Sweet Corn Analysis
I just now noticed that “analysis” could be thought of as having a prefix. Anyway, the ears on the left are from the Whole Foods Coop and the ones on the right are from the guy in the Pizza Hut parking lot on Central Entrance.
Co-op price was .99 each (or .89 with my membership). Pizza Hut price was $6/doz or .50 each.
A random co-op ear was 35 corns high and 18 corns around at the base and thus I approximate it as having 630 corns at $0.0014 per corn.
Pizza Hut Guy corn was 33 corns tall and 13 corns around at base. That’s 429 corns and $.0012 per corn. Still cheaper, but if I had a little more patience, I might count around the middle next time.
The co-op corn’s white appearance is outside of my childhood memories of what corn should look like, but it did yellow up after boiling.
They were both delicious, however, I found the co-op cob superior. It was fresher and juicier. Co-op corn also offered a better audio experience as the kernels popped when bitten into.
Now I want corn. Co-op corn.
Awesome post!
For best flavor, corn should be eaten the same day it’s picked. And it should be picked in the early morning while the dew is still on it. So it’s always good to ask the person you’re buying from when the corn was picked.
I don’t usually worry about how big the ear is or how many kernels are on the ear. I assume you meant to say 35 kernels high, rather than 35 corns high? Freshness is key. Color doesn’t matter much either, except that you want to generally avoid ears that have too deep a gold or orange-ish color, as that can indicate an ear that is over-ripe…unless the specific variety that you’re buying is supposed to be that color. Another clue that the corn is a little too old is that the kernels will be starting to show some dents.
White corn, yellow corn, a mix of white and yellow kernels, are all just different varieties. But each color could taste equally good.
Did you find either of the ears that you tried sweeter than the other? I tend to like the super-sweet strains.
A tip: Don’t overcook corn. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Drop in the ears and let the water come back to a boil. Remove corn from boiling water and eat! You can wait a minute or so with the corn at a boil if you’d like, but more than that is unnecessary. After boiling it is a really good time to tell if the corn is old…again, the kernels will have an orange hue and the taste will be starchy.
Hollie
(Daughter of a Corn and Soybean Farmer)
Vicarious’ Korn Korner Helpful Hint of the Day:
1. Corn does not need to be boiled. Put an inch of water in a pot, bring to a light boil, place corn in pot and let steam for 5 minutes.
2. Slather with lactose-based fat, and sprinkle with sodium.
3. Enjoy!
Oh, you think corn on the cob is a delicious summer treat, do you? Try being the one who goes out to the corn field in 100 degree heat and spends the next 12 hours, at, oh I don’t know, 10 cents an hour, and detassles it, in the heat, and the bugs, while one’s junior high friends all get to be lifeguards or ‘babysit’ all day, i.e. watch TV in air conditioning.
I grew up in Nebraska. I know these things.
Sort of like butchering 100 chickens in a day, eh Em? I still eat it, tho. But yes, I put those days in the rearview like picking rock and baling sunup to sundown. (Though our neighbors’ farm meals were almost worth the green alfalfa snot for week.)
I would love to see more “Duluth veggie analysis” at PDD!
Got fresh, just picked corn down in Wrenshaw last summer right from the farm fam. My god that was good stuff.
Perhaps the parking lot corn had less crunch because it was already partially steamed in the heat of the not quite perfect duluth day… Love the analysis!
In high school I worked in a corn canning factory on the “cutters” – standing on a wooden box, shoving cobs of corn into slots for 12 hour shifts while it spit corn juice and guts into my eyebrows, hair, ears and nostrils. Went home crusty with the fruit of my labor. Too short to detassle.
Why are you boiling fresh corn?
Leave the husks on, soak in water for 30 minutes and then place over indirect heat on grill for 10-15 minutes. Once you steam corn on the grill you never eat it any other way. Hot, soft and delicious.
A high schooler working 12 hour shifts?
Somebody never paid much attention to child labor laws or OSHA safety regulations.
I think farm labor is exempt from child labor laws.
From:
https://www.stopchildlabor.org/USchildlabor/fact1.htm
In agriculture, the only restriction on hours of employment is that children cannot work during school hours. Apart from this requirement, there is no limit on how early in the day children may begin work or how late in the day they may work, and not even any limit on the number of hours in the day that they may work.
Outside of agriculture, there are far greater hours-of-work protections for child workers.
*************************************************
If your parent or guardian owns the farm, is also employed on the farm or gives his or her consent. There is no limit to how many hours you might work.
Ho ho ho carty
My dad was a cook in the navy during WW2 and he said they’d put corn in water along with a little milk and then as soon as the water boiled they’d take it off and eat. I’ve done it this way. Yum.
I was lucky enough to grow up on the gritty urban streets of Nebraska (Omaha) so I never detassled, but it was legendary work. I felt fortunate to be mowing lawns in the heat instead.
Brian, I grew up in a suburb of Omaha (Elkhorn), and with all the family farm land being converted to McMansionLand, I’m guessing that detassling will soon go the way of the typewriter. Which might be the one and only positive thing to say about the loss of family farms.
Yeah, I get to visit that exact area once or twice a year, my parents and sister are just outside of Bennington now. It’s amazing what’s built up there so fast.
Is that the same guy who doesn’t know the difference between “Candy Corn” (Gross!) and “Sweet Corn” (MMmmmTastic!)?
@ Hollie. You know your corn girlfriend! Much of the corn that is sold in parking lots in our area is picked in S MN and brought in, and no matter what the seller tells you, it is a day or two or even three days old, and can be hit or miss.