The Organic Market and Café

Sweet Corn

$2.95 each

Description

Sweet corn. Its ears are wrapped in tightly bound lime hued husks with silks and a tassel that extend out from the tip. The yellow kernels are packed in tight almost uniform rows. A single ear of corn can contain up to 400 kernels. Freshly harvested sweet corn at its peak ripeness is sweet, offering flavors of almond and sugar, the kernels so succulent, the skin pops as you bite into it. As the corn matures, the kernels lose their milky consistency giving way to a starchy and doughy consistency. At this point, the corn is considered a grain crop and is best suited for processing or feedstock. Yellow corn is a significant resource of Vitamin A. As corn kernels mutated from white to yellow, they acquired chemicals called cartenoids. Of these cartenoids is beta carotene, which produces Vitamin A. Very little attention has been emphasized on yellow corn's significant beta carotene levels until the early 21st Century. The less sweet corn is cooked, the better the flavor and texture. Sweet corn can be roasted, grilled, blanched, steamed, or pureed. Its bright and sweet flavors lend well to pastas and salads. It pairs well with tomatoes, basil cilantro, lobster, pork, chiles, truffles, shelling beans, cream, nutty cheeses, peas, summer squashes, fennel, citrus and scallops. Sweet corn is dried and ground into flour for baked goods, tortillas, cereals and used as a crust/crisping agent for dishes both savory and sweet. Corn is also used for oil, as a sweetener in foods and beverages and as a base for beverage alcohol.