Hopi Turquoise

Hopi Turquoise ears display a striking range of colors, from slate blue to brilliant turquoise, with occasional surprise purples appearing among them. Its kernels combine both flour and dent characteristics, often found together on the same ear. As a flint corn, it is valued both for grinding into blue corn flour and for its ornamental appeal as a decorative corn. The variety is also noted for higher protein content and a lower glycemic index than other corn varieties.

Beyond its decorative and flour uses, Hopi Turquoise can also be picked early and eaten fresh as a sweet corn. Traditionally it has been ground for cornmeal and used in atole, with each stalk typically producing a single ear roughly 6 to 12 inches long.

Hopi Turquoise has proven hardy even at elevations up to 8,000 feet, tolerating wide temperature swings and cool soil. It also reaches harvest relatively quickly compared to many other corn varieties.

This seed line traces to 1986, when a grower obtained the original stock from John "Eesawu" Kimmey, a teacher and advocate for sustainable Native farming who spent years collaborating with the Hopi people. Kimmey established the Talavaya Center, one of the early efforts to conserve heirloom seed, and it was through that project that this corn made its way into broader cultivation.