Grilled Corn Warning!!

[Harborwitch]

Be very careful where you get your fresh corn and if you're uncertain of the source (like from a grocery store) don't cook it in the husks!

We planned our Memorial day weekend dinner - big New York steaks, baked potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob.

We found some absolutely beautiful corn (big fat ears), brought it home - kept on ice all the way. I pulled off the very outer leaves that looked dry and funky, pulled the husks back, removed the silk, put the husks back and soaked the corn in cold water.

Bob grilled it, as usual, over wood chunk charcoal (no starter fluid used!), we pulled the husks off, buttered the corn and took a bite. It tasted like pesticides!!! Aaaaack! The corn itself wasn't great, not sweet and juicy - and the taste of chemicals was really strong.

Another reason to go back to CA! I really don't think corn grown here is for people to eat! Now I worry about it being GMO, sprayed with pesticides, and just might buy frozen unless we can find a place to get good organic corn.

[cjs]

Oh ICK!!! Man, that must have been terrible!

Sharon, do yourself a favor - I used to do all the things with corn on the cob, pull down the husks, clean the silk, rewrap, soak in ice water, then finally grill.

Now, just before grilling, I clean the corn completely and rub with a little olive oil; put on a medium grill and rotate a quarter turn every 5 minutes. That's it - corn ready to eat!!!

I know there are corn on the cob purists (or fanatics ), but why put yourself thru all that work?

[luvnit]

Wow! Sounds like you got feed-corn instead of sweet corn. Feed corn is much larger ears, larger kernels too. Tougher husks and not really made for human consumption. Sometimes it is even processed and dried for use in corn-burner stoves. OMG! You would certainly not want to eat that!

[DFen911]

Oh Sharon that's awful

[Harborwitch]

Laura that's exactly what it was like. I cannot believe that they'd sell feed corn for human consumption. I'm also disturbed about the pesticides on it - they're going to grind it all up and feed it to cattle!!!!

Jean that's the way I usually do corn. I have no idea why I veered off course. I won't do that again. Of course the chances that I'll buy corn from a grocery store here again are really slim!

[Gourmet_Mom]

Oh, Sharon! That's AWEFUL! I can't imagine a grocery store selling that!

[Harborwitch]

I can't either. We only bought it because it was the first corn we've found back here that was nice sized with green, fresh looking husks. Usually the corn is small with dried up brown husks - looks like it dried in the field from last year!

We are so spoiled by the Brentwood Sweet Corn we had in CA. It was like eating sugar!

We talked to Cousin Roy - most of the corn back here is raised for animal feed or for fuel (ethanol) and is subsidized by the gov. He said it's likely that it was sprayed, or over-sprayed from a neighboring farm.

Farmer's market season should be starting soon here - I hope. We'll check as many as we can out on our weekly "drives in the country". The produce here in the stores is enough to drive me back to CA by itself! (the fresh asparagus tasted like canned)

[pjcooks]

I think everyone is right, Sharon, sounds like you got feed corn, which is a scary thought in and of itself. My former brother in law's family always planted a few rows of feed corn around the good stuff because theft was expected and realized.

I'm very lucky, I get my corn super fresh from either him or my neighbor who grows his own. And I just plunk it in boiling water for 3 minutes, I realize I can only do this because it's only been 30 min since it's been picked.

For all the things I don't have here, I'm very grateful for the things I do have!

PJ

[Harborwitch]

Exactly - we keep looking at all the amazing things about North Dakota, and there are many many. Then we try to weigh that against what we don't have here. There's too much value in family to give it up for anything.

[luvnit]

Sharon,

Unscrupulous sellers often pack up truck loads and sell to unsuspecting people. My grandparents are originally from her (MN) and truck loads of feed corn would show up in Alaska to sell to folks there who don't have access to sweet corn. My grandparents were appalled at this, occasionally they would show up for a 'corn feed' and be disapponted that is was actually Feed Corn. They were also surprised that people would rave about the 'fresh corn' they were getting! Eventually they grew their own corn in small batches, hand fertilzing each stalk. It's sad and if you don't know you are being dupped, it's even sadder.