Sweet and Tender Corn on the Cob
My partner and I ate corn on the cob from our vegetable garden for dinner tonight for the third night in a row. I harvested the corn just before dinner, shucked it, and then put it right into boiling water, so it didn’t have any time to lose flavor. We both thought they were some of the best tasting corn on the cobs we have ever eaten. They were sweet and very tender, unlike the tough and starchy ears of corn I have often bought from supermarkets.
My experience has been that the way to get the best tasting corn is to harvest it soon after the kernels have filled in and look matured (the way corn kernels are supposed to look). It helps to know when to expect your corn will be ready to harvest. I plant corn at the same time each year in late April, so that it is ready to harvest at the same time each year, starting around August 1. Also, corn tastes its best right after it has been harvested from the stalk. Corn seems to lose flavor when it is stored in the refrigerator for days after harvest.
The weather conditions also play a role in determining the sweetness of corn. Apparently, corn develops the most sweetness on sunny and relatively cool days. It’s mid-summer here, and everyday has been sunny after the morning fog burns off around 9 am. The daytime high temperatures have been mild, in the mid-70s to low 80s, for the past month.
August 03 2012 | Corn | Comments Off on Sweet and Tender Corn on the Cob