selecting corn

[patticky]

I wanted to purchase four ears of corn at a local stand yesterday. Since I had a bad experience with corn from a nearby stand earlier in the week, I decided to take a look and pulled back the husk. The clerk asked me to refrain from checking the corn and if I didn't like it when I got home, I could bring it back for a refund. Heck, I want to cook my corn, and don't want to be bothered to have to return it. She complained that a woman husked 24 ears of corn only to purchase one and she had to throw out the other 23 ears.

She further said I could tell if it is a good ear by running my hands over it. (The corn, by the way, was very skinny, not the full cob I would expect.) I do look for nice silk etc. but I don't think this is always enough. Of course, after checking a few ears, and I'm satisfied, I'll usually just blind pick the remainder.

How do you select corn? Was I out of line? I like the farmer so I would like to continue to support his stand.

[andiesenji]

I always pull part of the husk back far enough to see the size of the kernels on every ear, and if they are plump and to make sure there are no worms. It is perfectly reasonable to examine the corn and if the vendor objects, ask them to pull it back and show you the end of the ear. Otherwise, buy elsewhere.

You should not have to waste your gas driving back and forth. You can also buy the ears, THEN pull back the husk and if it is no good exchange it then and there.

[JanMcBaker]

I always pull part of the husk back far enough to see the size of the kernels on every ear, and if they are plump and to make sure there are no worms.  It is perfectly reasonable to examine the corn and if the vendor objects, ask them to pull it back and show you the end of the ear.  Otherwise, buy elsewhere. 

You should not have to waste your gas driving back and forth.  You can also buy the ears, THEN pull back the husk and if it is no good exchange it then and there.

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I'm with andiesenji. You should be able to pull the husk back a bit to see how things look. Other things I find helpful is to check the general condition of the corn--- is the silk still silky and moist or is it dried out? How's the husk-- look moist too or is that dried out? What's the temperature of the corn feel like? Do you know when it was picked? Unless you know it was just picked, I like it to be cold, or at least still a bit cool from being refrigerated. If it feels like it's been out in the heat for some time, all those lovely corn sugars will have turned to starch.... However, depending on how tender the kernels still are, it might be salvageable as corn off the cob-- cut kernels off and heat gently with some sugar, butter and/or cream, salt and pepper, or other seasonings as you wish.

[mrbigjas]

you should be able to tell if you're getting a full ear by feeling the corn through the husk. there's no need to pull it back, just feel up toward the top; if the kernels drop away you know it's not a full ear. you can also feel those mutant ears where the kernels aren't in rows through the husk. between that and the condition of the silk and knowing when it was picked, you can pick out a dozen ears much more quicly than all the amateurs peeling back the tip of every ear.

practice makes perfect. keep trying.

[cakewalk]

you should be able to tell if you're getting a full ear by feeling the corn through the husk.  there's no need to pull it back, just feel up toward the top; if the kernels drop away you know it's not a full ear.  you can also feel those mutant ears where the kernels aren't in rows through the husk.  between that and the condition of the silk and knowing when it was picked, you can pick out a dozen ears much more quicly than all the amateurs peeling back the tip of every ear.

practice makes perfect.  keep trying.

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One of the vendors at the Union Square Greenmarket explained the same thing to me a couple of years ago. It takes some getting used to, but it does actually work.

[kiliki]

I seem to always have good luck just by looking at the silks and husks. I've never been chastized for pulling back the husks, but I don't like to do it because I always see so many perfectly good ears that have been peeled and left for seemingly no reason. I don't think anyone will buy an ear that has been partly peeled even if it is fine. We don't get to investigate the insides of other fruits and veggies when we buy them, so why should we get to do this with corn?

[k43]

My wife, who grew up on a farm that grew corn for the Jolly Green Giant, says that there's no need to peel back the husk. Just feel gently at the tip. She says you should feel a few undeveloped kernels at the very tip (only a row or two), to make sure that it isn't over-ripe, and everything else should be filled out.

It's OK if there are dark areas at the tips of the very outside husk leaves, but the rest should be green, the silk should be gold and un-wilted, and the bottom, where the ear was broken from the stalk, shouldn't be dark or dried out.

We reliably get good corn from the NYC Union Square farmer's market using this method.

Worms are in fact a sign that the corn is healthy. It's a bit disgusting to peel back the leaves and see a worm on the tip of the cob, but just cut off an inch or so, and that cob is always an exceptional one.

[Kim Shook]

My wife, who grew up on a farm that grew corn for the Jolly Green Giant, says that there's no need to peel back the husk.  Just feel gently at the tip.  She says you should feel a few undeveloped kernels at the very tip (only a row or two), to make sure that it isn't over-ripe, and everything else should be filled out.

It's OK if there are dark areas at the tips of the very outside husk leaves, but the rest should be green, the silk should be gold and un-wilted, and the bottom, where the ear was broken from the stalk, shouldn't be dark or dried out.

We reliably get good corn from the NYC Union Square farmer's market using this method.

Worms are in fact a sign that the corn is healthy.  It's a bit disgusting to peel back the leaves and see a worm on the tip of the cob, but just cut off an inch or so, and that cob is always an exceptional one.

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This is what I do - haven't had a bad ear in years since I started doing this. I just make sure that the husk is tight to the ear and I actually find the smaller, thinner ears more tender.

[scubadoo97]

Our local grocery chain had 8/$1.00 this week so I picked up 16 ears yesterday. I always try to first look at the overall condition and see if the silk is turning black but I also pick ears that are heavy and full. The heavy ones are usually full of plump kernels. I do the pull back but I will try the technique mentioned above.

[patticky]

My wife, who grew up on a farm that grew corn for the Jolly Green Giant, says that there's no need to peel back the husk.  Just feel gently at the tip.  She says you should feel a few undeveloped kernels at the very tip (only a row or two), to make sure that it isn't over-ripe, and everything else should be filled out.

It's OK if there are dark areas at the tips of the very outside husk leaves, but the rest should be green, the silk should be gold and un-wilted, and the bottom, where the ear was broken from the stalk, shouldn't be dark or dried out.

We reliably get good corn from the NYC Union Square farmer's market using this method.

Worms are in fact a sign that the corn is healthy.  It's a bit disgusting to peel back the leaves and see a worm on the tip of the cob, but just cut off an inch or so, and that cob is always an exceptional one.

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This is what I do - haven't had a bad ear in years since I started doing this. I just make sure that the husk is tight to the ear and I actually find the smaller, thinner ears more tender.

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[patticky]

Thanks for the info. I'm off to buy some more corn, using the touchy-touchy method. I'll get extra ears just in case.

(Sorry about the repeat posting error just now.)

[rlibkind]

The sales clerk was right. I pick corn without pulling it open and only rarely does that system fail me. Too many people ruin a vendor's stock by rampantly opening husks. Besides, the corn will stay fresher if you don't open it.

[Blue_Egg_Farmer]

caterpillars in the corn is a good sign, it means that the farmer did not use pesticides...or at least not a lot of pesticides.

I use zero pesticides organic or otherwise so yes we have caterpillars, we just cut that part off and enjoy

[Jaymes]

I use the 'feel' technique. I don't mind if others use the "pull back" method, as long as you buy every single ear you've ruined.

I cannot tell you how many times I've seen some jerk come up, pull back the husk on an ear or two, and then, after deciding that the lot is good enough, select four or five or whatever OTHER, closed ears to purchase, tossing the ones they've ruined back into the stack.

I wish I had the nerve to go throw the ruined ones into their cart and tell them, "Hey, you forgot these, since now that you've ruined them, nobody else will buy them."

[demiglace]

I saw a woman (and her kids) not only peel the husk back..she was piercing the kernels with her dirty fingernails..grossed me out. I did tell the clerk about it and he yelled at them but the corn remained in the bin...I wouldn't buy any corn that has been peeled back. I will now feel the corn up. Thanks for the tip.

[I_call_the_duck]

I've been using the "feel" technique to much success, but this weekend, my cousin-in-law says she just smells it for freshness. Some of the ears had dried-out kernels, so I'm not sure of relying soley on that method. Does anyone do this?

[Jaymes]

I've been using the "feel" technique to much success, but this weekend, my cousin-in-law says she just smells it for freshness.  Some of the ears had dried-out kernels, so I'm not sure of relying soley on that method.  Does anyone do this?

I smell for freshness as well, but don't rely solely on that either. As JanMcBaker says upthread, it's really a combination of everything, including her tip to reach down into the stack for the cooler ears.

[russ parsons]

hmmm, not only do i pull back the top of the husk to expose the tip of the ear, i'll punch one of the kernels with a thumbnail to make sure it's juicy. i figure if i'm passing on an ear because it's no good, that's not one that should be sold anyway.

edit to clarify: it's only the tip of the husk, not the whole strip. and nine times out of 10, if it looks good enough to go to the second test, i end up buying it.

Edited September 5, 2006 by russ parsons (log)

[patticky]

I did go back and use the "feel" technique and even asked the same clerk (mentioned in first post) to verify that I selected good ears of corn. She said they were fine, tho she did throw in an extra ear for one ear that had a soft spot. I ended up throwing out one ear and half of the remaining ears because they had undeveloped kernels. I think the problem may be not so much my local farms, but it is past growing season here. One farmer did tell me we had too much rain, and it was hurting the crop. He also said they were having a little trouble learning how to grow the new supersweet varieties.

[Kent D]

Out here on the lonesome prairie, when we go into our supermarket, where we buy much of our produce and produce accesories, right next to the corn display is a big barrel to shuck and clean your corn, for those who don't want corn hair all over their kitchen. They almost "encourage" you to inspect your corn in this way, and I take advantage of it. I don't care if worms like the best corn, I don't want them munching on my ears before I do. yecch.

[andiesenji]

I bought some corn Saturday and I used my usual method - I don't pull the shuck back very far and only on one section. It was good that I did because on several of the ear I examined there was greeny-black mold between the kernels and the inner shucks.

I called one of the produce men to look at the ears I had pulled out and put aside and he brought a box from the back and began checking the ears himself and tossing any that were bad. He said 4 pallets of corn had been delivered in a reefer truck that was very cold. In fact he said that the receiver noticed frost on the exterior of one of the boxes, which were left on the dock for a couple of hours because of the large volume of stuff they got for the holiday sales. He said that moisture probably condensed in the shucks as the corn warmed up and created a perfect place for mold to grow.

I was able to find 8 ears that were okay and he was still sorting them when I left the produce area. He thanked me for calling his attention to the problem.

[jayt90]

hmmm, not only do i pull back the top of the husk to expose the tip of the ear, i'll punch one of the kernels with a thumbnail to make sure it's juicy. i figure if i'm passing on an ear because it's no good, that's not one that should be sold anyway.

edit to clarify: it's only the tip of the husk, not the whole strip. and nine times out of 10, if it looks good enough to go to the second test, i end up buying it.

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If you are that bold, why not bite into a few kernels? The host on the original 'Victory Garden' used to do this.

In my town I have four vegetable stands to choose from. Three of them discourage peeling. But the other one has a bushel basket for husking, and most people husk before buying. The product is good, depending on time of year, and this stand gets most of my business. I don't see many rejected ears there.

[demiglace]

I love the idea of a place to husk in the store. Sorry Russ but I've never seen anyone piercing the kernels before..didn't like it..wouldn't want to buy it. Maybe it's just me.

[Jaymes]

I've often seen a big barrel or box next to the corn. And I do sometimes see people that completely husk the ears, then drop them into a plastic bag to take home. But more often, it seems that they just do a little husking -- the outer layers, etc. I don't care what method folks use, peeking or poking or whatever, as long as when you find the cobs are okay, take them with you. Don't think, as so many people seem to, this one is fine so the lot is probably fine, so I'm going to buy some, but I don't want this one that I've opened because I know the drying-out process has already started since I opened it so now I don't want it.

Personally, I find that the longer you can keep the thing sealed and intact, the moister the final product. Using the suggestions shared here, i.e., smell, feel, selecting the cooler ears from the bottom of the stack, etc., I almost never go wrong.

Not to mention that although there are many ways to fix the corn, one of the quickest and easiest, and therefore the one we use most often, is just to stick the entire thing, cob and husk and silk and all, having done exactly nothing to it, into the microwave for a few minutes.

Thought of this thread yesterday as I stood before the corn bin in the local super. Selected six ears. Got them home and, winners all, I sliced off the kernels, dropped them into a skillet, sauted them briefly with a little good European butter, finished with salt, pepper and a dollop of heavy cream.

Served up with slices of home-grown tomatoes, it was gorgeous, late-summertime magic on a plate.

Edited September 6, 2006 by Jaymes (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

First, let me be the first to admit: I am a lazy, wasteful barbarian. OK? we're agreed.

Then I'll follow up to say that when corn is as cheap as it is in late summer- like 10 cents per ear- I don't bother checking it in any detail. I'll eyeball it, but it's not worth it to me to stand around feeling up a bunch of ears. Instead, I just buy extra (because there's always room for corn, right?) and if I get home and find that an ear or two isn't so good, I toss it. No big whoop.