The sweet corn – from the end of June it really shot up. Then it bloomed and now it bears its thick ears. But are they already ready for harvest?
How do I know that sweet corn is ready to harvest?
Harvest signs for sweet corn are brown-black, dried threads on the cob and the milky-white juice that comes out when you scratch a grain. The harvest time varies depending on the variety and degree of ripeness between the end of July and October (90 to 100 days after sowing).
Harvest time: Depending on the variety between the end of July and October
Are you growing sweet corn to eat or do you want to get seeds? Depending on this, the sweet corn has to ripen for different lengths of time. To obtain seeds, the corn cobs must dry on the plant. The outer leaves are then brown. This is usually the case between August and October.
Many varieties can be harvested for consumption as early as the end of July. Late-ripening varieties reach their proper level of ripeness between September and October. Basically it can be said that it takes 90 to 100 days from sowing to harvesting. The cobs are ripe three weeks after flowering.
This tells you how ripe the cobs are
You can recognize ripe sweet corn cobs by the following characteristics:
- Threads (former styles of female flowers) are brown to black
- Threads have dried up
- Milk ripeness: A milky-white juice emerges from the corn kernels
What is milk ripeness?
Test the ripeness of the milk by scoring a kernel of corn with a fingernail or a knife. If a milky-white juice comes out, it is harvest time for consumption. However, if a clear and watery juice comes out, the cobs are still immature. Once the cobs have hardened, it is too late to eat - the perfect time to harvest seeds.
How to harvest?
The cobs are simply broken off the plant or cut off with a knife. You don't have to be careful. The sweet corn is an annual and is composted after harvest. To produce seeds, the cobs are hung up to dry after harvest.
Use the sweetcorn
- consume or preserve soon after harvest
- good for freezing
- After harvesting, the sugar contained in it is converted into starch (sweetness disappears)
- Don't wait longer than 8 hours from harvest to consumption
- z. B. Remove the leaves from the cob and cook or grill for 20 minutes
Tip
Usually 2 to 3 harvest passes are necessary because not all cobs mature at the same time.
