Glass Gem Corn

In Episode 7, "A Thousand Beggars," King Kunnutaiya and Queen Tamarai have planted some seeds provided by their clansmen. The clansmen, not wanting the young king's field to prosper, give them seeds that have been roasted, certain not to grow.

To solve this problem, Lord Vishnu plants a single magical seed beside each roasted seed in the field. When the seeds grow, they take much longer than expected. However, on closer inspection, Queen Tamarai discovers that the ears of maize they've planted haven't brought forth a crop of food. Instead, the ears are filled with jewels!

This new bounty is enough for the couple to rebuild the family palace and reclaim their rightful lordship over the land of Ponnivala.

While this tale from The Legend of Ponnivala may seem very fanciful, we were surprised to make contact this month with a group from Arizon that specialises in native seed conservation. One of their most interesting products is called glass gem corn, and this corn looks remarkably like the magical corn depicted in this scene from Ponnivala!

Images from https://www.facebook.com/glassgemcorn

These seeds are specially grown for their beautiful, translucent quality. But they are completely edible, and make for good popcorn too! They can be ordered online by contacting Native Seeds through their website at http://www.nativeseeds.org/