What vegetable says summer more than sweet corn, aka corn on the cob? Served all summer long, you will find it at family gatherings, backyard barbecues and county fairs.
Sweet corn — also known as sugar corn, pole corn and corn on the cob — is a variety of maize with high sugar content. Maize came from Mexico and Central America and was first cultivated around 2000 BC. The Iroquois Tribe gave the first recorded sweet corn to European settlers in 1779, and before long it became popular in the South and Midwest. Although classified a grass, maize is considered a grain, and sweet corn is considered a vegetable because it is picked when immature.
Sweet corn is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, iron, potassium and manganese. It’s gluten-free, and one cup of corn kernels or large ear of corn has only 124 calories. Yellow corn has more antioxidants than other colors.
Many varieties of sweet corn now exist, thanks to hybridization starting in the 1930s. The goal was to breed even sweeter varieties of corn. Now we have yellow, white and bi-colored corn that is available in both sweet and extra-sweet varieties — all of which are delicious to eat!
When purchasing corn, you should look for corn whose husks are moist, bright green and fit snugly around the ear. The silk should be stiff, dark and moist. When holding the corn, you should be able to feel individual kernels by pressing gently against the husk, there is no need to pull back the husk.
Sweet corn is at its peak flavor and sugar content if used within a day after harvest but is still good for an additional 4-5 days if kept moist and cool. Store your fresh corn in a tightly wrapped plastic bag with the husk intact. Refrigerating helps the corn stay sweet. Add one teaspoon of sugar for each quart of water when cooking older ears of corn to replace the lost sugar in the kernels.
Sweet corn can be eaten fresh, used in cooking, frozen and canned. Enjoy corn on the cob by husking it, removing the silk and placing in boiling water or in a steamer for three to eight minutes depending on the freshness and size of the corn. Do not add salt to the water or the corn will become tough.
Serve corn on the cob with a dollop of butter or drizzle with olive oil and add your favorite seasonings. Grill corn on the cob by peeling the husk back, adding butter or oil and seasoning, replacing the husk, wrapping it in foil and placing it on grill for 15 minutes.
My favorite is to cut cooked corn off cob and saut? it with onions, bell peppers and kale. Then add a can of drained black beans and serve over rice with avocado, tomatoes and freshly chopped cilantro.
When freezing whole ears of corn, husk and blanch them for 5 minutes, dip them in ice water and put them in freezer bags. Frozen corn on the cob will keep up to one year. You can also blanch the corn, cut the kernels off the cob and freeze. To can corn, it must be processed in a pressure canner as it is a low acid vegetable. Use an approved recipe and follow directions for altitude and time.
For additional sweet corn recipes and serving suggestions, check out Chef Scotty’s Market Fresh Recipes at ext100.wsu.edu/clark/?p=8163.
Vicki Ivy is a Clark County WSU Extension Master Food Preserver. For additional recipes, food preservation and food safety information visit ext100.wsu.edu/clark/?p=1134. Have questions? Call MFP Helpline: 360-397-6060 ext. 5366, or join Facebook Discussion Group “WSU Home Food Preservers – Clark County.”
