Monday, August 18, 2008

Fresh Corn From the Garden-- Deliciousness!

I must say that everyone who told me that fresh corn from the garden was simply heaven was right!

We didn't have much room in the garden this year for corn, but we squeezed it in. At my parent's house, I planted two rows of corn. I dropped three kernels in each hole, and I tried to space it out evenly.

As it grew, I was supposed to pull out some of the stalks, so that one stalk remained. But as the newbie that I am, I couldn't make myself do it. They were growing so beautifully and so well! So I left it alone. And fortunately, I live in an area where my only concerns are bugs. I don't have many rabbits or deer that like to roam in the yard. So growing the corn wasn't as big of a challenge as I thought it might be.

Below: The stalks of corn that grew...


As you see, the stalks didn't get very tall. I think that if I had spaced it out and planted only kernel per hole, the stalks might have been larger and the corn may have been more fruitful and bigger in size.

Below: A corn stalk with a nice size ear of corn...


Next time, I will space out the plants and pull some stalks (if I need to). But even with this mistake, we had plenty of corn from the garden.

Below: The corn harvest


Below: A closer view of the corn



It was just too bad that only one or two ears of corn grew on each stalk. I would have liked more corn to eat, but I am satisfied with this first attempt.

Below: The discarded stalks... Into the compost pile

We boiled all of the corn within 30 minutes of picking. I read that corn is the freshest and best tasting within this time frame. I don't know if this is true or not, but this corn was much more flavorful than any other corn that I've ever had.

The entire family ate and ate, and now it's all gobbled up. It was so yummy! I can't wait to plant more.

I wonder if there is still enough time in this season to plant more seeds. I believe it only took us two months (roughly) before we could harvest this corn. If I plant new seeds this week, do you think the corn stands a chance?

Nashville doesn't normally get cold until October. Hmmm....

One thing is for sure: corn is on the list of plants that I will grow again next summer.

17 comments:

Eve said...

It depends on the variety. Anywhere from 60 to 85 days. Your corn looks wonderful and I know it was very sweet and tender. Mama used to put on a big pot of water and then go pick the corn. : )When she got back, she would immediately husk it and put it in the boiling water.
I have a friend who cooks her in the microwave. She wraps the ears in plastic wrap after adding a little butter. Around three or four minutes depending on your microwave. I haven't tried this but she says it is best for fresh corn on the cob.

Skeeter said...

We had fresh corn from the market recently and it was so good! Fried corn is also good but not as healthy as boiled or steamed. My mom now steams hers in the microwave in a corning ware dish...

Some friends tried to grow corn in our garden while in Germany but it did not work out. We think too much sand in the soil.

Anonymous said...

Mmm I had corn last night from a local farm - but I bet yours was even better since it was so fresh. I will definently have to try corn next year.

Carla said...

Woohoo! Fresh corn! Now your an expert-Grow Girl Grow!

tina said...

OMG! That is alot of corn! Way more successful than me the few times I tried it. Sadly I don't grow it anymore but might have to start looking at yours!

Susie said...

D.P.-That corn looks wonderful! I don't think there is anything as great as fresh corn.

Daphne Gould said...

I'm thinking about corn next year. This year we go to the farmer's market every week. Saturday is corn day. My kids don't like it however. I never get that. How can you not like corn?

Mick said...

dp
Good job!!
We are having home grown corn tonight. It was grown by a neighbour and we traded for tomatoes.
We're having it buttered, sprinkled with chopped home grown chives then wrapped in foil and cooked on the BBQ grill.

Cindy said...

What a great harvest. It looks so good and I'm sure the taste was superb. We had fresh corn while on vacation. There's nothing like it.

Anonymous said...

Super job DP. Now you are a genuine Gardener. Fresh corn on the cob is to die for. You've had cantaloupe, cukes, tomatoes, peppers & now corn. Way to go girl. Keep it up.

Dawn said...

Ummmm, fresh corn! It's the greatest. I grow it even though I battle the squirrels. Yes, pulling those extra sprouts is very painstaking!

Dan said...

Corn is so good when it is fresh off the cob. You are so lucky to have your own to pick. I'd like to give corn a try but we have so many critters being a block from the Grand River I think it would just end up getting eaten by them.

Your post reminds me of the corn chowder with scallops I was planning on making well the corn is in the market. I think I will have to get on it!

tina said...

It was super nice meeting you DP! Hope we can meet again-and Cam too!

DP Nguyen said...

Hi Eve-My sister wrapped one of the corn ears and microwaved it. She said it was very good. I'm kinda scared of the microwave cooking. I try to avoid it, if I can. I'm scared of the radiation or whatever it is, lol. Microwavable corn makes my dad sick, but boiled corn does not. Weird, huh?

Hi Skeeter- The corn was so yummy. I do love it boiled, tons of flavor. Is Germany too cold for corn? Although maybe the potatoes take up all the room and good soil, you know how the germans like them 'taters. :-)

Hi Plantgirl-Yum! Corn is so good. Be careful though, your little girl might try to tear off the corn off the plant before it is ready!

Hi Carla--Haha! Thanks. Not an expert, and I make lots of mistakes in the garden, but it's fun when one of my experiments doesn't fail. lol.

Hi Tina--It was so great to meet you yesterday! And yep, lots of corn, but so good. I don't know we did it, but we did. Maybe we were lucky. lol.

Hi Susie-You are right, fresh corn is the best!

Hi Daphne-You should definitely grow corn. Aww sorry about your kids not liking it. I don't know how anyone wouldn't like corn. It's just so good especially from your garden!

Hi Mick- Thanks! That sounds so delicious. I bet it is soo good. And I'm sure your neighbors are saying the same about your tomatoes. They looked so wonderful and red, yum. I wish I could have traded some of my corn for your tomatoes or peppers!

Hi Cindy- The corn was so good. Welcome back from vacation!

Hi lola- Thanks for the compliment. I wish my bell peppers would have been more plentiful, but maybe next year!

Hi Dawn-We don't have amyn squirrels in my neighborhood. Maybe because we have lots of birds. That's the problem-the birds poke holes in the tomatoes. Good news is we have good corn!

Hi Dan-Yeah, corn is hard to grow, especially with all those animals in your neck of the woods. Corn chowder sounds pretty good too!

Mother Nature said...

Congratulations on the fine corn harvest.

Skeeter said...

The Germans cant mash a potato worth a darn but they sure can fry up some Pommes... And they eat them with mayo like I prefer!

Skeeter said...

Ops forgot to answer your question. Not too cold but too much rain the year they tried. The tiny corn cobs molded. We lived in the hottest region of Germany so the growing season was fairly good for veggies.