On Friday the Iowa State Fair gave away 1,200 ears of corn during its annual sweet corn feed outside the Agriculture Building.
Central Iowa skies might be a little quieter, a little darker this July 4, with fewer public fireworks shows, concerts and large family gatherings.
There is good news, though.
There is sweet corn.
A few central Iowa farmers will have sweet corn ready to sell at roadside stands by the end of this week. Here's where you'll find it:
Deardorff Sweet Corn: Adel, Ankeny, Johnston and West Des Moines
Matt Deardorff of Deardorff Sweet Corn said his family's farm decided Monday that the Corn Shack in Adel on the east side of Highway 169, just south of the bike trail, will have sweet corn Thursday.
The farm will also get sweet corn to street vendors in Ankeny, Johnston and West Des Moines by the end of the week. Grocery stores that the farm supplies in metro Des Moines, including several Hy-Vees and a few Fareways, should get sweet corn just after the holiday weekend.
Grimes Sweet Corn: Des Moines metro
Michelle Christenson, who owns Grimes Sweet Corn with her husband, Ray, said most of their farm's stands will have sweet corn by the end of this week. She said when Christenson Farms is able to have sweet corn by July 4, which is also about 50% of the time, "it's the best."
"The Fourth is the holy grail," she said.
Grimes Sweet Corn stands will have signs encouraging social distancing in lines and will have hand sanitizer available. Christenson Farms has more than a dozen Grimes Sweet Corn stands throughout the metro area. A full list of stand locations can be found at grimessweetcorn.com.
Penick Sweet Corn: Near Carlisle
Mike Penick, owner of Penick Sweet Corn, said he won't be ready to sell sweet corn by the Fourth, but it won't be long after, either. He estimates his stand on Highway 65/69 will have sweet corn to sell by July 12. The stand will be a drive-through operation because of the pandemic.
"We're going to be a little short on the early corn, it looks like," he said.
Penick also typically sells his corn at the Des Moines Farmers Market, which is selling products only through an online marketplace. Customers can order the corn through dsmpartnership.com in the next few weeks.
Is sweet corn usually ready by the Fourth?
The Fourth of July is one of the biggest-selling weekends, along with Labor Day, Deardorff said. He doesn't expect sales to be lower this year, even with the coronavirus pandemic.
"That’s really big for our business to be able to have it by Fourth of July," he said. "That helps tremendously with sales and it gives people something to look forward to."
Sweet corn season is the unofficial sign that summer has begun, Deardorff said. The farm tries to have sweet corn each year by July 4, but it isn't promised. Last year, he and several other vendors were unable to sell sweet corn until the following week.
Penick Sweet Corn has had sweet corn in time for the Fourth about half the time, Penick said. The crop's success and timeliness depend on the weather, and this year's harvest was held back by cold weather in the middle of spring, he said.
Christenson credits early planting, around the first week of April, for her sweet corn crop being ready for the Fourth. She was among those farmers who worried that the cold weather in May would prevent the holiday arrival of sweet corn, but she said the crop survived.
Despite the pandemic, Christenson expects people will still visit the stands to get sweet corn for outdoor gatherings such as barbecues and picnics.
"(Sweet corn) is the rite of passage in Iowa," she said. "It's a tradition people look forward to."
Sarah LeBlanc covers trending news for the Register. Reach her at 515-284-8161 or sleblanc@registermedia.com.
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The Link LonkJune 30, 2020 at 10:49PM
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Several central Iowa stands will have sweet corn for the Fourth of July weekend. Here's where to look. - Des Moines Register
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