Popping Up a New Year

Kyra and I love to garden so much that even the cold, snowy, sun-deprived Iowa winter doesn’t stop us. We enjoy making our daily rounds to care for our pampered houseplants, as well as the geraniums, Gerbera daisies, and herbs that we’re trying to baby through the winter so they can be re-planted outside next spring. We also enjoy the results of last year’s garden, brewing our dried herbs for tea, crushing our dried hot peppers into soup, and popping corn in the microwave.

Last summer, Kyra and I grew a 4-foot by 8-foot plot of popcorn. We loved watching the corn grow taller and taller and taller, waving above our heads, and providing a forested hide-away for the cats. Unfortunately, the plants struggled through the summer drought and beetle infestation, producing skimpy tassels, few ears, and tiny kernels. We thought our entire crop was lost when a violent wind storm blew through, flattening the entire plot. Yet later that fall, we were able to glean a few miniature ears of corn from the stalks.

Popcorn is a great crop for someone with disabilities to grow. The large seed kernels are easy to see and handle. The plants are sturdy and grow quickly, with ears sprouting from the stalks just at wheelchair height. The wind blowing through mature corn leaves makes a pleasant shuffling sound. Harvesting popcorn is easy, too. You have a large window of time to pick the dried ears, and they cannot be crushed by clutching fingers, or damaged by being dropped on the ground. Husking and shelling harvested popcorn are activities that can be shared among people with a wide range of manual dexterity. Finally, un-popped kernels provide enjoyable visual, auditory, and tactile sensations, and the popped corn smells and tastes great! Best of all, when it seems winter will never end, you can pop a few of your home-grown ears in the microwave… and dream of next year’s crop.

Kyra’s Microwave Popcorn Recipe

Print the pictures and instructions below, and glue them to index cards to create a picture cookbook or a fun sequencing game. Be sure to have a bowl of popcorn ready to share as you cook and play together!