Sweet and Simple Sweet Corn

Fresh-from-the-field sweet corn purchased at Old Cheney Road Farmers Market, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Sweet corn time is one of my favorite times of the year. Just shuck, boil, and eat for one of the tastiest foods on the planet.

Some people who grow sweet corn start the water boiling before they pick the corn to capture the best of its sweet flavor! While we don’t have sweet corn growing in our back yard, buying it from our local farmers market is the next best thing.

If you can’t eat sweet corn immediately when you get home, store it in the refrigerator and eat it as soon as possible, preferably that day. If you wait too long, its sugar turns to starch and that special sweetness is gone.

If you must store sweet corn … refrigerate it, still in the husk, in a perforated plastic bag. To make your own perforated bag, just punch holes into a plastic bag with a sharp object … for example, use a small paring knife to carefully poke holes (about 20 holes per medium-size bag).

Boiling Corn on the Cob

I boil my corn in a pasta pot and use my strainer insert for easy removal. A long-handled tongs also works well.

Start a large pot of unsalted water boiling while you remove the husks and silk. Use enough water to cover the corn. Place the corn in the boiling water, cover, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until tender.

Testing corn tenderness by removing an ear and and poking it with a sharp knife.

How Sweet It Is!

Dinner on the deck along with something from the grill and a side salad was never sweeter … or simpler!

My husband and I enjoy brushing our sweet corn with a little olive oil. Perfect!

Related Link:

• Canning and Freezing Corn (Source: Julie Albrecht, PhD, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension)