How to Buy Fresh Sweet Corn

How hard can it be to buy good corn? The answer is not hard at all. Like all vegetables, fresher sweet corn tastes better that aged sweet corn.

The reasoning is fairly simple. Sweet corn loses its sweetness, or sugar content, as time and temperature convert the sugars to starches.

The easiest way to know your sweet corn is fresh is by purchasing it at a local u-pic location rather than purchasing it from a local grocer.

Local u-pic locations, along with local farmers markets offer consumers the opportunity to purchase fresh from the stalk sweet corn. If you are purchasing sweet corn at a local farmers market, check for corn that is shaded and generally protected from excessive sun and temperature conditions.

Given the fact that a portion of the population has little access to local u-pic farms or farmers markets, a few tips about buying fresh corn from the local grocer become handy consumer tools.

Fresh sweet corn displays a few hallmark clues. The husks have a nice green color, with a nice pale silk extending from the top. The more silk the better. Silk is an outward indication of the number of kernels on the cob.

Dry husks and browning silk commonly indicate aged corn that has been sitting out for an extended period of time.

Peeking under the husks to see the top corn kernals also helps. Top kernels that look shriveled or contain insects provide clues that the corn might be a less than perfect dinner table choice.

© 2011. Patricia A. Michaels.