A 'sweet' summer staple

HURON TWP. — Sweet corn season is in full swing. The stalks have grown tall and the corn is ready to harvest. A fresh ear of corn on the cob can complete a summer picnic with family or friends. Locally, the sweet corn season commences in July and typically wraps up early in September. Fresh sweet corn can be purchased at a variety of places throughout Erie County and beyond. Prairie View Farm, at 3006 Huron Avery Road in Huron, opened for the season toward the end of July. Ray Enderle, who has been farming for 55 years, loves sweet corn. "It makes you smile, that's for sure," Ray said. While some people enjoy a burger or steak as the main part of a meal, Ray can make a meal out of sweet corn by eating several ears. "Sweet corn is summer on a plate," added Danielle Welschenbach, Ray's daughter. Growing sweet corn There are hundreds of varieties of sweet corn. There's corn with all yellow kernels, all white kernels or a mix of yellow and white kernels, also known as bicolor. Some varieties are ready to harvest earlier than others and are designed for different types of environments. At Prairie View Farm, Ray plants a late-summer variety of sweet corn. With the cooler spring and then the drought, the corn took a little longer to grow. "It's bad enough dealing with one, cool weather. Then we had the drought of 20 days. That pushes you back," Ray said. Earlier corn is designed for growing in cooler temperatures, but the late-summer variety had to adapt. Ray said there needs to be favorable weather to grow sweet corn. It needs the right amount of moisture, sunlight and heat. "If you didn't have the sunlight, then you wouldn't have the sweet," Ray said. "The sun and soil is where you get the flavor." It takes several months to get to the finished product. During the spring, there's soil care. Once the soil approaches 60 degrees for germination, seeds are planted. Then there's fertilizing, watering and a lot of waiting. In the meantime, Ray said he has to plan for pests — from little pests like bugs to bigger pests like raccoons. He also has to prepare for weather-related issues that could damage the crops. "Mother nature has the ability to come in like a cyclone," Ray said. As the stalks grow, a tassel appears at the top. The tassel holds pollen. Each ear of corn has silk, that looks like hair, coming out the top. Each strand of silk is attached to a seed that will develop into a kernel. "That's why this annoying hair gets stuck in between your teeth or you just can't get it off when you're cleaning it," Danielle said. In order for the kernels to develop, pollen from the tassel needs to fall on the silk. It's critical to have good pollination so the ear develops completely. Once the silk at the top appears to be dry, it's a sign the ear is done pollinating and it's mature. Sweet corn stalks grow between 5-7 feet tall and each stalk has 1-2 ears of corn. Sweet corn has a high sugar content and is flavorful. It differs from field corn, which is very high in starch and would not be good to eat. However, field corn is versatile. It's used to feed livestock and make fuel. It's also milled to make food products. Sweet corn is what people want to eat right off the cob. It can even be eaten raw, but most people prefer to cook it. Cooking sweet corn As the sweet corn grows, Ray picks an ear and tries it to see how it tastes. If it's not where he wants it, the corn stays in the field longer. When the corn has the right flavor, Ray said he feels satisfied. He then tells his crew it's time to start picking. Sweet corn will taste the best when it's cooked the same day it's picked, but it should definitely be cooked within a maximum of three days. Corn on the cob can be cooked many different ways. To name a few, it can be boiled, roasted, grilled or even microwaved. Ray's preferred method is to boil it. He said to boil the corn no more than four minutes then butter and salt it. For people who want to enjoy local sweet corn after its season, it can be frozen. Danielle recommends blanching the corn and then cutting it off the cob. If people want to fill their freezer with sweet corn, Ray said to do so by the end of August. If someone has tried sweet corn once and didn't like it, Ray encourages people to try it again. There are so many different kinds out there to try, he said.