Michigan-grown Bur Oaks Red popcorn is tasty and tender

Popcorn is the go-to snack in our house, and in our microwave-free home that means it’s popped on the stovetop or in our electric popper.

Did you know that Americans munch their way through 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year? That’s 51 quarts per person (I know that our household skews that annual average).

We’re usually happy with the grocery store brand of popcorn, but I want to tell you about the red popcorn from Bur Oaks Farm, a grower of popcorn and soybeans near Ann Arbor. Tom and Rosanne Bloomer are just the fourth family to own the circa 1827 farm, which is named for the Bur Oak trees on the land.

The couple not only grows non-GMO popcorn and food grade soybeans, they clean, process and package their goods on site. Beyond the obvious benefits of this hands-on care and quality control, they point out that folks allergic to peanuts (or other products) can rest assured that Bur Oaks popcorn and soybeans are safe because they never come in contact with or are contaminated by any other products.

I was, as the website says about the uncommon, old-fashioned popcorn, “drawn to its rich red color.” As promised, it does have great flavor and is very tender. I ate it plain—no salt, no butter, no seasonings—and it was melt-in-your-mouth delish.

(Oh, and the red kernels scattered in the foreground in the picture above are my attempt at an artsy photo–there wasn’t an unpopped kernel in the batch.)

Bur Oaks Red popcorn is available at the Marquette Food Co-Op

On a recent visit to the Marquette Food Co-Op we were happy to see Bur Oaks Red popcorn on the shelf.

You can buy it, as well as white popcorn and a variety of dry roasted soynuts online at the Bur Oaks Farm website.

Pop to it!

All stories and photos copyright Kath Usitalo unless otherwise noted