It's not that easy to find the right time to harvest the corn. If you wait too long, the grains will become hard and no longer edible - provided, of course, that the birds native to every garden have not yet helped themselves.
When should you harvest corn?
The optimal harvest time for vegetable corn can be recognized by the milky-white juice that comes out when a corn kernel is scored. Additionally, the flower clusters at the end of the bulb turn brown. The harvest season typically runs from July to September, with August being the main harvest period.
The right harvest time for vegetable corn
Sugar or vegetable corn is harvested at the stage of milk ripeness. At this point the grains are not yet fully ripe, which would not be desirable. Really mature corn has hard kernels that are inedible when raw. You can determine the optimal level of ripeness for human consumption by scoring a kernel of corn with a fingernail. If whitish juice comes out, the corn is ready to be picked.
Ready for harvest between July and September
The tufts at the end of the bulb that are still from the flowers provide you with another clue. As soon as these turn brown and dry out, the corn can be harvested. Depending on the variety, location, weather and planting date, you can look forward to fresh corn between July and September, with the main season for corn being in the hot month of August. If you want to harvest corn, simply break or cut off the cobs along with the surrounding leaves. Please note that not all cobs mature at the same time.
How to properly store fresh corn
Fresh corn tastes best when consumed immediately or shortly after harvest. But this is usually not possible for larger quantities. Vegetable corn will stay fresh in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for about a week. However, you can also blanch both the cobs and the grains in boiling water for two to three minutes and then place them in a freezer bag in the freezer. The corn from our own production lasts there for several weeks.
Let the popcorn ripen and dry
However, choose a different approach than the one described for popcorn. In contrast to vegetable corn, it has to ripen on the cob until the kernels are hard. Cover the corn plants with a protective net, otherwise the birds will feast on your corn crop. After harvesting, cut the grains from the cob and then air dry them for a few days to weeks (depending on the variety).
Some delicious eating ideas for fresh corn
- Baby corn: about 10 centimeter long, unripe corn cobs, enjoy fresh or pickled sweet and sour
- grill freshly picked vegetable corn and enjoy with herb butter
- cook fresh corn in slightly sweetened water and eat with butter and s alt
- Just nibble fresh cobs raw
Tips & Tricks
Eat freshly harvested corn as quickly as possible. The sugar contained in the kernels turns into starch during storage, so that corn kernels stored for longer no longer taste as sweet and crunchy.
