b'ALIKE ANYONEand anything of true value, the beauty of Glass Gem goes below the surface. RainbowGlass Gem corn (also known as Rainbow Jewel,) produces a diversity of striking, translucent, jewel-colored ears, each and every one of them unique. Its Jewela combination flint and popcorn types of corn. The smaller-kernelled ones will pop, while the larger flat-kernelled ones are best ground into flour. But of course, many ears are simply kept as a feast for with athe eyes. This corn is now well-known across many parts of the U.S. and beyond, due in large part to the keen eye of Carl Barnes, Longa part-Cherokee farmer and corn breeder who died in 2016. Barnes developed the rainbow-colored corn through allowing Pawnee miniature popcorn corn, Osage History red flint corns and likely Cherokee Long-ear corn to interbreed, explains Greg Schoen. Schoen first met Barnes in 1994 at a herbalists gathering and was struck by some small ears of corn Barnes had on display, ears with kernels of all colors. That The story of how thisyear and in the years to follow, Schoen became one of several people to whom extremely striking cropCarl mentored, gave seedand encour-was developed is trulyaged further sharing. In 2013, the first pick of rainbow glass gem fascinating, and one thatsOver the next few years, Carl sharedcorn was harvested at Native Seeds/additional samples of the rainbow cornSEARCH. far from over.Treena Hein seed with me so that I had a broader genetic base, Schoen explains. Carl alsoEvery year, I began to see the corn gave me seed of a number of his largermove towards its potential, Schoen says. traditional native flour corns. During thisIn 2008, we selected our best seed and time, my friendship with Carl grew and Iplanted only rainbow corn.visited him at his home many times. HisHaving shared this seed to others over collection room was full of shelves andthe years, it was in 2009 that Schoen real-cabinets of seeds in jars and displays ofized he should give samples of the seed to seed and ears of corn originating fromBill McDorman, an Arizonian he respected, many Native American peoples.and later director of Native Seeds/From 2005 to 2008 in New Mexico,SEARCH, a non-profit organization dedi-Schoen grew the rainbow corn alongcated to the preservation of traditional with traditional Pueblo miniature andand indigenous crops of the American blue corns, on the land of Jose Lucero.Southwest and northern Mexico. Schoen had a feeling it would be benefi- In 2013, a large batch of the corn was cial for the pollen of the smaller rainbowgrown at Native Seeds/SEARCH and corns to mingle with that of the robustin 2014, widespread distribution began. Southwestern strains, diversifying genet- Soon, some other seed companies also ics that might have narrowed over thestarted selling the seed as welland thats years with his and Carls somewhat limitedwhere its trajectory deviated somewhat plantings up to that point. His instinctsfrom what Barnes, Schoen and others had were right.intended.18/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2021'