Huitlacoche: Corn Smut

Big scale farming has made huge efforts to do away with corn fungal infections.  They of course have very good reasons for doing this being parasitic fungi can devastate a crop.  Today, there are a number of corn varieties that are resistant to fungal infections.  Native Americans and even some Mexican farmers today, however viewed corn fungal infections much differently.  For these people, corn fungal infections are are a good thing and even encouraged.  Why?  Well, they view corn mushrooms as a delicacy.  Historically, certain varieties of corn were actually bred so they would be easily infected with the fungus.  Some Native Americans even scratch and infect corn purposely to produce the mushrooms.  I have grown many different varieties of corn over the years and old heirloom Native American varieties almost always are far more susceptible to to fungal infections than any other type of corn.  Both modern and pioneer hybrids and heirloom varieties are far less susceptible to fungal infections.  This is simply because of selective breeding.  Native Americans selectively bred varieties that favored infection while pioneers and modern farmers selectively breed corn so it won't be infected.

This corn fungus, or mushroom, is more commonly called corn smut.  In Mexico it is commonly called Huitlachoche.  Corn smut spores are carried to corn plants through wind blown dust and rainfall.  For this reason, even a fields separated many miles from one another can infect each other.  Corn smut also infects plants best at temperatures above 80 or so degrees.  Being I have grown corn both in the Midwest and the Southwest I have observed corn smut infections to be much more prolific in the Southwest, presumable because it is so much hotter there.  I have also observed that corn smut infections are most prolific during the months of July and August in the Southwest, again presumably because of the higher temperatures.  Typically, the individual grains of corn become infected with the fungus.  Any part of the corn plant can become infected though, as long as a spore finds its way into damaged tissue.  Once damaged tissue is infected, the fungus grows and causes a tan-gray swelling of the area, also known as a mushroom.  This mushroom will eventually produce spores which can infect other parts of the corn or other corn plants.

Today, eating corn smut is not extremely common.  Corn smut typically is reserved for gourmet restaurant menu's where it is called either corn mushroom or huitlacoche.  It can occasionally be found canned in grocery stores.  It is actually quite expensive costing anywhere between 10 to 20 dollars a pound.  I have eaten fresh corn mushrooms a number of times.  When I ate it fresh, as in less than a day old, it was very good.  It had a sort of corn-mushroom-earthy flavor to it.  When I ate it after sitting in the refrigerator for several days it was quite gross and tasted like dirt. If you want to try corn mushroom yourself the easiest way to find it is probably by buying it canned.  If you are patient, you could also try to grow it yourself.  Corn mushrooms are safe to eat if cooked, but never eat a similar looking mushroom if found on a different plant.  For example, smuts that grow on wheat are extremely toxic.

Goat Man

The hiker, left, that came across "Goat Man" in the remote mountains of Utah.  Pictures the hiker took of the "Goat Man", center and right.

Below I have copied an article from the AP where a hiker came across a man dressed as a goat in the Utah wilderness.  The man was following a heard of mountain goats with this rather weird tactic.  I would really like to know from the actual "Goat Man" how effective his suit was at coming close to goats.  I would guess you could come a lot closer to the animals dressed as one of them, than if you dressed in camouflage and tried to sneak up to them.  Though humorous, this really is an interesting idea.  Native Americans used this tactic to sneak up on animals, so apparently it can be effective.  This might be a great way to study or watch wildlife up close.  It could also be very dangerous as the article describes.  


SALT LAKE CITY AP -- A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has wildlife officials worried he could be in danger as hunting season approaches.  Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said Friday the person is doing nothing illegal, but he worries the so-called "goat man" is unaware of the dangers.
"My very first concern is the person doesn't understand the risks," Douglass said. "Who's to say what could happen."
Douglass said a man hiking Sunday along Ben Lomond peak in the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, spotted the person dressed like a goat among a herd of real goats. The person provided some blurry photographs to Douglass, who said they did not appear to have been altered.
Wildlife officials now just want to talk to the man so that he is aware of the dangers. There's no telling what his intentions are, Douglass said, but it is believed he could just be an extreme wildlife enthusiast.
"People do some pretty out there things in the name of enjoying wildlife. But I've never had a report like this," Douglass said. "There's a saying we have among biologists -- You don't go far enough, you don't get the data. You go too far, you don't go home. The same is true with some wildlife enthusiasts."
Douglass said 60 permits will be issued for goat hunting season in that area, which begins in September. He worries the goat man might be accidentally shot or could be attacked by a real goat.
"They may get agitated. They're territorial. They are, after all, wild animals," he said. "This person puts on a goat suit, he changes the game. But as long as he accepts responsibility, it's not illegal."
Douglass said wildlife officials received an anonymous call Thursday from an "agitated man" after the sighting was reported in local media. The caller simply said, "Leave goat man alone. He's done nothing wrong."
"I want people to enjoy Utah's wildlife. We live in a really neat place. We have wildlife all around us," Douglass said. "We just want people to be safe."
Coty Creighton, 33, spotted the goat man Sunday during his hike. He said he came across the herd, but noticed something odd about one goat that was trailing behind the rest.
"I thought maybe it was injured," Creighton said Friday. "It just looked odd."
He said he pulled out binoculars to get a closer look at the herd about 200 yards away and was shocked. The man appeared to be acting like a goat while wearing the crudely made costume, which had fake horns and a cloth mask with cut-out eye holes, Creighton said.
"I thought, 'What is this guy doing?' " Creighton said. "He was actually on his hands and knees. He was climbing over rocks and bushes and pretty rough terrain on a steep hillside."
Creighton said the man occasionally pulled up his mask, apparently trying to navigate the rocky terrain. The man then appeared to spot Creighton.
"He just stopped in his tracks and froze," he said.
Creighton moved down the mountain and hid behind a tree, then began snapping photographs.
The goat man then put his mask back on, Creighton said, got back down on his hands and knees and scurried to catch up with the herd.
"We were the only ones around for miles," Creighton said. "It was real creepy."

Summer Garden Plants for the Desert

Corn, a great late summer crop for the desert garden.

Here in the Sonoran Desert gardening is quite different from what typical temperate gardens.  The summer heat and sun intensity are so extreme most summer plants of the temperate region, such as cucumber and tomatoes, are easily scorched by the sun and killed.  It can be difficult growing some of these plants without shade.  Corn is another example of a crop that doesn't produce well in the summer.  The corn plant absolutely loves the heat and sun of the desert, and certain varieties can tolerate the dryness as well.   Oddly though, producing corn cobs with seed in them can be a huge problem in the summer though.  Heat and dryness can cause a major problem with pollination, preventing seeds from growing on a cob.  It is quite disappointing to plant corn in April, May, or June then to have it tassel and produce silks during the peak of the summer, only to produce cobs without hardly any seed on them.  The reason for this is that the dryness causes corn silks to dry-out before they can be pollinated.  Temperatures round 100 degrees or higher also kill corn pollen.  Both of these things always result in extremely poor corn production.

Despite this, corn is a great desert crop.  It does well with the heat, intense sun, and dryness.  To make it productive however, you just have to plant it at the right time of year.  The most productive times to plant corn are in early March so the corn is done pollinating before temperatures consistently break the 100 degree mark.  With the year round growing season a second crop of corn can be planted in late July, after the extreme heat of summer has passed and once the monsoon rains start.  If planted in this way to avoid pollination during the extreme heat of the summer corn can be extremely productive in the desert.  Even at the ideal times of year though corn production can be greatly helped by hand pollination.

Okra, another great desert summer crop.

Okra is another garden plant that seems to love everything about growing in a desert summer garden.  It doesn't need extreme amounts of water and it absolutely thrives in the extreme heat and intense sun.  In-fact, it seems the more sun and heat Okra can get the faster it grows and the more it produces.  If planted in March, Okra will begin producing in May and continue with harvests through the end of October.  During peak production, say June through September, okra will need to be harvested every other day or so.  The odd thing about okra is that if you don't harvest it, it will stop producing.  So the more often you pick the more it will produce.  Unfortunately, okra can be quite irritating to harvest with its prickles which sort of remind me of stinging nettles.  The prickles are probably worse for me than most people though being I am allergic to the plant and it can make my sinuses and eyes go crazy.

Armenian cucumbers, an unbelievable summer crop for the desert garden.

Armenian cucumbers are the last amazing summer garden crop I will mention here.  These are different from regular cucumbers and are actually a type of melon.  They taste somewhat like a cross between a cucumber and a melon without the sweetness.  As with okra, armenian's don't need huge amounts of water and they absolutely love the summer heat and sun.  The more they can get the better.  A single armenian cucumber plant can easily overtake a whole garden and produce tens of pounds more than any family could ever eat.  For some reason, some plants don't always do well in my experience.  But plants that become established can simply go crazy.  Their productivity is simply amazing.  If planted in May, they seem to do best July through September.

I have also found that certain varieties of summer and winter squash also do well through most of the summer.  Summer squash especially can be a great producer but generally need more water than the above mentioned crops.  Beans also, especially bush beans don't seem to mind the heat at all.  If anyone knows of other crops that grow well in the desert summer heat and sun I would love to know about it.