I love making popcorn, unfortunately quality kernels have been affected by a drought for two years...

I've finished cooking store bought kernels in the pot an hour earlier, and unless I recook and dehydrate it (which tastes a bit more odder...), it ends up extremely chewy. Just two years earlier I could get crunchy kernels in a specialized air fryer.

Even more so, enthusiastic about popcorn, I go out of my way to purchase from specialized small businesses who told me their sources were affected by the drought in the midwest United States, therefore the minimal batch they could have they've popped and sold as such. Reasonably so, they said they'd rather sell no kernels than let down customers with lower quality kernels.

A few other small companies also said the same thing when I asked about the quality of the kernels when discussing the drought. They want to sell a variety, but the three top kernels, white, butterfly, and yellow have been the most affected, and while there are many still around, they don't fit the quality that the store desired. Kernels never truly disappeared, but the quality ones have...

As of now I source my kernels from store companies and rationing the small business kernels, but I've signed up for every newsletter of the companies I've missed purchasing kernels from to buy either in person or online. I've tried five different store brands, even those marked premium quality, and they never had the good texture that the small businesses have.

I will get those quality kernels one day. Eventually...