Golden Prairie Popcorn San Francisco CA

Golden Prairie Popcorn isn’t your typical, oil-in-the-pan popcorn.

The snack is a novelty item, popcorn that pops on the cob in a clear bag in a microwave. It’s the brainchild of farmers Don and Julie Stolte, who grow the popcorn in Christian County, Ill.

“We were looking for something for Don to do in the winter,” said Julie Stolte. Don, 54, farms corn and soybeans.

“That’s something you don’t see much is popcorn on the cob,” said Julie, 52. “He planted some in our garden one year to see if it would work, and then he looked for a clear bag so you could see it popping.”

After a few years, Don perfected the corn, and the couple now are working to get it on store shelves. In Illinois, it’s available at the Apple Barn in Chatham, Touch of Class by Shirley in downtown Springfield, Cottage Rose in Taylorville, Candy’s Flowers and Gifts and Junction Garden in Pana, Hill Prairie Winery in Oakford and Curtis Orchard in Champaign. Prices vary by location, but it sells for around $2.99.

When she’s not working as a pharmacy technician, Julie spends time marketing Golden Prairie Popcorn. She’ll be selling it at Lincoln Memorial Garden’s Indian Summer Festival Oct. 13 and 14.

“I’ve been going to a lot of crafts shows. We’re slowly getting the word out,” she said.

The corn is planted in late April and handpicked, so it doesn’t get damaged by machinery, in September or October. The Stolte’s half-acre crop was harvested in one weekend a few weeks ago.

“We got our relatives to come over, and we picked 6,000 ears,” said Julie. It’s stored in mesh bags on pallets to air-dry in a converted milking barn.

At some point, the ears will be sorted by size, cleaned and vacuumed packed with a clear popping bag and instructions. Each ear yields about 6 cups of popcorn.

Julie said the seeds used to yield the cob-popping corn are no different than other popcorn kernels. What is different is that other brands don’t come with a see-through bag. Children especially enjoy the novelty of watching it pop, she said.

“We eat a lot of it,” she said. “It’s usually our nighttime snack. I just put a little salt on it.”

Kathryn Rem can be reached at 217-788-1520 or kathryn.rem@sj-r.com.