Popcorn Yellow Maize

Popcorn Yellow Maize

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A corn maze or maize maze is a maze cut out of a corn field. The first corn maze was in Annville, Pennsylvania. Corn mazes have become popular tourist attractions in North America, and are a way for farms to generate tourist income. Many are based on artistic designs such as characters from movies. Corn mazes appear in many different designs. Some mazes are even created to tell stories or to portray a particular theme. Most have a path which goes all around the whole pattern, either to end in the middle or to come back out again, with various false trails diverging from the main path. In the United Kingdom, they are known as maize mazes ("corn" in British English is generally taken to refer to wheat), and are especially popular with farms in the east of England. These mazes are normally combined with other farm attractions of interest to families and day trippers. Some of these attractions include hay rides, a petting zoo, play areas for children, and picnic areas. Each year a few of the mazes are featured in national newspapers and TV. In the U.S., corn mazes typically are cut down circa the first week of November; in the UK and in India typically in September after children return to school.

Many different types of corn can be popped, but those specifically developed to be used for that purpose have a strong and relatively rigid hull. As the corn is heated and the internal moisture turns to steam, pressure builds until the hull ruptures, producing the familiar puffy texture. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays averta, which is a special kind of flint corn.

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Varieties of corn are grouped into four categories: sweet corn, field corn, ornamental corn and popcorn. Field corn can be dent or flint types, which are hard-shelled and typically ground into meal or used for animal feed. Dent corn is named for the indentation at the top of its kernels and grows in warmer climates while flint types grow best in cooler regions. Sweet corn is a table vegetable and ornamental corn is used for decorations. Popcorn is unique among corn varieties because of its starchy endosperm that expands and pops when heated.