Corn/Mais

My garden neighbor planted some corn in his garden and he had some leftover seeds. He was nice enough to offer if I want them. I gladly accepted right away and plant them. He said he got the seeds from Japan when he was there. I figure it would be nice if I can have it developed a corn. I am not experienced in corn planting so I don’t have any idea how it would turn out. All I know is that corn is a heavy feeder and it needs protection from strong winds because their roots are shallow and can easily be uprooted. Five plants came out and I am now waiting for the corn to develop. My research tells me that the male flower is the tassel and the female flower is the silk. So when I saw the silk coming out I tried to help in the pollination process by shaking the plant and I saw a powdery-like substance flying into the air and I guess it must be the male eggs from the tassels. I was hoping it would reach all the silk or female flowers to form a corn. I just have to wait and see.
I like corn, steamed or grilled. I like using them in desserts like “maja blanca con mais” or “mais con hielo”. I like the tamales my grandma used to make using masa harina which is made of corn flour. We also have the snack we call “binatog” which is mainly boiled corn kernels sprinkled with freshly grate coconut and salt. It is amazingly good.