Farmer's Gold Popcorn is a poppin' good venture!

Colten and Katie Gehring have a popping good business at their Perley, MN farm.

The two grow, package and sell Farmer’s Gold Popcorn.

They didn’t intend on making a business with their popcorn-on-the-cob product.

While they are Montana natives, it was Colten who first made the move to Minnesota about 10 years ago to help his uncle with grain harvest. As he gained more hands-on experience, Colten rented his own land and grew wheat and soybeans.

When Colten and his uncle weren’t farming, they turned their attention to the farm’s large garden. There they would experiment with new vegetable varieties. And it’s where Colten decided to grow a few rows of some popcorn varieties he’s seen in a seed catalog.

FARMERS GOLD POPCORN IS BORN

After Katie moved to Minnesota, the two became engaged and turned their attention to crops and the garden.

Colten knew growing popcorn in the northern climate was optimistic. Most popcorn varieties take 90- to 110-days to mature. Thankfully it was a good growing season that first year and soon Colten was bringing home Rubbermaid bins full of cobs.

He shared his first experience with popcorn-on-the-cob with her. He remembers how, as a kid, he’d visited his grandparents in South Dakota and brought some of the popcorn cobs back to his classmates. It was a great treat to show and share. The story gave the couple a light bulb moment, she said. They decided to package their surplus of cobs as favors for their wedding in 2016. The package were so well received that they were encouraged to start a little business. With the help of family and friends, Farmers Gold Popcorn was born.

GROWING QUALITY POPCORN

There are many varieties of popcorn and the Gehrings have tried almost all of the shorter season ones. They’ve considered taste, high popping yield, most attractive and the most successful crop when choosing the popcorn variety for Farmer’s Gold Popcorn - and they found it in a yellow hybrid!

After they plant and nurture the crop, the harvest it when reaches maturity in the field (also known as black layered). They hand pick the cobs and bring it to their climate-controlled shop. There it is dried and packaged.

The cobs are dried using a combination of dehumidifiers and fans. Monitoring the cobs’ moisture is important.

“If a cob is too wet, it won’t pop at all or take far too long in the microwave to produce any sounds,” Katie said. “If a cob is too dry, it will burn quickly and the popping noise will be almost muffled and weak. The tiny bit of moisture inside the hard shell is what turns to steam and when it is heated up it pops and turns the kernel inside out. There is a lot of science to popcorn which makes our product both fun and a little educational!”

HOW IS IT PACKAGED FOR SALE

Farmer’s Gold Popcorn is sold in two different package sizes.

The single serving cob is a large cob cut in half so when each mini cob is popped, it will produce enough popcorn to fill a cereal bowl. Each small cob will make the amount they call their stocking stuffer size.

A three-pack has full sized cobs. Each cob will produce enough to fill a mixing/salad bowl. The larger package is a perfect gift and will make three large bowls which should be more than enough for a movie night!

They’ve been asked if the cobs can be greased with butter before popping. The short answer is - no, unless you want a greasy mess.

The cobs are popped in a paper bag, she said.

“We recommend you pour your popcorn in a bowl so you can pour melted butter over it evenly and sprinkle it with salt,” Katie said.

The beauty of popcorn-on-the-cob is the “duds” or “old maids” stay on the cob. You don’t need to fish them out of the bowl.

And never try to re-pop any kernels that don’t pop the first time. There is a reason they are called “duds.”

WHERE CAN I GET IT?

To find a full list of Farmer’s Gold Popcorn products, check their website at farmersgoldpopcorn.com.

It is sold at several gift shops in the Miswest including Vintage Point in Fargo, N.D., The Olive Barrel in Grand Forks, N.D. and The Nest in Perham, MN. All three of those locations are great ambassadors of Farmer’s Gold and many other Pride of Dakota and Minnesota Grown businesses, Katie said.

They also sell it at the Red River Farmers Market in downtown Fargo during the summer months.

What started as an experiment in the garden has turned into a great business offering customers a tasty and fun treat throughout the year.

Check them out at farmersgoldpopcorn.com and tell them The Local Growers sent you!