First Minnesota-Harvested Sweet Corn Expected To Sell Fast
RAMSEY, Minn. (WCCO) -- Nothing says summer in Minnesota quite like fresh picked, locally grown sweet corn.
And roadside stands are popping up all across the state to sell the traditional dinner treat. Growers say it's been a bit of a challenge this season with the wild swings in the weather.
But now, the first crop's being harvested just as fast as customers can gobble it up. On hot, sweltering summer days, farmers swear they can hear it grow. Guess these fields have been talking a lot late.
"It's a good crop this year," vegetable grower Eric Nathe said.
Riverside Farms in Ramsey has been growing sweet corn for decades. Eric Nathe began harvesting from stalk to stand in just the past two weeks.
"It's been a little slow due to the weather with the cold weather at night, but now with the warm weather we're having, it's been a good crop," Nathe said.
That swing in the weather can actually enhance its flavor.
"The starches in the corn, cooler nights actually lock in the sugar in sweet corn, so we've had 30 to 40 degree temperature swings," Nathe said.
The Super Sweet variety is so popular - with its yellow and white kernels - most farms plant nothing else. Peel it back a bit and there's a ripeness to suit every taste.
Machines like Nathe's corn puller make keeping up with demand a bit easier. But when all that corn is harvested, it still needs to be sorted, bagged and boxed for market - from neighborhood grocers to roadside tents.
"You have to go to a farmer's market where they grow their own," customer Sue Newman said.
While it's available in Minnesota stores pretty much year 'round - shipped in from southern states - you can't fool Newman.
"It doesn't taste the same. It's old by the time it gets here, couple days old. I don't care how fast they drive," Newman said.
Nathe says everyone has their own taste for sweet corn - whether grilled or boiled. But nothing beats the flavor of freshly picked from the field.
Nathe smiles and adds, "You've got to have butter, plenty of butter on it and salt and pepper."
To find a market selling locally grown Minnesota sweet corn, head to the Minnesota Grown web site.
