Corn on the Cob

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I've never hesitated to put a little frozen corn in a bowl, let them thaw, and sprinkle them on salads. Same with frozen peas. It hasn't killed any of us yet! :LOL:
 
I have never seen frozen cooked corn at the supermarket.

Trader Joe's has frozen grilled corn. It's really good, they have those little black char marks on them. I love them thawed in southwestern salads with chipotle ranch. :)
 
I've never hesitated to put a little frozen corn in a bowl, let them thaw, and sprinkle them on salads. Same with frozen peas. It hasn't killed any of us yet! :LOL:

As kids, we would pick not quite ripe ears right out of the garden and eat them. I loved the white corn ones. And peas? Same thing. Pull the peas, one at a time from the pod with our teeth. Didn't want to lose even one. :angel:
 
I only eat the corn we grow--don't know about corn you buy in the store. I start the pot before I walk out to the corn field. The best corn is that you pick and shuck on the way back to the farm house--and the water is ready when you walk in the door.


I'm sure the best thing to do is grow all your own food, but not everyone is in a position to do that. If I only ate what I grow, I would be very thin, and very very hungry!
 
Gotta have land to grow corn. Since corn isn't that nutritious, and is not really that good for a diabetic, it's a once in a while treat, and won't be taking up any of my precious garden space.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Corn and potatoes do take up a lot of real estate. We grow potatoes because we have the room (and I still get a kick out of digging potatoes to discover how many the plant has produced). We grow corn because we can. I think we planted 6-8 100 ft. rows this year. We usually process 3-4 garden trailers around the end of August/beginning of September. If buying sweet corn at a roadside stand, it is best to buy it in the morning. The corn is usually picked first thing in the morning. The longer it sits, the starchier it gets.
 
Corn and potatoes do take up a lot of real estate. We grow potatoes because we have the room (and I still get a kick out of digging potatoes to discover how many the plant has produced). We grow corn because we can. I think we planted 6-8 100 ft. rows this year. We usually process 3-4 garden trailers around the end of August/beginning of September. If buying sweet corn at a roadside stand, it is best to buy it in the morning. The corn is usually picked first thing in the morning. The longer it sits, the starchier it gets.

There are newer varieties that stay sweet much longer, since most people aren't in a position to grow their own.
 
Newer corn strains have been bred to have a lot more sugar. Since the sugar to starch conversion cannot be stopped, more sugar means it will taste sweet longer.
 
Newer corn strains have been bred to have a lot more sugar. Since the sugar to starch conversion cannot be stopped, more sugar means it will taste sweet longer.

But I want my corn to taste like corn, not sugar. I miss the taste of fresh corn as it was purchased in the 60's and 70's.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
But I want my corn to taste like corn, not sugar. I miss the taste of fresh corn as it was purchased in the 60's and 70's.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I agree. The only corn on the cob we get here is super sweet bi-colour corn. I have just quit buying it. We do buy frozen, all yellow corn, but not on the cob.
 
'Tis true Andy. If memory serves me right though, the corn of yesteryear had a more complex flavor. You know the aroma of popcorn, mroe of that flavor was in the corn. Now, it still tastes like corn, but I taste more sugar than corn flavor. DW has a huge sweet tooth, and so likes it better. I like the combination of sweet and savory. I also really enjoy hominy.

It could be though, that since I'm working from old memory, the romantic notion of yesteryear plays in, and maybe the corn wasn't as good as I think it was. But then again, maybe I do like it better. If I could get both varieties, I'd certainly make a fresh taste comparison. I do absolutely know that we got fruit in our markets that were completely ripe, sweet, so juicy, and far, far better than what's available in our supermarkets today. Also, tomatoes and veggies were purchased locally, as was cheese, dairy, and meat products, including sausages of many kinds. The food really was better back when I was a child. The phrase - farm to table, was very close to a reality for everyone around my part of the country. We may not have had the variety that we have now, but what we did have was better quality.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
'Tis true Andy. If memory serves me right though, the corn of yesteryear had a more complex flavor. You know the aroma of popcorn, mroe of that flavor was in the corn. Now, it still tastes like corn, but I taste more sugar than corn flavor. DW has a huge sweet tooth, and so likes it better. I like the combination of sweet and savory. I also really enjoy hominy.

It could be though, that since I'm working from old memory, the romantic notion of yesteryear plays in, and maybe the corn wasn't as good as I think it was. But then again, maybe I do like it better. If I could get both varieties, I'd certainly make a fresh taste comparison. I do absolutely know that we got fruit in our markets that were completely ripe, sweet, so juicy, and far, far better than what's available in our supermarkets today. Also, tomatoes and veggies were purchased locally, as was cheese, dairy, and meat products, including sausages of many kinds. The food really was better back when I was a child. The phrase - farm to table, was very close to a reality for everyone around my part of the country. We may not have had the variety that we have now, but what we did have was better quality.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

I agree with this. Food didn't travel as far when we were younger. I grew up near the Kuner's canning plant, meats came from the butcher, often from ranches I had been to or driven by, wheat from fields that my uncles and grandfather had plowed. Dairy from the local...well dairy from farms I had worked on in the summer. Odds are, 40 years ago and less I was eating food I had or my family had a hand in the production. That ended with my generation.
 
There are newer varieties that stay sweet much longer, since most people aren't in a position to grow their own.
I believe that has to do with shipping. The same way that grocery store tomatoes are varieties that can tolerate being shipped. People make choices. Most people chose not to grow their own food. Even a small lot can be used for a garden. In Little Italy in Ottawa, it is not uncommon to see the entire space in front of an apartment building used for tomatoes, beans, etc. instead of a lawn. There is square-foot gardening:

Square foot gardening - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corn may not be a crop one can grow easily without space, each stalk typically only produces one ear, although some will produce two, it does require garden space and because it is air pollinated, you have to plant it in squares to get pollenation. Then there are raccoons that will find it, as well as deer and other critters, but one can plant other "crops" instead of ornamental annuals.

My choice is to have a garden. It is a LOT of work, but well worth it. I also opt to plant edible plants (annuals) in my perennial flower beds--not all are edible, but many are--pansies, okra, herbs, egg plant, peppers, onions, garlic mixed in with the perennials.
 
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There is something about European immigrants that makes them want to plant. Maybe it comes from years of crop failures in their homeland. We see front yards here also with food growing instead of grass or flowers. In the back yards if they are small, you will see the five gallon buckets with plants growing in them. Mostly climbing plants like cukes, tomatoes, etc. Four poles in each bucket. Every inch of available ground is used to grow food. And if there isn't any, they make their own. :angel:
 
I believe that has to do with shipping. The same way that grocery store tomatoes are varieties that can tolerate being shipped. People make choices. Most people chose not to grow their own food. Even a small lot can be used for a garden. In Little Italy in Ottawa, it is not uncommon to see the entire space in front of an apartment building used for tomatoes, beans, etc. instead of a lawn. There is square-foot gardening:

Square foot gardening - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Corn may not be a crop one can grow easily without space, each stalk typically only produces one ear, although some will produce two, it does require garden space and because it is air pollinated, you have to plant it in squares to get pollenation. Then there are raccoons that will find it, as well as deer and other critters, but one can plant other "crops" instead of ornamental annuals.

My choice is to have a garden. It is a LOT of work, but well worth it. I also opt to plant edible plants (annuals) in my perennial flower beds--not all are edible, but many are--pansies, okra, herbs, egg plant, peppers, onions, garlic mixed in with the perennials.

No one is criticizing your choice to grow practically everything you eat. I just wanted to let you know that modern corn doesn't get starchy quickly like it used to.
 
No one is criticizing your choice to grow practically everything you eat. I just wanted to let you know that modern corn doesn't get starchy quickly like it used to.
That would be a matter of opinion. Since the corn I eat is as fresh as one can get, picked at the optimum time of day, and consumed immediately, I respectfully beg to differ. I find that the corn I am served at friends' or my parents' houses is starchy. And those are modern corn. BTW, we plant modern corn varieties and I won't eat corn that has been held for a day. That's chicken feed. It gets tough and starchy, IMO.
 
... find that the corn I am served at friends' or my parents' houses is starchy. And those are modern corn. BTW, we plant modern corn varieties and I won't eat corn that has been held for a day. That's chicken feed. It gets tough and starchy, IMO.


I think you've answered your own argument. When corn is picked the sugar in the ear begins turning to starch. Starchy corn is a function of how long it's been since it was picked.
 

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