Popcorn Best Snack Ever

By Mr. Garden4Goodies:
 

Popcorn is a great afternoon snack. Today I’m going to share with you my secret to making great healthy popcorn, some ideas on sourcing popcorn seeds and a couple place that carry them.
 
Secrets to popping great popcorn
The 4 secrets to great popcorn

• Fresh Kernels
• Stove Popped with love
• Coconut Oil
• Himalayan pink salt

 
Fresh Kernels

The first is important because if its not fresh it doesn’t all pop and you get old maids. The price of the popcorn doesn’t mater. I have had great success with cheap Walmart brand pop corn but also like the small kernel black popcorn, because it doesn’t get stuck in my teeth as much.
I have had success with Black Jewell Crimson.

To me the Crimson Jewell Premium Popcorn pops white and has the same taste as the generic Walmart brand popcorn, but the smaller kernels and don’t get stuck in my teeth.

 
Stove Popped with love
The second key to great popcorn is popping it by hand with a Stove Top Popcorn Popper like the Great Northern Popcorn Original Stainless Steel Stove Top 6-1/2-Quart Popcorn Popper.

It might be a physiological thing, but I think stove popped popcorn is better.
 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is very important. I use about 1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil to 3 or 4 tablespoons of popcorn. Popcorn popped with coconut oil doesn’t go stale as fast. I have popped some for a night time snack, leaving the extra out uncovered all nightk and it still tasted fresh in the morning. I think coconut oil got a bad reputation because of the way some of it is processed. I always buy a coconut oil that is pressed without hexane or other harmful chemicals.  Spectrum Naturals Organic is my favorite coconut oil and it can be found in most grocery stores.

Spectrum Naturals – Coconut Oil Organic, 14 oz liquid
 

Himalayan pink salt

I recently discovered Himalayan pink salt and I love it on popcorn. I think it gives popcorn a different flavor and I haven’t made buttered popcorn since using Himalayan pink salt with coconut oil. Not sure if all pink salt is created equally, but I have some that came in a plastic pepper grinder so I can adjust the coarseness.

1 Pound Dark Pink – Imported By Pure Salt Himalayan (Coarse)

 
Finding Popcorn seeds
If I had the space to grow corn, and didn’t think it would get cross pollinated by the GMO corn, I would try a heirloom corn seed that was good for popping.
 
I was able to find a interesting looking one at Baker Creek called Dakota Black and another called Cherokee Long Ear Popcorn – (Zea mays) at Terroir Seeds LLC. I think both would make interesting popcorn.
 
I haven’t tried this but if you find a good quality popcorn you enjoy like Black Jewell Crimson, but can’t find the seeds you can try planting it. I would try sprouting a couple seeds indoors first to see if they will sprout before planing outdoors but it should work if the seeds still have enough moisture in them to pop.