Casados Multicolor Corn brings a stunning palette of red, white, blue, yellow, orange, and chimarked kernels to the garden, each ear reaching a medium 11 inches in length. Originally collected from the Casados Farm in El Guique, New Mexico in 1994, this corn carries generations of family seed-saving tradition. Beyond its visual drama, it's a true multi-purpose grain; gardeners grow it for making chicos, masa, pinole, or polenta, giving it rare versatility in the kitchen. The variety's deep roots in New Mexican agricultural heritage make it as much a cultural artifact as a productive crop.
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The jewel-toned kernels scattered across each ear create kernels that are as beautiful as they are functional. Originally stewarded by the Casados family for generations before being collected and preserved, this corn represents living agricultural heritage. Its multiple culinary applications (chicos, masa, pinole, polenta) mean a single planting supplies diverse kitchen projects, and the medium ear size makes it manageable for home gardens while remaining genuinely productive.
Casados Multicolor Corn excels as a dual-purpose grain, suitable both for fresh eating and dried storage. Its primary applications are in traditional southwestern preparations: it can be dried and processed into chicos (a shelf-stable prepared corn product), ground into masa for tortillas and tamales, roasted and ground into pinole (a nutritious flour), or cooked into polenta. The multicolored kernels also make it visually striking in decorative corn arrangements or as a teaching variety for gardeners interested in heirloom kernel genetics.
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Direct sow Casados Multicolor Corn after the last frost date once soil has warmed adequately, as corn seed can rot in cold, wet conditions.
For fresh eating, harvest ears when silks have turned brown and kernels yield slightly to thumbnail pressure, typically 20 to 25 days after silking. For dried corn suitable for chicos, masa, pinole, or polenta, allow ears to mature fully on the stalk until husks dry and papery and kernels have hardened completely; this deepens color and concentrates flavor. Ears reach a medium 11 inches in length at full maturity. Strip ears from the stalk with a firm downward twist, and store dried corn in a cool, dry location for long-term use.
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“Casados Multicolor Corn has roots that stretch deep into New Mexican farming tradition. The variety was originally collected at the Casados Farm in El Guique, New Mexico in 1994, though the seed itself had been maintained by the Casados family for generations before that collection point. This corn represents the kind of living seed legacy that defines heirloom varieties, passed hand to hand within a single family before being brought into the broader seed-saving community. Native Seeds/SEARCH now maintains it in their Seed Bank Collection, ensuring that the generations of knowledge embedded in this variety continue to reach gardeners and cooks who value both its aesthetic beauty and its practical resilience.”