"Mandan Lavender" Maize (Flour)

Zea mays

Mandan Lavender, also known as Mandan Red Clay is a short season flour or parching variety developed by the Mandan on the fertile banks of the Missouri River of present day North Dakota. A striking purple/lavender ear with soft starchy kernels that easily grind up in a hand mill. Perfect for home gardeners and homesteaders wishing to produce their own grain and flour. A very flavorful and nutty variety perfect for cornbread, tortillas, and more. Mandan Lavender will enliven your palate and your home with her grace and beauty. We always look forward to adorning our home with dazzling purple maize garlands as we dry down the cobs!

Growing your own grain, the backbone of every civilization, is the cornerstone of self-sufficiency. Produces 1 to 2 medium sized ears on 4-6 foot plants in a short growing window, even in the coolest years. Now that’s genuine food security!

Growing Instructions:

Direct seed after last frost or start 3 weeks prior to last frost and transplant out after.

Space plants 6” apart.

Space rows 24” apart.

Alternatively, plant in mounds 36” apart all ways with 6 seeds per mound. If growing pole beans up your corn row spacing should be 36”

Maize is a heavy feeder so provide plenty of compost at time of planting. We also recommend a fall or spring cover crop of peas or another annual legume to fix nitrogen for the planting. Make sure soil pH is between 5.8 and 7.0. If plant needs a growing boost, water with nitrogen tea or compost tea a few times. If trace minerals are inadequate, sprinkle a small amount of woodash or azomite in each planting hole.

Harvest Instructions:

Cobs can be dried on the plant OR harvested slightly early and dried inside. We prefer harvesting slightly early to make room for a fall crop. Once purple coloring has set into the kernels ears can be harvested and shucked and they will continue to ripen and dry down indoors. Make sure to hang the ears to dry so mold doesn’t develop. You could also lay ears out on a wire mesh table in a barn or shed. Air flow around the ear is key. Store away from rodents! Once ears are dry you can break cobs in half and rub your fingers over them to loosen the kernels from the cob. There are also inexpensive handheld corn-shuckers that do this job slightly quicker, but we find releasing the seeds by hand to be a really nourishing process.