One of the highlights of summer is being able to enjoy freshly picked ears of sweet corn. Luckily, there are several farms in the Region that have been harvesting a steady supply for their customers, and if you visit an area farm stand or farmer’s market, you’ll likely find an abundance of it.
Unlike corn that is used for ethanol and planted all at once and harvested once, sweet corn is something that has to be planted continually during the spring to provide a summer crop that spans about three months.
“In the spring you plant how much you think you’ll sell in a week and then you wait five or six days and do another planting,” said Scott VanDerGriend, an owner of VanDerGriend’s Farm Stand in Lansing.
The stand is known to locals as “The Red Barn” and although they sell a variety of other vegetables grown by themselves and other local farmers, as well as fruit from Michigan, sweet corn is what they are known for.
Normally it takes about 66 to 72 days for corn to mature, said VanDerGriend, varying a bit depending on the weather. Corn likes heat and humidity, he said, and a hot spell can speed up the process and a cooler spell can slow it significantly.
Jason Herr, owner of Herr Farms in Lowell, said the planting season usually begins around early to mid-April, and staggered plantings continue so that batches are ready for harvest starting in early July and going through the end of September. His first harvest this year was ready the second week of July.
The weather can pose many challenges for corn growers, said Herr, who lost a portion of his early plantings after an April frost.
He’s been growing corn for about 20 years on his family farm and plants roughly 60 acres of sweet corn that he supplies to a variety of vendors, ranging from farm stands to grocery stores.
VanDerGriend said that the recent heat wave contributed to an abundance of fresh corn that is very sweet, which has resulted in a temporary price drop. Normally $5.50 a dozen at his stand, the corn will be $3 a dozen through Tuesday (the stand is closed on Sunday and Labor Day).
Herr Farms also has corn at $3 a dozen. They’re closed Sunday, but will be open on Labor Day.
So how do you know that you’re getting a good ear of corn? Herr said to look for a nice green color on the husk. VanDerGriend said to also look for a nice brown color on the silk.
“If it’s not ready to pick, the silk is a purplish color. When it gets brown it’s ready to be picked.”
VanDerGriend also noted that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better when it comes to taste. Some varieties naturally produce smaller ears, so the size of the ear isn’t really important. It is important, however, to look for smaller kernels.
“When the kernel gets bigger, it loses its sweetness,” he said. “Kernel size is what matters.”
A sweet conclusion
to summer
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September 06, 2020 at 03:00AM
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Sweet corn highlights late summer - nwitimes.com
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