Love popcorn, but dread the discomfort and embarrassment of having hulls stuck in your teeth? Worry no more. Check out the Japanese Heirloom "hulless" popcorn from Starving Farmer Popcorn Company in Quincy, Washington.
Although this white popcorn isn't new (it's considered an heirloom variety) and it isn't truly hulless (after all, the hull holds moisture in a kernel and allows it to pop in the first place), its old-time nutty flavor and super crunchy texture have won over many popcorn lovers.
Starving Farmer Popcorn Company's founder Greg Richardson got into growing popcorn after his potato crop failed. He had been experimenting with growing the Japanese hulless popcorn on the side and decided to see if he could sell it. It was an instant hit on Ebay, so he expanded to retail.
Japanese hulless popcorn is now the flagship crop for Starving Farmer. "It isn't genetically modified," he says, "and it tastes how the original popcorn tasted years and years ago."
They also offer other varieties of popcorn with softer hulls, including a yellow hulless movie theater popcorn and a South American yellow heirloom mushroom-style popcorn. (Don't worry, "mushroom" just refers to the shape of the popped kernel.)
Find Japanese Heirloom hulless popcorn in Spokane at Northwest Seed & Pet, 2422 E. Sprague or 7302 N. Division, at the Moscow Food Co-op, 121 E. Fifth St., or at starvingfarmerpopcorn.net.
