FAQ

Popcorn is really an art and science.  The science is heat transfer.  The art is what heating medium is used (air, oil, butter, or grease) and seasoning (naked, salty, sweet, tangy, and so on).  Note that the red is better for air popping due to its smaller volume and the blue is better for coating—so if you’re cooking caramel corn with Grandma, blue is the way to go while red is the route on strict weight loss via an air popper.  

Our favorite is with a stir-crazy popper in oil.  We use a heavy oil, usually coconut oil but also corn oil or ghee.  The cover keeps the moisture in while it is cooking, making for a great seasoning opportunity right after dumping into the bowl.  But it works in an air popper, stove or microwave too.

Yes!  There is no popcorn that has ever been modified by biotechnology, ours included.  We hope you buy because it tastes awesome, not because of this label though!

The hull is the seed coat of a grain, like popcorn.  Technically our popcorn does have a hull.  But it’s much thinner, so for practical purposes, it’s “hull-less.”  That’s why nothing gets stuck in your teeth with popcorn from our family farm.

Absolutely.  There’s no gluten in our popcorn and it’s a healthy, filling, awesome-tasting super-snack.

We’re not certified organic…yet.  We do, however employ minimalist practices in our farming -for example, we have never sprayed a crop protection product for insects. Our home and even our well water, is located less than 100 feet from our fields. We would absolutely never do anything on our farm that would put our family, or yours, at risk. 

We hope to one day become organic.  We are researching sustainable ways to do so, experimenting with cover crops and no-tillage to protect soil erosion.

It depends.  A heavier oil will add more flavor due to a  longer cooking time, but with a few more added calories (still far better than excessive butter, cheese or caramel added after popping—though those are pretty good too).  A lighter oil will add its own unique flavor as well, but will cook in slightly shorter time.  It will be a lighter taste but with fewer calories.  The heavy oils include coconut, ghee and bacon grease.  The most common light oil is olive oil.  For more information, check out this link we found from Healthcastle.com with a spectrum of oils.

https://www.healthcastle.com/top-10-good-cooking-oils/

Bottom line, it really depends on the balance of health, taste, and cost that best fits your needs.  That’s the fun thing about popcorn.  You can make memories with friends and family while trying new things!

You can buy our products right here on this website! Visit our Shop page.

 You can also find Pilot Knob Farms in a variety of retail locations across the United States. Visit our Find Us page to see where. 

If we’re not available nearby, please inquire with your local store manager, and if you can, send us their contact information.  We will reach out to them, and if they request a free sample, we’ll send one to you too!  It’s our way of saying thanks for spreading the word about our family farm.

Just that—ever had a batch of popcorn that would give your dentist fits?  You know, when you eat a few handfuls and then need to grab a toothpick or worse, dig with your fingernails?  Not a problem with our popcorn.  The seed coat, or hull, on our popcorn is thinner.  It dislodges from your teeth as you eat, if it even gets in your teeth to begin with.  So enjoy our popcorn with no toothpicks!

As a fifth (and hopefully sixth) generation farm, we have a deep sense of purpose on carrying on the family farm.  That is impossible without investing the best of yourself into your land and thinking about the next 25 years (or the time when the next generation may choose to come back to the family farm).  We employ no-tillage, to reduce soil and fertilizer runoff.  We constantly strive to reduce inputs of fertilizer and crop protection products—including research with cover crops to improve soil biodiversity and health, as well as researching organic transition.

In moderation, and with careful consideration, yes.  We practice integrated pest management or IPM, which means no decision is made without considering the economic, social, biological, chemical, and ecological impact.  We NEVER apply anything that would jeopardize our health or yours.  We have two children who play less than 100 feet from one of our fields.  Our well water is within 75 feet of this same field and our farmer commonly sips water directly from the tile in our fields.  Additionally, we’re very mindful of using pesticides correctly. We use far fewer pesticides than a generation ago and at lower rates, employing products that are designed to breakdown after they’ve done their job.