tt post sun apr 17 2016 about local sweet corn and canning

bq. _"Not cheap but worth EVERY penny."_

Really? And where is the sweet corn from? When was it picked? It's probably pricey because of the distance that it had to travel.

I guess if you're tired of eating local carrots, parsnips, and beets all winter, then any sweet corn may be nice. But I could never grow tired of eating roasted parsnips. 

Hopefully, people realize that this is not local sweet corn. That may sound stupid, but I know that some area residents ask local farmers for their sweet corn in May because they see it sold in grocery stores. 

Farmers around here start planting their sweet corn in May.  Local sweet corn is available mainly from July through October. Sometimes, the October sweet corn can contain a caterpillar at the end. No big deal. Remove the damaged corn tip.

The best time to eat sweet corn is the day that it was picked. The second best time is the day after it was picked. Sweet corn starts losing flavor soon after it's harvested. While it can still taste good five days later, it's not as good as day zero or day one, which is when it tastes amazing.

Our favorite method to cook sweet corn is to leave the corn in the husk and microwave it on high for two minutes.  Makes a great snack. I eat it for breakfast too.

In the late summer or fall, ask the local farmer when the sweet corn was picked. That's why I like buying Bench's sweet corn at the Perrysburg farmers market, held on Thursdays. Mr. Bench will harvest on the day of the market or the day before. In July when the amount of corn available is low, he sells out early.

If you want good sweet corn at this time of the year in northern Ohio, the trick is to "freeze local sweet corn":http://www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/freezing-sweet-corn-how-to-guide/ in the fall.  That's a fine winter treat. We also make and can corn salsa that uses local sweet corn.

I realize that canning sounds like something grandparents did, but if you like quality food, then try canning local produce in the late summer and fall. Yeah, it's work, but it's also worth it months later. 

 #home #food #farming