Fortunately, another weekend has arrived. And with it comes more time in the garden and hours to wittle away enjoying my favourite hobby.

But as the sun sets on another productive Saturday my mind begins to caress the stay-in-with-a-video notion. The muscles are sore, but not nearly as sore if I hadn't warmed up with some stretching exercises first, and I feel a sense of achievement as I scan the yard.

A warm shower, fresh-pressed PJ's and a mug of hot Milo agrees with my earlier idea of a lazy evening. The one thing that's missing - hot buttered popcorn.

And I get to thinking, where does Popcorn come from? much like a child whose interest is peaked on hearing that Milk comes from cows. Surely, popcorn didn't start life in those microwaveable bags!

Of course, I knew Popcorn didn't just come in bags!

In fact, it doesn't just come from your normal corn kernels either. Corn used as popping corn comes from a distinct genus - Zea mays subsp mays. Commonly known as Flint corn it is a cultivated strain and is branded under the 'Popcorn' name.

Apparently, it was first discovered by native Indian Americans and has since been bred for this very purpose.

So how do you grow Popcorn?

It's no different to growing normal corn. Plant the corn kernels out in early spring right in their growing position. Planting in blocks seems to be far more effective at pest control than growing in straight lines. Water regularly as the stalks begin to grow and increase this to daily when the cobs are in production mode.

You can tell when the corn is ready to harvest as the husk begins to dry and the hair starts to yellow and darken.

Once you've picked the cobs, pull the husks backwards and use this to hang up in a sunny, dry location. Leave them in this place until the cobs are completely dry and you can easily thumb kernels off.

Then store these kernels in a dry, cool location keeping some for next year's crop and the rest goes into the Presto Popcorn Maker (aff.). Add some melted butter, salt or cheddar cheese and suddenly that dull DVD you were watching becomes a little more palatable.