# Corn



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

So mad that corn is a grain...cause I love it.


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Love it even without the butter. But I use butter.

Bud


----------



## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

In western NY the fresh corn season is coming to an end. We have great corn. I get corn from time to time in FL and it is good, but not close to the quality of NY corn. Nearly all fresh corn today is yellow and white hybrid and it stays sweet for a long time compared to the corn years ago. There is a Mennonite farm stand near my farmland and they sell all yellow and Silver Queen white corn. It tastes like the corn we ate 50 years ago. From late July until mid September we have corn almost every night except when we have fresh green beans. The farmer who rents my land put in 20 acres of asparagus, so in a couple of years we will be eating lots of asparagus.
Looks like you got all yellow.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

One time mom had taken corn off the cob and was in a large bowl like you pictured. I snuck a spoon and tasted it, because I dearly loved corn. It was good. She whacked me and said leave it alone, I'm going to cook that for supper. I didn't know it was raw corn  It was still good.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

If i've told this story previously please read again.:wink2:


A few years ago a nephew called stating if we wanted some sweet corn go to field yada, yada yada and get all ya want before the raccoons get it all. His grain drill had the capability of planting a row of sweet while planting all other rows in field corn. Those raccoons didn't take long to determine which was best for their taste buds and went straight down the sweet corn row pulling stalks over eating a little off of each corn ear and just really screwing everything up for we humans. IIR, we had frozen sweet corn in the freezer for a couple of years.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

Sigh, we can't get fresh corn around here any more. This year, the drought has made it worse. But the days of going to the farm stand and getting corn that was picked within a few hours are gone. The best farm stand around - the one at a real farm - leaves the corn out for days. I can remember places which picked 2-3 times per day.

I'm convinced a whole generation is growing up not knowing what fresh corn, or ripe melons or tomatoes, taste like. That crap that's bred for shipping, then picked unripe, has no flavor. Most if it dries out and starts to go bad before it ripens.


----------



## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

CaptTom said:


> Sigh, we can't get fresh corn around here any more. This year, the drought has made it worse. But the days of going to the farm stand and getting corn that was picked within a few hours are gone. The best farm stand around - the one at a real farm - leaves the corn out for days. I can remember places which picked 2-3 times per day.
> 
> I'm convinced a whole generation is growing up not knowing what fresh corn, or ripe melons or tomatoes, taste like. That crap that's bred for shipping, then picked unripe, has no flavor. Most if it dries out and starts to go bad before it ripens.


Not here. We have so many farm stands you can’t toss a dead cat out your car window without hitting one. We start with strawberries then go to beans, corn, melons, peaches and lots more.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

CaptTom said:


> Sigh, we can't get fresh corn around here any more. This year, the drought has made it worse. But the days of going to the farm stand and getting corn that was picked within a few hours are gone. The best farm stand around - the one at a real farm - leaves the corn out for days. I can remember places which picked 2-3 times per day.
> 
> I'm convinced a whole generation is growing up not knowing what fresh corn, or ripe melons or tomatoes, taste like. That crap that's bred for shipping, then picked unripe, has no flavor. Most if it dries out and starts to go bad before it ripens.


What changed? Market/land use? Climate?


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

lenaitch said:


> What changed? Market/land use? Climate?


My guess: Big Ag.

Let me explain. The big producers who sell to the supermarkets have developed new strains of these crops. They're designed to look good, like big, red strawberries. They're designed to ship well. They're designed to be picked while still very unripe, and ripen along the way. They're designed to be easy to grow, easy to harvest, have pest resistance or tolerate poor soil or whatever else shaves a few pennies off the bottom line of the corporations.

The one thing they're _not_ designed to do is taste good.

This attitude seems to have filtered down to the smaller farms in our area. I generally ask when the corn was picked. The staff at the farm stands look at me like I'm from Mars. Why would you want to know THAT? It's all the same. Some of it has been here since Tuesday. Some was brought over from the field today, but they don't pick today so it was probably there for a couple of days after picking.

I ask about the melons. Were these ripened on the vine? Again, a look of disbelief. We don't DO that. That's not how you pick melons! You pick them while they're still hard as a brick and let them sit around the farm stand for a few days or a week. They'll ripen up eventually. No-one seems to notice that they're already dried out and shriveling, even though they're not ripe yet.

Since none of these folks have ever tasted ripe melons or fresh corn, they have no clue why I'd care. I'm not a big tomato eater, but I've heard it's the same story there. At least those are easy to grow yourself.


----------



## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

SeniorSitizen said:


> Have you tasted the real flavor of just sweet corn from a fresh ear without butter and or salt, but cooked in the Micro for about 3 minutes, delicious? It's no wonder it has a lengthy history.


No micro for me, I throw fresh corn on the bbq (husk and all) to cook it up.

The only prep is to cut off any dangling silk with sizzlers.

On the bbq (or in the oven if need be) until the kernels start to caramelize.

Add butter after that or don't, it doesn't matter because that in husk caramelized corn is as tasty as a Snicker Bar.


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

CaptTom said:


> My guess: Big Ag.
> 
> Let me explain. The big producers who sell to the supermarkets have developed new strains of these crops. They're designed to look good, like big, red strawberries. They're designed to ship well. They're designed to be picked while still very unripe, and ripen along the way. They're designed to be easy to grow, easy to harvest, have pest resistance or tolerate poor soil or whatever else shaves a few pennies off the bottom line of the corporations.
> 
> ...


I hear ya. Those large, white-centred strawberries that come from California, Mexico, etc. in the off-season are simply inedible. They're not as good as fresh, but I can handle hot-house tomatoes. Life in northern climes dictate that we have to accept less-than-garden-fresh a lot of the year, but a lot of the stuff the industry has engineered is an affront to food.

We probably got a couple of weeks left in local fresh corn so we'll enjoy it while we can.

At least we can get most freshwater fish all year as we have a small local commercial operation.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

We have several very nice farmer's market type locations here, where, if you are prudent, you can get good fresh produce. I mean prudent in that you aren't getting fresh corn in April. They have it, but it is shipped in from South Texas or some other place. I wait until they start presenting their own stuff. You can tell. The early stuff is robust, greener, and plumper, probably from genetic engineering. The truly local stuff has ear worms, is a little less eye appealing but tastes great (not the worms).

We had a total wash out as far as planting season this year. Rain every day for months. We were late with our corn planting, and I may be forced to just plow it in because it just missed the prime growing season. There's always next year.


----------



## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

I haven't noticed much fresh ear corn in the grocery stores here this year. Been wondering if the crops weren't too good this year.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

chandler48 said:


> We have several very nice farmer's market type locations here...


Oooo, another pet peeve... Farmers' Markets.

It used to be that was a place that real farmers could sell products above wholesale, but below retail. Win-win for consumers and farmers.

Yeah, that's over.

Now, you won't see many farmers there. Plenty of boutique sellers of high-end, organic, free-range, gluten-free, Non-GMO soap and such. Lots of arts and crafts. A few sellers of sad-looking, overpriced produce. I see better stuff in the supermarket, and it's cheaper there.


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Ya, I've given up on the farmers markets as well. I frequent a few roadside sellers who grow what they sell. Honest and local produce.

Bud


----------



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

CaptTom said:


> Oooo, another pet peeve... Farmers' Markets.
> 
> It used to be that was a place that real farmers could sell products above wholesale, but below retail. Win-win for consumers and farmers.
> 
> ...


There was a bit of a kerfuffle up here a few years ago at some farmers' markets where the real local farmers and artisans tried to keep commercial food vendors, hawkers and peddlers and re-sellers from outside the areas from getting booth space. Some operators agreed, some didn't. I think the ones that were more successful and keeping it local were the ones operated as cooperatives.


----------



## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

I remember the last really fresh ears of corn I had. First time a cousin and I finished mowing hay for a guy and stopped at his corn field on the way out. Arm load of corn each total about 35 ears, was "field corn". All shucked and cooked when we got home. 5 people, none left. Excellent. Next maybe 10 yrs later going home from somewhere I noticed a corn field close to the road. Stopped, robbed the field of about 6 ears. Shucked and cooked as soon as I got home. Sweet corn and excellent. None better than those 2 times since.


----------



## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

wooleybooger said:


> I remember the last really fresh ears of corn I had.


My mother was raised on a farm. She insisted on only fresh corn. Literally picked within no more than a few hours of cooking. We'd also be allowed to eat it raw sometimes. Delicious!

This spoiled me for life. I don't really enjoy corn on the cob any more. I'd rather eat the stuff from a can. At least that was picked and cooked the same day.

Sad that so many people grow up never knowing what fresh, ripe produce, which wasn't carefully bread for color and shipping properties, tastes like.

My mother explained that, as soon as the corn is picked, the natural sugars start getting converted to starch. I never questioned the science, but it makes sense. There is certainly a very noticeable difference in taste.


----------



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

When I was growing up in the 50s my father and uncle grew several acres of corn. The variety they grew was Iowa Chief; not grown much any more as the newer hybrids are much sweeter and last longer after picking. Our idea of fresh was to set the water to boil and go pick the corn. I could eat a dozen ears back then.


----------

