Golden Prairie Popcorn Wichita KS

The following article offers a description of the revolutionary Golden Prairie Popcorn snack.

Local Companies

Sysco Food Services of Kansas City
(316) 942-4205
1001 S Young St
Wichita, KS
Mars Mart
(316) 264-3740
1802 E 13th St N Ste 5
Wichita, KS
Kim Son Asian Food Market
(316) 262-5235
960 E Pawnee St # 9
Wichita, KS
La Michoacana
(316) 263-5186
2310 S Southeast Blvd
Wichita, KS
Super Del Centro
(316) 612-4956
808 S Woodlawn Blvd
Wichita, KS
An-Dong
(316) 684-4441
2408 S Hillside St # 9
Wichita, KS
Tabares Philippine Market
(316) 303-9983
2206 E Douglas Ave
Wichita, KS
Dillon Stores
(316) 685-5466
2244 N Rock Rd
Wichita, KS
Thai Binh Supermarket
(316) 838-8882
1530 W 21st St N
Wichita, KS
India Emporium
(316) 687-3266
3008 E Harry St
Wichita, KS

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.

author: Kathryn Rem

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