Good fresh corn! Who has it because it's not to be had in Houston.

[babylonsister]

Tis the season, but it's no where to be found in my grocery store, at least nothing resembling what I'm used to in years past. I'd buy a bunch of ears and freeze them, to enjoy the rest of the year. It's not happening. :cry:
Should I blame it on the weather?

[Warpy]

1. Funny, you should be able to find it in Houston

with the long growing season there. It's not available in a lot of the country before mid to late August.

I've seen it here in NM for the last 2 weeks. It's pricey because of the drought, but it's here, grown in the lower Rio Grande valley in a lower altitude and with irrigation water.

[babylonsister]

5. It's here but pitiful looking and expensive.

I think the cost yesterday was 2 ears for $1.00 when usually this time of year you'd get 8-10 for a buck. But that's not even the issue; they looked yucky!

[spindrifter]

2. We have had some very

tasty fresh corn, but several times I've gotten ears that have some sort of weird issue toward the base of the ear. The kernels are either missing, miniscule or something. It tends to affect about 1/4 to 1/3 of the ear and is not noticeable when you check the top of the ear at the store. (I haven't just stripped the whole ear down to check it, since that creates a big mess for others.) I wonder if it is some sort of fungus. I also am not sure where this corn comes from.

[Warpy]

7. Corn fungus is black

and looks incredibly horrible. It's a delicacy in Mexico called cuitlacoche and has a flavor remarkably similar to black truffles. You do have to get past the "yuck factor" to be able to use it, though. I suggest adding it to the blender without looking at it and hitting the button fast.

The absence of kernels at the bottom signifies not enough pollen getting onto the silk to fertilize the whole ear. They just didn't grow. Lack of water produces a stunted ear overall.

[mtnester]

23. For a humorous review of corn blight...

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_steve_dont_eat_it.php

Scroll down about to half page

[yellowdogintexas]

14. that is due to insufficient water at a crucial time in the young life

of the ear of corn. fungus is yucky

[likesmountains 52]

3. Yummy Olathe Sweet Corn here in Colorado....mmmmmmmm

[babylonsister]

13. Just got the weekly circular; Olathe available, $2/10 ears!

I'm getting me some!

[mtnester]

4. Ohio FULL of corn right now

and maters locally (not from river area) should be at the farmer's market this weekend.

My plants are just a tad slow...it was COLD the end of May (weird cold).

I myself will have Ohio self grown tomatoes in about another 10-12 days.

Yumm...take a salt shaker out to the garden!

[Lugnut]

26. PA is as well

We ate a few ears of local corn I picked up at a roadside stand and it was fantastic. It was crunchy fresh and very sweet. At least something good came out of all the rain we had a few weeks ago.

I've picked a few tomatoes from the garden but it's also been slow going here. The cold weather in May really messed things up in the tomato department.

[mtnester]

27. The cold end of May WAS weird

Tomatoes could not go in the ground. Zinnia, cosmo, sunflower seeds, etc. could also not either - everything running behind EXCEPT corn!

And, according to my hubby and the local weather guy, the fact that we heard cicadas here in EARLY June is bad bad news...the lore is 90 days after the first cicada...FROST, which would put that around Labor Day here, which is VERY early!

Hard to imagine during this BLISTERING week.

[politicat]

6. Drought.

Corn in the western states is pretty pitiful this year. We're occasionally getting a little good stuff, but I really have to go to the farmer's market to get it, and then it's still spotty.

[SoCalDem]

8. Pricey and hard to find here too

Just the same old cello-wrap multicolor kernal drek..

It's like that for MOST produce on CA..

The primo stuff we GROW here gets shipped off, and we get the nasty stuff in our stores..Of course that's the trade off in a global economy..NOTHING is every truly IN season or OUT.. When it's PRIME season here for something, the growers can get a high price by shipping if off to somewhere else..:grr:

The result.. we get crappy produce all the time..and at a high price..

[Ecumenist]

10. Where are you SoCalDem

Not up here in the north, Sacramento... We have Sloughhouse corn coming out of our ears... in all the farmer's markets, seemingly on every corner. Lotso' 'maters and good grief, squash of every description!!

[SoCalDem]

11. near Riverside.. The last time we had corn , it was from Florida

and the silks were either slimy or so dried out, I passed:(

[Ecumenist]

12. OH God!!

Is there any way we can send you a care package from here?? Wow.. That's just horrible!!

[Duer 157099]

9. Biodiesel anyone?

I wonder...

[yellowdogintexas]

15. scratch that.; Biodiesel utilizes the type of corn grown for seed

feeding animals, grinding, etc. Big horsey kernels and tough as ..well..old corn.

The sweet corn we love to eat is grown specifically for eating when it is young and tender. There are numerous varieties but they don't let it stay in the field long enough to mature.

My sister and her mother in law , plus assorted other family members have "corn days" every summer when the garden corn is at its peak. There is an assembly line for shucking, shelling, blanching and bagging of bushels of corn for the freezer. It all gets done at once because if you wait too long, it is too mature and only good for fried corn.

Popcorn is a whole other variety.

[babylonsister]

17. Blanching? I just peel 'em and freeze 'em.

Am I missing something? Does blanching change the flavor or texture?

[SoCalDem]

20. true...BUT.. the land used for "food" can and probably will be

re-dedicated to grow the bio-diesel crops.. ADM/Cargill etc have been busily buying farm land for decades.. they will grow what makes them the most money..

[yellowdogintexas]

16. I got lovely sweet corn 4 for $1 @ Central Market in Ft Worth

if we have it, your CM should also. It was really nice too; tiny little kernels that just popped in your mouth.

No farmer's markets down there?

This drought all over the place has been really hard on both the sweet corn crops and the commercial grade feed corn too.

[babylonsister]

18. No farmers market in my neck of the woods. I'm at the mercy

of the "super"markets.

[japple]

19. Our corn crop this year was pitiful, due to lack of rain in N. Ga.

The ears that we did get were very sweet and crunchy--Park's Sugar Buns, but many were deformed, stunted, and buggy (we don't use pesticides). Normally, I would put many bags in the freezer, but this year, I only had about 6. Our whole garden is barely holding on just waiting for rain. We're on water rationing now, but if we start getting some more rain, we might put in another garden to take us through to the end of October.

[NMDemDist2]

21. my new grocery store had gorgeous stuff yesterday

but don't tell Mr K, cuz i didn't buy any :evilfrown:

[babylonsister]

22. Hey, you! How's it going? Have you posted a travel

report to your new digs yet? Are you ha-ha-happy? Pls. dish - inquiring minds want to know!

[NMDemDist2]

24. I'm here, it's been a nightmare, the house is filthy and dearly in need

of * A LOT* of TLC

BUT, it's perfect and already looking better. I actually have a dining room table, the living room set and the I managed to fit everything in the kitchen :woohoo:

still lots to do, but we're making progress....

I took some "before" pics and should be able to take some "after" in a few more days, then I'll do a long post. I'm too tired to do it now :rofl:

but thanks for asking!

[babylonsister]

25. Sounds like 'a great adventure'. Good thing you seem to be a

bundle of energy! Good luck, and I look forward to your post! :hi: