I'm a "White Cat" gal, myself. I used to buy it at Williams and Sonoma, but I don't think they carry it any more. I moved to Chicago for a while and in that splendid (albeit cold) city, you can just pick up your White Cat at the Jewel. Now, I am forced to Froogle for it, whenever I need a supply.

I have an induction cooktop and to my great surprise, I've discovered that you can just dump the popcorn into the hot oil and wait for the popping to slow down. No shaking required. I love induction.

I really like Jolly Time the best.

I got a little bag of mixed miniature popcorn kernels from Fireworks Popcorn Company in Wisconsin. I enjoyed popping and eating tiny popcorn, so I looked them up on the internet.

It turns out they make normal-sized popcorn too, all different kinds, and it might be fun to try some. I'll put a link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireworks Popcorn Company

I like the local stuff...grown just over that hill. $.99 for a 2 pound bag....and so much more tasty than Orville's.
But Jolly Time is grown in Sioux City or very near there...I like the big yellow kernals...I gave some of that little white stuff to the birdies.
Yep...good ole Iowa corn!!
Linda C

I have found with my whirly pop, and from what I have heard from others, is that the cheapest popcorn actually pops the lightest and the most. Orville's is the worst.

Shelley

When I used to make popcorn, I just used to but the store brand (as long as it looked good). It always seemed to pop better than the more expensive brands. I shopped at Jewel.

I use the amish yellow popcorn (although our little high end food store has closed, so I don't know if I can still find it). But looking on Amazon at the picture, it says whirley pop. I never noticed. We pop in a pan with oil, the old fashioned way. It's great popcorn.

I buy organic white. I'm going to order some popping corn seeds from rareseeds.com to grow my own this year.
I used to buy the store brand too..

My ex-husband made the best popcorn ever, and he taught me how to do it. He always swore by yellow kernel corn, cooked on the stove top in a heavy pan.

That's how I make it to this day. A little oil, big pan, yellow corn, give it a shake or two, and wah-lah! Light, fluffy popcorn, add a bit of salt and lots of butter and we are in popcorn heaven around here!

My daughter used to always make those bags of microwave popcorn. Ugh! The smell alone was enough to gag me!

Linda

Linda -- do you have to keep a lid on the skillet? wouldn't it be popping all over the kitchen without one?

I think the absolutely best, most tender, and most hull-free is from the "Strawberry" popcorn -- a miniature-eared, miniature kerneled red, pointed-seeded variety. You might be able to find it in specialty stores or on the internet. I grow my own.

If you can't find the red, the black-kerneled popcorn, which is available in most stores, is pretty much the same.

The popped kernels are small, but very light and fluffy. Best thing, though, is that the outer hull around the kernel is so soft and so small, no annoying hulls get stuck in your teeth, unlike with larger yellow varieties.

Best place to store popcorn, I've found, for long-term storage is in a tightly sealed jar in the freezer.

Denninmi, how cool to grow your own popcorn! That Fireworks Popcorn Company that I mentioned above also sells popcorn without the coarse hulls, but not the Strawberry variety that you grow. No GMOs either. They offer the following types:

Wisconsin White Birch
Savanna Gold
Starshell Red
High Mountain Midnight
Red River Valley
Autumn Blaze
Orchard Blossom
Blue Heron
Baby White Rice
Baby Yellow
Black Hills
Sunset Fire

I had no idea there were so many kinds.

Baby Rice is the variety I'm looking at growing this year.

As I mentioned on the other thread--we've been using White Cat Popping Corn.

My Dad would have loved getting a variety pack of the Fireworks Popcorn! He dearly loved his popcorn as do I!

Thanks petaloid for the link....a definite add to my Favorites List!

Michelle

Don't have a favorite brand but for great popcorn the fresher, the better.... Once the inside of the kernels dry out it's only fit for birds... Unless you like eating the hulls... lol

Rita

As a child we ate "LOTS" of popcorn (nightly in the winter, popped in the fireplace) that my father grew. If you are able to grow your own "IT" will be the best you can get if you take care of it properly! Just be sure of what you are planting!

I contacted the "Fireworks Popcorn Company" with some questions I had about there products before I purchase from them.

petaloid, I am really confused about the term "Little" when you refer to popcorn. I have never heard of it before this posting and I am a Pop Corn Freak without a doubt!! I am checking it out!

Terri- You and that "Baby White", I've heard of it before with some great responses but know absolutely nothing about it other than "The Popcorn Factory" carries it. I will be getting some I assure you. However when they say "TINY" it disturbs me so I emailed them to try and get it cleared up!
If you have tried it please let me know ASAP, because it will determine how much I get. If not, I'll send you some when I get it.

ritaotay, you're absolutely right about the freshness on the whole, anyone that argues with that is nuts, LOL!! Throughout the winter you could see it degrade slightly to moderately, I just remember the grownups talking about it.

The only thing that bothers me about "The Fireworks popcorn company" is they refer to there corn being open pollinated in the fields, this just makes no sense to me.

I guess we will find out!

Changeling

This is from http://www.lottapop.com/

Shipping Address Ship Via Change or New

MD 21770 US

Item Description Quantity Gift Wrap Price Total
12.5 lb. White Popcorn 1 N/A $10.00 $10.00

Do you have a Promotion Code?
Please enter your Promotion Code below:

Items: $10.00
Shipping & Handling: $17.96
Tax : $0.00
Total: $27.96

Sorry Lindac I just don't think this is much better. I thank you for the link, but I will pass on $18.00 to ship.
That would equate to $2.24 a pound delivered.
Thats about 3 times the cost of fresh chicken that can be found on sale at $0.70 a pound .

Now what does everyone think costs more to raise, a chicken or an ear of corn?

At this rate no one will be able to buy anything through shipping, like UPS/FEDX/whatever!
Just stop and think about it! If you don't buy what is on the grocery shelves, that will be it!!
Maybe it is just me but something is really wrong here and if you don't see it, I just don't know what to say to you!

Change, haven't tried it yet, but I just happened to have marked it in the Heirloom seed catalog the day before this thread started. ~hmmmmmmm

The guy I buy chicken eggs from in the summer..says he's loosing money on his eggs..Apparently his cheap/free feed went away. The guy he was getting it from sold the land. So he was buying feed at the Farm Store.

So I don't know about your question..LOL

Annie, would have to answer it.

LindaC - Orville R popcorn is grown in Iowa too - and all over the world.

I have both Orville R (ConAgra) and Jolly Time grown right in my area - nearly in my backyard! Several other "local" growers also. One that comes to mind is Pudenz Popcorn

I do like Orville R popcorn -but only with REAL butter on it :)

I have a round device that you "screw" down over a ear of popcorn to shell it - it doesn't get any fresher.

You wouldn't believe all that goes into growing/harvesting popcorn. It is quite a process. The combines have to be cleaned completely out and some is harvested in a special way. It is handled quite delicately, of course. Popcorn has to be harvested at just the right moisture content.

Lakeview Iowa is the closest place to haul the crop into in this area. Many farmers keep it in bins until they have time to haul it in after the main harvest rush is over. Most crops are ready all at once - soybeans, field corn, and popcorn - so it is difficult to haul popcorn and get the other crops in that need to be harvested. Plus, have a very limited terminal point means that many trucks are in line to dump their loads.

There is quite a bit of seed popcorn grown around here too (Western Iowa).

Just thought you all might be interested.

My family always liked white hulless popcorn. They could always tell when someone used something else. We made it on the stove-top and added real butter. We had lots of different popcorn poppers, but none of them worked as well as a pan on the stove.