Sweetcorn is a form of the cereal crop maize (Zea mays), harvested at a young age while the kernels are tender and sweet. A corn ear is an inflorescence (cluster of flowers around a stem) and the kernels are the fruit of the plant (more specifically a grain). |
Sweetcorn thrives in deep, rich soils. Sandy soils are better for early crops since they warm up faster in the spring. Sweetcorn is a wind pollinated crop. Wind transfers pollen from the tassel at the top of the plant to the small ears developing at the base of the leaves on the stalk. Poor pollination causes Cobs with with missing kernels. Sweetcorn should be harvested when the juice in the kernel appears milky as you puncture a kernel with your thumbnail. This "milk" stage only lasts a short time especially in hot weather. Immature corn will produce a watery juice when punctured, while over-mature corn will produce a doughy, tough kernel. When silks dry to a deep chocolate brown, feel the ends of the ears for fullness, indicating maturity. |
How to Prepare Sweetcorn |
Sweetcorn is commonly eaten as a vegetable rather than a grain. The cobs are picked for relatively rapid distribution (or processing) before the fruits mature into hard grains. The kernels are boiled or steamed and eaten as a side dish, sometimes with butter. Corn on the cob is a sweetcorn cob that has been boiled, steamed, or grilled whole; the kernels are then bitten off the cob with the teeth. |
When buying Sweetcorn, choose Cobs that are full and plump with the husk intact. The husk should be green and fresh and conceal fine, silky threads. Kernels should be pale cream in colour, tightly packed, plump and smaller at the tips than in the middle (indicating young cobs). Raw kernels should exude a milky liquid when cut. Avoid buying Sweetcorn that has been sitting in warm sun - the rate at which the sugars are turned to starch increases rapidly with temperature. |
After picking, the sugars in sweetcorn rapidly begin turning to starch; most varieties can lose half their sugar in 10 to 12 hours if not properly cared for. Sweetcorn should be kept cool and eaten as soon as possible after picking - on the same day as purchase where possible. If keeping Sweetcorn for more than a day, blanch the corn for a minute in boiling water (this will help slow down the conversion of sugars) before refrigerating or freezing. |
To boil, strip the husk and silk and trim the stems. Cook in unsalted boiling water (salt will toughen the kernels) until the sweetcorn yields to a fork tip (anything from 3 to 10 minutes or more, depending on the condition of the corn). |
To barbecue, soak the whole corn, with husks, in water for 10 minutes before cooking in the embers or over a moderate heat for 15 minutes or more, until toasted. Alternatively, soak the corn and remove the husk before brushing with a little oil and grilling. |
To remove kernels from a corn cob, trim one end to produce a flat surface, stand the corn vertically on the flat end and cut down the length of the cob at the base of the kernels. Turn the cob and repeat until all kernels have been stripped. This is much easier to do after cooking. |
Nutrition |
Sweetcorn is rich in Carbohydrates and Sugars and contains useful amounts of vitamins A, B3 (which supports metabolism, the nervous and digestive systems) and C. It also contains Folic Acid, Fibre and Protein. |
Fresh Sweetcorn is available from Barfoots of Botley 12 months of the year. Sweetcorn is grown extensively on our farms in the South of England during the summer and on associated farms in areas such as Florida , Morocco , Greece , Spain , Israel and France outside the UK season. |
