Corn crisis

[Jenise]

My local corn supplier, who grows the best yellow corn I've ever eaten, told me Friday that he can no longer get the Honey Treat seed he favors and will have to grow something else next year.

We're doomed, I tell ya, doomed.

[Robin Garr]

Honey Treat

Mary would tell you that any corn with a word like "honey" or "candy" in its varietal name is a perversion and a crime against nature.

[David M. Bueker]

I wish I could get any decent corn. The season has been worse than lousy here.

The season has been great here. Haven't had a bad ear yet. We've been enjoying it two or three times a week since July. My only bitch is that it is all various varieties of butter and cream. At this time of year particularly we would prefer a late season white such as Silver Queen and her ilk, but people around here are not doing that any more.

[Jenise]

I wish I could get any decent corn. The season has been worse than lousy here.

We're not that different--Merwyn usually starts selling his corn around July 30th. This year? Just this week.

[Jenise]

Honey Treat

Mary would tell you that any corn with a word like "honey" or "candy" in its varietal name is a perversion and a crime against nature.

I would dare her to make that assertion with a mouth of Merwyn's corn in her mouth. And as someone who dislikes white because it's TOO sweet, it's not like I'm loving a mouthful of sugar here. Don't know a thing about corn-growing, but I wonder if we don't need sweeter varieties to build flavor up here where in the south, y'all y'all get a lot more with your heat and sunlight.

The season has been great here. Haven't had a bad ear yet. We've been enjoying it two or three times a week since July. My only bitch is that it is all various varieties of butter and cream. At this time of year particularly we would prefer a late season white such as Silver Queen and her ilk, but people around here are not doing that any more.

Good for you and same here with our place. We have a great season here and there's so corn crisis so far (and hoping not to have crisis here)...

Until the 1960's sweet corn upon being picked began to have it starches turn to sugar. We used to say to get the best corn you "would get the water on to boil and then go pick the corn, shucking it along the way. If you dropped an ear you left it and immediately plunged the fresh corn into the water." In the 60's I think the IL Ag school developed a hybrid call Illini Extra Sweet. This corn actually had it's sugar increase after picking. This made it possible to ship or haul corn and still have the sweet quality rather than the starchiness. I believe that like most other things if you can improve something a little there are always those who have to really push the envelope. That is what has happen. Many of the "modern" hybrids when purchased fresh are just too sweet for my palate. The advantage is that you can now purchase sweet corn in the store from late spring on. It is shipped here (Minnesota) from Georgia.

Last week I bought some corn at the farmers market in the morning. When I arrived home I cooked it off immediately. I cooled itmediately in cold water and cut the kernals off the ears. I used some of the corn water along with the kernels later in the day and made a corn/langostino chowder. The chowder turned out really too sweet. Next time I won't use the corn water.

Mary would tell you that any corn with a word like "honey" or "candy" in its varietal name is a perversion and a crime against nature.

and I'd agree with her. I hate supersweet corn. Even sweetness enhancedcorn is annoying, but at least I can leave that long enough that it loses most of its sweetness.

I made and processed 14 half pints of corn relish yesterday. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup sugar. Instead I put in a heaping TBS and it was sufficiently sweet.

[Jenise]

The season has been great here. Haven't had a bad ear yet. We've been enjoying it two or three times a week since July. My only bitch is that it is all various varieties of butter and cream. At this time of year particularly we would prefer a late season white such as Silver Queen and her ilk, but people around here are not doing that any more.

Good for you and same here with our place. We have a great season here and there's so corn crisis so far (and hoping not to have crisis here)...

Bob, welcome out of lurkdom. Hope we hear from you more often!