I'm pretty sure this wasn't hominy but then again who knows what his
grandmother called "hominy".

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
> Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
> Pennsylvania)
> during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he
>
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>
> He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
> ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm
> guessing
> it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in,
> milk,
> salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.
>
> I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking
> for
> a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from
> the
> Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
> information.
>
> (Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've
> all
> had that experience!)
>
> Jill
Jill,
Did you check your Fru Gourmet book on American cooking? Perhaps there's
something there. I know that I saw or read something about parched corn
within the last year but it is teasing at my mind. . .I can't remember the
reference. If a light goes on in my brain attic, I'll email you.
Janet

jmcquown wrote:
> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
> Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
> during the Depression.

Does this look like it might be what he's talking about?
http://www.copefoods.com/

I bought a box of John Cope's Toasted Dried Sweet Corn in the gift
shop of a rural restaurant at the intersection of MD/PA/WV at the
beginning of this year. My friend and I ate there and had gotten
whatever the corn special was. It was a regional specialty, so I
bought the corn on impulse. There are a few recipes on the box and
some on the web site.
If you want the box I've got, email me with an address and I'll send
it to you. I imagine this is one of those impulse purchases that will
sit in my pantry for years, until I'm not sure it's good anymore.

BTW, the corn dish at the restaurant was okay, but I can't recall it
well enough to describe it. It was not like any creamed or stewed
corn I'd had before. I suspect it might be the kind of old time
specialty your father is thinking of. That's the kind of restaurant
it was, anyway--my friend and I are well into our 40s and were the
youngest customers there;-)

I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant.

pat

Cryambers wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched
>> Corn. Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
>> Pennsylvania) during the Depression.
>
> Does this look like it might be what he's talking about?
> http://www.copefoods.com/
>
> I bought a box of John Cope's Toasted Dried Sweet Corn in the gift
> shop of a rural restaurant at the intersection of MD/PA/WV at the
> beginning of this year. My friend and I ate there and had gotten
> whatever the corn special was. It was a regional specialty, so I
> bought the corn on impulse. There are a few recipes on the box and
> some on the web site.
> If you want the box I've got, email me with an address and I'll send
> it to you. I imagine this is one of those impulse purchases that will
> sit in my pantry for years, until I'm not sure it's good anymore.
>
> BTW, the corn dish at the restaurant was okay, but I can't recall it
> well enough to describe it. It was not like any creamed or stewed
> corn I'd had before. I suspect it might be the kind of old time
> specialty your father is thinking of. That's the kind of restaurant
> it was, anyway--my friend and I are well into our 40s and were the
> youngest customers there;-)
>
> I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant.
>
> pat

You know, that might be very much like what he's talking about, although his
grandmother "parched" the corn herself!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
> Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
> during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he
>
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>
> He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
> ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm guessing
> it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in, milk,
> salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.
>
> I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking for
> a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from the
> Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
> information.
>
> (Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've all
> had that experience!)
>
> Jill
>
>


Jill,

My Grandma use to make parched corn when I was young. She would take
corn and cut it off the cob and lay it out on a screen and let it dry
out in the sun, then when dried she would put the corn in jars for later.

When she was ready to use it she would soak it in milk overnight then
drain it and fry it in lard and we would eat like that and sometimes she
would just cook it in the milk and it would be like a very chewy creamed
corn.

Either way it was extremely chewy.

Later,

BobSlo

On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched Corn.
>Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in Pennsylvania)
>during the Depression. Information on Parching corn he
>
>http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...loom-Corn.aspx
>
>or
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2hzj3n
>
>He said his grandma served it with some sort of gravy but the only
>ingredient he mentioned was lard. Given it was the Depression I'm guessing
>it was probably a white gravy with lard as the fat, flour stirred in, milk,
>salt & pepper. It was most definitely something very inexpensive.
>
>I gather (he wasn't really clear, but lately he rarely is) he's looking for
>a recipe to recreate this dish from his childhood. Is anyone here from the
>Pennsylvania/Ohio area familiar with this? Thanks in advance for any
>information.
>
>(Oh, and I suspect it won't be as great as he so fondly remembers; we've all
>had that experience!)
>
>Jill
>
We had this a lot. But the recipes probably varied depending on where
you lived. What my mother called parched corn was dried corn fried in
bacon grease. What she called fried corn was fresh corn cut off of the
cob and fried in bacon grease. Parched corn was crunchy, more like
cornnuts, fried corn was not. We often had fried corn served with
gravy. Gravy was a browned bacon grease and flour roux with milk added
and cooked til thickened. There was always a one pound coffee can of
bacon grease on the counter.

By the way. This was all made with field corn. Not sweet corn. Rural
farmers where I lived grew field corn for their cattle and hogs and
they ate the same corn. Sweet corn seed wasn't generally available
where we lived until after WWII. Sweet corn seeds were expensive and
there was a lot of extra labor and expense involved to grow it. You
grew field corn and you bought sweet corn at the store. Sweet corn was
always boiled or steamed and served on the cob. If you make parched
or fried corn with sweet corn you get something entirely different,
both in texture and taste, and it probably won't be like your dad
remembers. In the 1950s, when my uncle in Wabbaseka, Arkansas called
to say the fresh field corn was ready we went for a visit and came
back with enough to fill one freezer shelf. When he called a few
months later to say the dried field corn was ready we went for a visit
and came back with enough for several sacks of kernels and several
bags of meal, which my father ground himself. This would last most of
the winter.

raymond wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
>> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched
>> Corn. Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
>> Pennsylvania) during the Depression.
(snippage)

> By the way. This was all made with field corn. Not sweet corn. Rural
> farmers where I lived grew field corn for their cattle and hogs and
> they ate the same corn. Sweet corn seed wasn't generally available
> where we lived until after WWII. Sweet corn seeds were expensive and
> there was a lot of extra labor and expense involved to grow it. You
> grew field corn and you bought sweet corn at the store. Sweet corn was
> always boiled or steamed and served on the cob. If you make parched
> or fried corn with sweet corn you get something entirely different,
> both in texture and taste, and it probably won't be like your dad
> remembers. In the 1950s, when my uncle in Wabbaseka, Arkansas called
> to say the fresh field corn was ready we went for a visit and came
> back with enough to fill one freezer shelf. When he called a few
> months later to say the dried field corn was ready we went for a visit
> and came back with enough for several sacks of kernels and several
> bags of meal, which my father ground himself. This would last most of
> the winter.

Yes, Dad actually asked me about "parched field corn". Problem is, I have
no idea where he could actually buy field corn that isn't in a quantity to
feed livestock. Obviously he doesn't need that! He lives in South Carolina
now on one of the barrier islands. Not a lot of livestock down there
Thanks for the information!

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> raymond wrote:
>> On Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:56:57 -0500, "jmcquown"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> My dad asked to "get on the computer and ask whoever" about Parched
>>> Corn. Apparently this is something his grandmother made for them (in
>>> Pennsylvania) during the Depression.
> (snippage)
>
>> By the way. This was all made with field corn. Not sweet corn. Rural
>> farmers where I lived grew field corn for their cattle and hogs and
>> they ate the same corn. Sweet corn seed wasn't generally available
>> where we lived until after WWII. Sweet corn seeds were expensive and
>> there was a lot of extra labor and expense involved to grow it. You
>> grew field corn and you bought sweet corn at the store. Sweet corn was
>> always boiled or steamed and served on the cob. If you make parched
>> or fried corn with sweet corn you get something entirely different,
>> both in texture and taste, and it probably won't be like your dad
>> remembers. In the 1950s, when my uncle in Wabbaseka, Arkansas called
>> to say the fresh field corn was ready we went for a visit and came
>> back with enough to fill one freezer shelf. When he called a few
>> months later to say the dried field corn was ready we went for a visit
>> and came back with enough for several sacks of kernels and several
>> bags of meal, which my father ground himself. This would last most of
>> the winter.
>
> Yes, Dad actually asked me about "parched field corn". Problem is, I have
> no idea where he could actually buy field corn that isn't in a quantity to
> feed livestock. Obviously he doesn't need that! He lives in South
> Carolina
> now on one of the barrier islands. Not a lot of livestock down there
> Thanks for the information!
>
>
Jill, I've seen dried corn kernels in the Mexican / International section of
one of the supermarkets down here. I misremember which one, I'll keep an eye
out. Did you check the Melissas.com website?
http://www.melissas.com/search/index...H&ACT=DoSearch They have
a bag of roasted sweet corn. Probably a cornnuts sort of thing.
Edrena