We’ll get to this later on, but it’s worth knowing that it takes several plants to make your own broom. It’s known that broom corn was originally planted in home gardens, not plantations. The sweeping sensation of broom corn production… But my question to you is this: have you ever seen fields of it waving in the breeze? Probably not, though you can attempt this by planting it in your backyard. From there it spread west as far as New Mexico and Colorado. In the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin was credited with introducing it to the United States. It’s even possible that some seed selection went along with helping to evolve the longest panicles (the loose branching clusters of flowers, like oats, growing singly from the top of each plant). Due to its appearance, it immediately shows us what it wants to be – or to do. Sweeping the bad jokes aside, it seems that brooms were made first from broom corn in the Dark Ages. How it spread to the Mediterranean and beyond, is anybody’s guess. Origins and a Brief History of Broom CornĪlthough not for certain, it appears that broom corn ( Sorghum vulgare var.
If not for the sake of going plastic-free, then for the sake of returning to a simpler, self-reliant way of life. Then you can get rid of your plastic “broom”, sweeper, swifter, whatever you want to call it, and get back to your natural origins. By the time you’re done reading, all that’s left to do, is purchase some seeds and wait for the right time to plant them. Or maybe you are here to learn a thing or two about diversifying the bird feed that you can easily grow in your backyard.Įither way, let’s tuck into the subject of growing broom corn. “As long as people like old-time crafts, we’ll have a place.So, you’d like to try your hand at making a broom, am I right? “I think broom makers will always be around,” he says. Newton’s busy schedule as a craftsman convinces him his craft has a steady future. He has been asked to attend shows in New England and Pennsylvania and has even sold brooms as props for filmmakers. Newton attends several art shows and events each year, mostly within a day’s drive, including Louisville. “The experience they receive creating something useful is priceless,” Newton says, adding that the cottage is available year round. “This is part of my effort to educate people about craftsmanship.”Īt the end of a stay guests return home with a broom they have made.
#Amish corn broom how to#
“We invite visitors to come and learn how to construct their own broom using antique equipment,” Newton says. The property includes a fully furnished cottage the Newtons have established for guests to lease for access to his studio and gallery. Today, Newton and his wife, Lizzy, cultivate Broomcorn Johnny’s while living in an 1830s log cabin near Elizabeth, Indiana, on the Ohio River. Upon receiving an order from Anthropologie, Newton hires help for sanding broom handles and weighing the broomcorn. One of his largest clients is Anthropologie – a women’s clothing and home décor store – with 175 stores nationwide. Sales increased even more when Newton developed a process to create vibrant colors in the broomcorn, including red and blue. Newton is so confident of the quality of his hand-stitched brooms that he offers a 15-year warranty. Many of his broom handles are made from Indiana hardwoods, mostly sassafras. “One piece from the 1700s holds the broom flat while I stitch it,” he says. He prefers completing much of the brooms’ construction himself, using his ancient machinery. If it is cut too late, it becomes crooked.”Īs Newton’s quality of craftsmanship became well known, his brooms sold so quickly that he hired a farmer in northern Mexico to grow the broomcorn and ship it to him.Īfter a career in the Air Force, Newton began making brooms full-time in 2011. If it is cut when immature, the fibers have no stamina. “It has to be monitored daily to determine quality.
“Broomcorn is a labor-intensive crop,” he says. He quickly discovered the process was challenging. “They are soft enough not to damage hardwood floors.”Īt first, Newton tried raising broomcorn on a few acres at his home in Brown County. “The seeds trap dirt like Velcro,” Newton says. The product is called broomcorn because when it is harvested with seeds on its tips, the seeds act as cleaning agents.
The second is for animal feed, and the third can be used for brooms.” “The first type is syrup for consumption by humans.
“Broomcorn is one of three families of sorghum,” Newton says. Find tips on how to care for your very own Broomcorn Johnny’s broom.
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