Corn

The Basics

Sweet corn is one of the joys of summer. It is best super fresh as flavor and sweetness wane somewhat quickly after harvest. We are very picky with our corn and get frequent harvests for our farmstands, and pick to order for the CSA. Improvements by crop breeders over the last few years have made newer varieties of sweet corn stay sweeter longer after harvest (not genetic modification, just regular crop breeding). We don’t grow or buy in any genetically modified sweet corn.

Some of crop will occasionally have corn earworms. The worms aren’t bad for you in any way. If you get corn with a worm in it, you can just chop off that part and the rest of the ear will be good. Please do not open ears to check for worms or ripeness, as it damages the ears for other people! Corn is delicious and the worms probably pick the sweetest ears to taste themselves.

We recommend leaving the husk on the cob until right before you’re going to prepare it, because the kernels easily dry out without their protective husk.

Cooking Tips

To steam corn, place the corn in a big pot, cover with cool water, and leave the lid on. When the water comes to a boil, the corn is done! Undercooking sweet corn isn’t a big problem, because it’s just as tasty raw. It’s best not to salt the water in the pot, because it can make the corn tough.

To roast ears of corn on the grill, keep their husks on and dunk the ears in water, drain, then place on a rack above your coals. Roast and turn until the outside husks are browned (or blackened as some like it!). Sometimes it cooks through and browns the surface of the kernels in spots with a wonderful caramelizing effect. You can also cut off the tip of each ear and pull out some of the silk before roasting if you’d like.

Did you know you can eat corn raw? That’s how we check if it’s ripe in the field. You can cut it off the cob and toss in salad or mix into fresh salsa.

If you get a bunch of fresh corn, you can cook it all right away to preserve the sweetness, and then use in various dishes later on. Grill previously steamed corn to warm and get some grill flavor. Or cut from the cob for use in salads. You can freeze it after cooking too, on the cob or off. Cobs can be boiled with some herbs and onion to make tasty soup stocks for corn chowder or other summer soups.