Thread: corn-and how to tell if it's fresh

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:44:43 -0700 (PDT), "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
>cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
>on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
>careful next time. e.

Probably....I will never forget my Grandparents telling us kids that
if you dropped the corn bringing it in from the field...it was too old
to cook. They told us lots of treasured stories.....








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On Aug 25, 6:05*pm, Mr. Bill <bb0...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Probably....I will never forget my Grandparents telling us kids that
> if you dropped the corn bringing it in from the field...it was too old
> to cook. * They told us lots of treasured stories..... *
>


My version was....if the farmer didn't RUN it in from the field, it
wasn't fresh.

[email protected] wrote:
> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> careful next time. e.



Without seeing it, it sounds as if those indentations are a sign that
the corn is losing moisture, starting to dry out.

The usual description of fresh corn is "plump kernels", no indentations.
The stand owners should be ashamed to sell old corn.

gloria p

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:44:43 -0700 (PDT), "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> careful next time. e.

Here's what I do. First I feel the corn to see if it's well developed
at the tassel end. If it is, I peel it back just a bit to take a
peek. If the kernels are fully grown, round and firm, I pop one with
a nail to see if it's juicy or not. If the liquid squirts out, it's
fresh. After that is up to you. One of the reasons people shuck corn
at the store it to make sure there are no varmints (bugs and worms)
that have been having a field day inside. I prefer to take my
chances.... tempt fate, as they say.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

Kalmia;1522584 Wrote:
> On Aug 25, 6:05*pm, Mr. Bill bb0...@gmail.com wrote:
> -
>
> Probably....I will never forget my Grandparents telling us kids that
> if you dropped the corn bringing it in from the field...it was too old
> to cook. * They told us lots of treasured stories..... *
> -
>
>
> My version was....if the farmer didn't RUN it in from the field, it
> wasn't fresh.

If you can't enjoy it raw, it just isn't right.

I always purchase one ear and eat it in front of the guy. I love raw
sweet corn, and if it sucks, it sucks.

Got a nice batch waiting on me.




--
Gorio

sf wrote:


> One of the reasons people shuck corn
> at the store it to make sure there are no varmints (bugs and worms)
> that have been having a field day inside. I prefer to take my
> chances.... tempt fate, as they say.
>


I never saw people shucking corn in the store until we moved from
New England to Colorado. I've always assumed it was to avoid having
the mess of the husks and silk at home. I haven't found a bug or worm
in corn in >25 years since we grew it in the back yard. I guess it's
a case of "Better Living Through Chemistry".

gloria p

On 25-Aug-2010, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> careful next time. e.

Are you sure it was sweet corn rather than dent/field corn? Dent corn
forms indentations in the end of the kernals as it matures and is not as
sweet tasting as sweet corn. While it is mostly grown to full maturity,
thus hard kernals, dent corn is sometimes sold immature for eating in the
manner of sweet corn.
--
Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

On Aug 25, 5:16*pm, Kalmia <tweeny90...@mypacks.net> wrote:

>
> My version was....if the farmer didn't RUN it in from the field, it
> wasn't fresh.

Yup. Here's how you cook fresh corn.

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a rapid boil.

Run out to the garden and pick the ears of corn you are going to cook.

Shuck the corn as you are running back to the house.

Drop the shucked corn in the water.

Wait two minutes and fish it out.

Eat.

On Aug 25, 4:44*pm, "lain...@bell.ca" <lainie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! * *I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. *I'm thinking that it might be old. *I will be more
> careful next time. e.

Full, plump kernels. Even the racoons will peel back the husks to see
if it's ready yet. Which is really annoying.

N.

On 8/25/2010 10:43 PM, sf wrote:
> One of the reasons people shuck corn
> at the store it to make sure there are no varmints (bugs and worms)
> that have been having a field day inside. I prefer to take my
> chances.... tempt fate, as they say.

Nobody shucks corn at the store here in Louisiana, or where I lived in
Texas, but they do in Miami. They had huge boxes sitting near the corn,
and it looked like everyone shucked theirs.

Becca

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:43:42 -0700, sf wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:44:43 -0700 (PDT), "[email protected]"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
>> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
>> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
>> careful next time. e.
>
> Here's what I do. First I feel the corn to see if it's well developed
> at the tassel end. If it is, I peel it back just a bit to take a
> peek. If the kernels are fully grown, round and firm, I pop one with
> a nail to see if it's juicy or not. If the liquid squirts out, it's
> fresh. After that is up to you. One of the reasons people shuck corn
> at the store it to make sure there are no varmints (bugs and worms)
> that have been having a field day inside. I prefer to take my
> chances.... tempt fate, as they say.

i always take a peep, too, but not a pop.

your pal,
blake

l wrote:

>> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
>> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
>> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
>> careful next time. e.
>
> Are you sure it was sweet corn rather than dent/field corn? Dent corn
> forms indentations in the end of the kernals as it matures and is not as
> sweet tasting as sweet corn. While it is mostly grown to full maturity,
> thus hard kernals, dent corn is sometimes sold immature for eating in the
> manner of sweet corn.

That's what I was thinking too, and remembering that some people here have
expressed a preference for field corn over sweet corn.

Bob

On Aug 26, 8:17*am, ImStillMags <sitara8...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Aug 25, 5:16*pm, Kalmia <tweeny90...@mypacks.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > My version was....if the farmer didn't RUN it in from the field, it
> > wasn't fresh.
>
> Yup. * *Here's how you cook fresh corn.
>
> Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a rapid boil.
>
> Run out to the garden and pick the ears of corn you are going to cook.
>
> Shuck the corn as you are running back to the house.
>
> Drop the shucked corn in the water.
>
> Wait two minutes and fish it out.
>
> Eat.

==
I certainly cook it longer that two minutes...more like ten.
==

"Nancy2" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
On Aug 25, 4:44 pm, "lain...@bell.ca" <lainie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> careful next time. e.

Full, plump kernels. Even the racoons will peel back the husks to see
if it's ready yet. Which is really annoying.

N.



LOL! Raccoons are smart! And they have opposible thumbs, so watch out

Jill

On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:47:13 -0500, Ema Nymton <[email protected]>
wrote:

> On 8/25/2010 10:43 PM, sf wrote:
> > One of the reasons people shuck corn
> > at the store it to make sure there are no varmints (bugs and worms)
> > that have been having a field day inside. I prefer to take my
> > chances.... tempt fate, as they say.
>
> Nobody shucks corn at the store here in Louisiana, or where I lived in
> Texas, but they do in Miami. They had huge boxes sitting near the corn,
> and it looked like everyone shucked theirs.
>
They put full sized garbage cans next to our displays of corn and they
always seem to be full.


--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Aug 25, 3:05*pm, Mr. Bill <bb0...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:44:43 -0700 (PDT), "lain...@bell.ca"
>
> <lainie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! * *I'm
> >cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> >on the cob's corn. *I'm thinking that it might be old. *I will be more
> >careful next time. e.
>
> Probably....I will never forget my Grandparents telling us kids that
> if you dropped the corn bringing it in from the field...it was too old
> to cook. * They told us lots of treasured stories..... *
>

Hardworking plant scientists at the University of Illinois developed
corn whose sugars did not turn to starch on the way in from the
garden. Now people complain that corn is too sweet. They must miss the
boiled starchballs of the past.

On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:09:54 GMT, "l, not -l" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> On 25-Aug-2010, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> > cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> > on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> > careful next time. e.
>
> Are you sure it was sweet corn rather than dent/field corn? Dent corn
> forms indentations in the end of the kernals as it matures and is not as
> sweet tasting as sweet corn. While it is mostly grown to full maturity,
> thus hard kernals, dent corn is sometimes sold immature for eating in the
> manner of sweet corn.

If that's what it was, it should have been advertised as field corn.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Aug 26, 10:25*am, Roy <wila...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> ==
> I certainly cook it longer that two minutes...more like ten.
> ==- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

If it's really good, really sweet, really fresh right off the stalk
corn, why cook it at all???
We would pick one and shuck it and eat it right in the garden while we
pulled weeds, etc.

"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I picked up corn at a local stand yesterday - wasn't great! I'm
> cooking up the remainder and notice that there are little indentations
> on the cob's corn. I'm thinking that it might be old. I will be more
> careful next time. e.


The only fresh corn is when it's cut off the stalk, husked and eaten raw
while laying in the dirt in the corn field, looking up at the sky, with
corn milk dripping down your face, day after day, all summer long!!!

Andy