Harvesting Corn
© Vic Ferri
Of all the vegetables grown, corn is the one most often harvested too late. With corn, it is essential to pick it at the right time to get the best quality and flavor. Corn also starts to lose its quality quickly after it is harvested. Within 24 hours after being picked, most corn loses more than half its natural sugars by converting them to starch. Ideally, you should harvest your corn at the time you are ready to cook it. Have that water boiling!
How sweet your corn will actaully be depends on the variety, temperature and amount of sunlight during the day when the ears are forming. The natural sugars develop best on cool, sunny days. Too much heat slows down the sugar-making process. Early fall, with long cool sunny days, produces the sweetest corn
Check sweet corn for ripeness when the the silks have turned brown but are still damp to the touch. Pull back the husk partially and puncture a kernel. If a clear liquid spurts out, the corn isn`t ready. If a milky liquid spurts out, it is ready and should be picked immediately! If no liquid emerges, the corn is past its prime.
Beware, however, that though pulling back the husks is a reliable method of checking for ripeness, it does have a major disadvantage if the corn is still immature when you do the checking. Once you open an immature ear, it becomes susceptible to insect and other pests, as it continues to ripen. Attack by birds also becomes more likely. With a little experience and practice, you'll be able to judge the ripeness of corn fairly accurately, just by feeling the ends of the ears and not have to worry about that problem.
Understanding the Sweetness of Corn (source National Gardening Association)
"Because sweetness is so important in corn, it might help to understand what makes corn sweet and why timing is so important in your harvest. The plant manufactures natural sugars when the kernels are filling out. These kernels are seeds that each contain a natural food-storage compartment as well as the corn embryo. A seed can't store sugars, but it can live on stored starches throughout the winter months and in its early stages of growth the following season. As soon as the kernels are full of sugar, the plant begins to convert it into starch. Therefore, for best flavor, harvest the corn before this change can take place"
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