If you’re like most people, when you think of corn, you probably think of the sweet yellow variety that you eat on the cob. In the industrialized food system, only one or two varieties of a plant usually make it to the grocery store. But there are so many more varieties that Indigenous growers have cultivated for generations, with a ton of variance in appearance, color, texture, and taste. 

Rooted in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s land in Colorado, Bow & Arrow has been producing heirloom, non-GMO corn since 1962. On their 7,700-acre farm, the tribe grows, harvests, processes, and packages the corn before delivering it to their customers, including other food manufacturers, consumers, and restaurants including Owamni.  

These heirloom varieties bring beautiful flavor and color to your kitchen, perfect for dishes like cornbread, polenta, and breading for eggplant, fish, and much more. At the IFL Market, we roast the kernels to add a hint of caramelization and smokiness and then grind it into a meal. Try some for yourself by stopping by the IFL Market or ordering it online.  

Bow & Arrow has a ton of great recipes on their website, like this very fall-appropriate rosemary polenta with mushrooms.  

Regardless of how you use it, using Bow & Arrow’s corn means contributing to the sustenance of centuries-old agricultural wisdom and the Ute Mountain community’s economy.