The story of Glass Gem corn begins with an Oklahoma farmer named Carl Barnes. Carl was half-Cherokee and began growing older corn varieties as a way to reconnect with his heritage.
In growing these older corn varieties, Carl was able to isolate ancestral types that had been lost to Native American tribes when they were relocated to what is now Oklahoma in the 1800s.
At the same time, Barnes began selecting, saving, and replanting seeds from particularly colorful cobs.
Over time, this resulted in rainbow-colored corn. It's beautiful, isn't it?
There's even a FACEBOOK PAGE devoted to people who grow it!