Often, going to the cinema or entertainment center, we buy a whole bucket popcorn So delicious, and the film (or show) seems more interesting. This hearty product, which contains few calories, can be cooked at home.
Top Grades
Everyone knows what popcorn is made of. From corn. But not everyone knows that not every variety is suitable for its preparation. Grains should easily burst when frying, have good taste and airiness inherent in popcorn.
Corn for cooking and preservation is called sugar. It contains more starch, the shell of the grains is dense and when heated, it immediately cracks without opening. Corn for popcorn, respectively, contain less starch; The film on them is thin, but durable. Therefore, they do not immediately burst and "air out" perfectly. 
How to make popcorn out of such corn, consider below.
Did you know? Corn - The only plant, the fruits of which contain gold.
The best for cooking delicacies are considered to be Vulkan, Eat-Eat, Zeya, Ping-Pong, Hotel Hotel, Vnuchkina Joy and others.
"Volcano"
Sort "Volcano" - heat-loving plant resistant to diseases. According to the type of variety - medium early, productive. Plant height up to 2 meters. Yellow grains have an oval rice shape. The length of the cob is about 15-22 cm. From one cob you can get up to 100-120 g of grain. This variety is also called "Volcano razlusnoy" or "Volcano bursting". 
"Eat-Eat"
Corn "Eat-Eat" - mid-early, high-yielding. The plant is slightly lower in height than other varieties - 130-170 cm. The grains are yellow, wide, elongated. The cobs are cylindrical, about 200-250 g in weight.
"Zeya"
"Zeya" - early ripe variety. 80 days after planting, you can harvest. Everyone is similar to other varieties except grains. They are burgundy or dark red, wide, rounded on one side, pointed, on the other.
"Ping pong"
"Ping pong" - medium early variety. Ready to harvest in about 100-110 days after planting. It has short, up to 15 cm, cobs and small yellow grains.
"Hotel"
"Hotel" - early variety, ready to harvest in 80 days. Its feature is high drought resistance, resistance to lodging. It easily tolerates high temperatures, so it can be grown in arid, hot regions. The plant reaches a height of more than 2 m. The cob is about 20 cm long. The grains are yellow, pearly-shaped. 
"Vnuchkina joy"
"Vnuchkina joy" - variety, similar to "See", early ripe. Only he has small cobs, up to 12 cm. Shoots up to 1.5 m, seeds are light orange. Differs in high productivity. Corn of this variety is moisture-loving, does not tolerate drought, grows and produces only crops on soil that is well-fertilized with humus.
Red Popcorn
Have "Red Popcorn" A distinctive feature - low shoots, total up to 110-120 cm. It is also an early variety. Differs also with beautiful ears, small, only 5-10 cm, similar to strawberries. Grains mahogany color. Tastes excellent. 
Did you know? Corn - The main food of Mexicans and Indians.
Features of growing
To make popcorn at home, you first need to grow corn. Do it on your site, everyone can. Only optimal conditions and, of course, desire are needed.
Corn is grown on any soil, except sandy and especially loose. The plant is high, it must be firmly rooted, and on such soils it is difficult. Cultivation is most often carried out in the steppe and forest-steppe climatic zone, because all varieties are thermophilic. The winds in this area are strong. On weak soil, plant lodging is possible, which will have a negative impact on the development of the shoot and, consequently, on yield. 
Landing
One of the first conditions for the successful cultivation of corn for popcorn - landing in a well warmed ground. This means landing in May (although everything depends on the weather).
First, prepare the soil. Let's start with the analysis of the soil and "predecessors".
We have already spoken about the soil. You can add here that the culture does not tolerate casting, so alumina in the lowlands will not work either.
Everyone knows that planting corn in the same place is impossible. It will grow well after tomatoes and potatoes, beets, carrots and other root crops. Landing areas should be such that they fit 4-5 rows. Crop yield, if it is planted in 1 row, falls.
Learn more about the intricacies of planting and caring for corn in the garden.
Before planting, nitrogen fertilizers can be applied per day: for every 10 square meters. m. about 150 g. The soil should be loosened to a depth of 10 cm and cultivated. There should be no weeds on it, otherwise the corn will break through for a long time. May even die.
In addition, the seeds for planting need to prepare. First of all, they should be soaked. To do this, they are placed in warm water with the addition of "potassium permanganate" (slightly pinkish) and kept for a day. Grains have time to swell.
Planted directly into the ground (without growing seedlings) with mandatory watering. The square-cluster method of 50 cm by 50 cm is best suited for culture. 3-4 seeds are placed in the hole, watered and powdered with 2-3 cm of soil. Shoots will appear in 10-12 days. 
Important! Sweet corn and corn for popcorn should not grow next to avoid mutual pollination.
Care
Culture does not require special care. Frequent watering may be necessary only to moisture-loving varieties. In other cases, it will be enough to irrigate once a week at the root.
For high yields required feeding. 3-4 weeks after germination - organic. Before the release of the "sweeper" - nitrophoska. When forming cobs - potash and nitrogen fertilizers.
As already mentioned weeds - the enemy of culture. Weed rows and aisle will have 3-4 times over the summer. Can spoil the crop and pests: Swedish fly, wireworm, corn moth. With them will help cope funds purchased in a specialty store. 
Corn is pollinated by the wind. If the weather is windless, then you can shake the stems when pollen appears on the panicles and cob buds in the leaf axils.
Collecting and storing cobs
You only need to collect the cob when they dry well on the stems. Not previously recommended. If the cobs are collected raw and they will not dry out on the "root", this will affect the detection of the grains. And we after all grow them just to get popcorn.
If you want to get the maximum yield of the finished product, read how to properly harvest the corn crop and how to store the corn without loss.With proper collection and storage, the detection rate will be 95%.
Tear off the stems need to cob in the "clothes", we will remove it immediately before laying for storage. After harvesting, you need to keep cabbages for another month in a cool and very dry place, then load them into fabric or paper bags. Store the cobs (namely cobs, not grains) also need to be in a cool dry place.
Important! The use of corn is contraindicated in case of gastric and duodenal ulcers, thrombophlebitis and increased blood clotting, with low body mass and anorexia.
Cooking popcorn. Recipe
Next, consider in detail how we make popcorn at home. It turns out that it is much simpler than boiling ordinary soup or making pizza that is already familiar to us. Moreover, contrary to the assurances of manufacturers of household appliances, we will not need a special machine or a microwave. You need a half-liter iron pot, or a regular frying pan and a gas stove. 
Consider two recipes that tell you how to make sweet popcorn at home: "Popcorn with caramel" and "Popcorn with powdered sugar."
Ingredients for popcorn:
- Corn - ¼ cup;
- Sunflower oil (any vegetable can be used) - 3 dessert spoons;
- Sugar - 1 tbsp. l (for the first recipe);
- Caster sugar - 1 tbsp. l (for the second recipe).
Take the iron, pour oil into it and put on medium heat.
Important! Oil should be poured into a dry dish.
Heat oil. Pour the corn into the heated oil. Add sugar. Cover tightly. Be sure to gently hold it.
Soon you will hear the beginning of the process of opening the grains. As soon as the sounds subsided - turn off the fire. After removing it from the fire, it is necessary to quickly pour the delicacy into the container, because the caramel (which is formed from sugar) may catch fire. "Popcorn with powdered sugar"
Here you need to repeat the same manipulations just do not add sugar. Pour the ready popcorn into the prepared container, sprinkle with powdered sugar and mix.
It can be different: pour the corn into the bag, put the powder in it, squeeze it with your hand, leave the air in the bag, and mix it vigorously.
To complete the process, we will need to wash the oil-spattered stove. But the pot does not have to be washed after each preparation. If there is no burning inside, you can leave it until next time. 
Excellent taste, valuable nutrients, low calorie content (for those on a diet) are not all the advantages of popcorn. After all, besides sweet popcorn can be cooked salty, spicy, spicy.
Grow, cook and enjoy the delicacy.
