Otto File Flint Corn is a storied New England heirloom that has traveled from Native American fields to Italian kitchens and back again, carrying with it a reputation for exceptional creamy flavor and nutritional density. This eight-row flint corn reaches 78 inches tall and produces distinctive gold to orange cobs over 110 to 120 days, thriving in full sun with simple 8-inch spacing. Its high carotenoid and protein content made it prized for polenta across Italy, and today it offers home gardeners a connection to both indigenous agricultural tradition and European culinary heritage.
Full Sun
Moderate
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78in H x 8in W
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High
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This variety's journey across continents speaks to its quality: cultivated for hundreds of years by northeastern Native American tribes, it became so valued in Italy for polenta-making that it earned the name Eight Row Flint Corn before returning to American gardens. The corn produces beautiful gold to orange cobs with a creamy taste that distinguishes it from dent corns and sweet corn varieties. Its exceptional nutritional profile, high in carotenoids and protein, reflects the careful selection and preservation by multiple hands who recognized its worth.
Otto File Flint Corn excels as a polenta and cornmeal corn, uses that motivated its preservation in Italian kitchens. The hard, floury kernels dry well and grind into fine cornmeal with a creamy character that distinguishes polenta made from this variety. It can also be popped or used for traditional corn-based dishes, though its primary reputation rests on its superior polenta-making qualities.
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Direct sow Otto File into warm soil after the last spring frost when soil temperature reaches at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant seeds 8 inches apart in rows spaced 36 inches apart.
Allow kernels to fully mature and dry on the cob before harvesting, which typically occurs around 110 to 120 days after planting. The corn is ready when the husks have dried and loosened, and you can easily remove kernels by hand or with a corn crib. For maximum storage potential and for polenta or cornmeal preparation, harvest after frost or when the outer husk is completely brown and papery.
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“Otto File Flint Corn originates in New England, where it was cultivated by northeastern Native American tribes for hundreds of years as a staple food crop. The variety's excellence caught the attention of European farmers, eventually making its way to Italy, where its creamy flavor and high carotenoid content made it a prized polenta corn for many generations. The seed traveled through many hands over time, passed from gardener to gardener, before arriving at Hudson Valley Seed's trial gardens. The fact that it was preserved through this long journey across continents and through numerous keepers speaks to its exceptional quality and the commitment of seed savers to maintain varieties of genuine merit.”