Learn about the history of corn at Garfield Farm Museum

On Sunday, Sept. 18, volunteer and farm hobbyist Chuck Bauer will give a lecture on the history of corn in "Corn 101" from 2 to 4 p.m. at Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Road, off Route 38 in Campton Hills.

There will be discussion of the type used in the 1840s and how farmers manipulated corn to create the varieties we have today.

For the miles upon miles of corn planted in the Midwest, few residents understand its origins and its impact on modern life. In the early 19th century, corn was a dietary staple as it could be ground into meal for baking and cooking, dried and cooked, or even distilled into whiskey.

More commonly it was fed to livestock; in particular, to fatten one's hogs as pork was the meat that preserved best.

Today entire industries are based on this crop. From food and food additives like corn sweeteners, chemicals, plastics, livestock feeds and supplements, and ethanol mixed with gasoline are just some of the uses of this plant developed by the peoples of the Americas.

Bauer was a polymer scientist/engineer at Amoco Chemicals for 31 years. Growing up in north central Ohio, Bauer always had an interest in farming and animals. He took a special interest in corn while demonstrating the Garfield's corn sheller, a machine to separate kernels from the cob, at one of the museum's Harvest Days events. He has grown several varieties of corn, including pod corn, a progenitor variety of corn. This year, he has grown Bloody Butcher, an 1840s corn grown in Virginia, that can reach heights of 12 feet and have two ears per stalk.

Cost is $6. Refreshments are included. For reservations, contact the museum at (630) 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org.

The 375-acre site is a historically intact former 1840s farm and teamster inn being restored as an 1840s working farm museum by volunteers and donors from around the country.

Visit www.garfieldfarm.org or www.facebook.com/GarfieldFarmMuseum/.