Corn maturity

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NicoleC Madison, AL(Zone 7b) Jul 01, 2013

I planted a older type corn this year ("Fisher's Earliest") --my first corn since I was a kid. I am trying to determine if it's ready yet. The tassels are brown, the ears are starting to pull away from the stalk and the kernels are full.

I am not expecting a modern super-sweet variety, but when I pull off a kernel and taste it, it isn't sweet at all. Doesn't taste like much at all, really. Will it increase in sweetness as it matures, or is this as good as it is likely to get?

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pollengarden Pueblo, CO(Zone 5b) Jul 02, 2013

If the kernels are full, it is probably ready. I would think you you would want to pick it while the kernels are still tender and milky.
My father always said to "start the pot of water boiling, then go pick the corn" - another way of saying that old fashioned corn has a very short shelf life.

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NicoleC Madison, AL(Zone 7b) Jul 03, 2013

True; in old varieties the sugars start to degrade in terms of minutes, not days. Maybe I'll cook a few up, and if they are really disappointing, leave them on the stalk to dry and turn into cornmeal later.

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NicoleC Madison, AL(Zone 7b) Jul 03, 2013

It was quite tasty. Not grocery store super-sweet, but a nice mildly sweet corn flavor.

I guess at the BBQ this weekend it's pick your own, and it's corn every night for dinner for a while.

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grits74571 Talihina, OK Jul 03, 2013

ain't nothing wrong with corn every night

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drobarr Hummelstown, PA(Zone 6b) Jul 12, 2013

usually when the silks turn dark brown the corn is ripe.

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