Being stuck at home means binge-watching your favorite shows and movies is a daily routine. Add popcorn; then you’ve got a full movie theater experience right at home! But wait, before you go to the microwave, make it even better by cooking it on the stovetop, filling your home with the one of a kind aroma of homemade popcorn. The Granddaddy of snack foods, popcorn, was introduced to the Americas several years ago but became enormously popular during the Great Depression & World War II. Though Georgia farmers grow corn, the uses are primarily for sweetcorn (one of our favorite Georgia Grown summer and fall veggies) and feed for livestock. We tend to leave the cultivation of popping corn to our friends in the midwestern part of the country. According to the Popcorn Board, today, Americans consume more than 14 billion quarts of popped popcorn annually. That’s a whole lot of kernels.
Here’s your chance to be apart of the POPcorn culture.
What you’ll need?
- A heavy bottom pot with a lid
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
- 3 tablespoons oil of your choice (such as olive oil, canola oil, ghee or clarified butter, pecan oil)
- 2 tablespoons seasoning of choice
- Salt, if desired
- Butter, coconut oil, or olive oil for dressing popcorn
Let the show begin:
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot with a lid. When the oil is hot, drop 2-3 kernels of popcorn into the pot and wait for the kernels to pop. Once they have popped, pour the rest of the kernels in, making sure they are in one layer.
Shake back and forth a few times to make sure they are coated with the hot oil. Cover the pot and wait. Once you start to hear popping, begin to shake the pot back and forth so that the kernels on the bottom don’t burn. Turn off the heat when you hear only one pop every few seconds, and wait for about 30 seconds until the popping stops completely.
The Grand Finale
Pour the popcorn into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of additional oil or butter to the pot to melt, then add the popcorn back to the pot in batches. Add seasoning blend and/or salt, and shake the pot with the lid on to evenly distribute. Pour back into the large bowl and serve!
Make your anytime snack a whole lot better by choosing one of our many Georgia Grown members’ seasonings, butter and oils! Here are some of our favorites:
Seasonings
- Doc and Artie’s (Try: Spicy Coconut Curry): https://docandarties.com/t/spice-blends–rubs?page=1
- Salt Table (Try: Amish country Gourmet Rainbow Popcorn, Driftwood Beach Blend): https://www.salttable.com/product-category/popcorn-from-the-salt-table/
- Beautiful Briny Sea artisan salt blends (Try: Magic Unicorn, Mushroom salt): https://beautiful-briny-sea.myshopify.com/collections/sea-salt-blends-1
- Hillari Moon Spice Blends (Try: Curry Blend): https://www.hillarimoon.com/all-products
- Powerful Pepper varietal chili powders and seasoning blends (Try: Ahi Carapita, Taco Mix): https://powerfulpepper.co/shop/
- Souley Southern Seasonings (Try: Chipotle Ranch Dressing Seasoning): https://souleysouthern.com/classic-recipe/
- Marguerite’s Organic Blends (Try: Creole Seasoning) https://www.momixes.com/shop
- Lip Smackin’ Good Southern seasoning blends (Try: Key West Jerk): https://www.lipsmackingood.com/shop?category=Rubs+%26+Spices
Oils
- Pecan Ridge Plantation (Try: Pecan Truffle Oil, Roasted Garlic Dipping Oil Seasoning): https://www.pecanridgeplantation.com/order-online
- Oliver Farm Artisan Oils (Try: Infused Sunflower Oil): http://oliverfarm-com.3dcartstores.com/
- Infusion Blends infused butter (Try: Oh My Blueberry, Amazing Rosemary): https://infusionblends.com/collections/all
Pro Tip: Leftover popcorn can be used as a gluten-free alternative to croutons to top salads or garnish soups, adding a satisfying, nutty crunch.
