What Is Hulless Popcorn?

Popcorn's popularity as a cash crop dates back to the late 1800s. The variety with which most people are familiar has large kernels that leave big, hard hulls when popped. Not so with hullless, or rice popcorn.

The popcorn hull is the seed, or kernel that, when heated, "pops" under the pressure of the steam that builds up inside and causes the more tender inner portion of the kernel to expand. The resulting piece of popcorn is an inside out version of the unpopped kernel Because most popcorn kernels are relatively large, so are the remaining hulls — the brown, crunchy portion of a kernel of popped popcorn that's nestled inside the white, fluffy part.

Hulless popcorn does have a hull — it must, as the hull is the seed, and without the seed there's nothing to pop — but the kernels are small so the hulls are smaller, more tender, and less noticeable.

Hulless popcorn manufacturers may develop their own varieties for commercial use, and they make it available in regular and microwavable forms. Japanese hulless popcorn is a variety with longstanding use among home gardeners. According to Local Harvest, Japanese hulless popcorn "produces three to six four-inch ears per plant."

Determine the areas of the popcorn ceiling that will need tape. Applying the tape directly to the ceiling along the top edge of the wall will protect it from accidentally being painted. Carefully climb the ladder and have a helper hand you the painter's tape, as well as steady the ladder. Line up the straight edge of the painter's tape with the length of the wall. Press the tape into place. It may be necessary to tear the tape from the roll and reposition the tape as you work down the room. Push the tape onto the ceiling and against the wall firmly with the end of a trowel, taking care not to flatten or scrape any of the popcorn texture.