sweetcorn

[cyrilsquirrel]

I have picked around thirteen cobs today, as they look fairly ripe and the rat has started to chew on a couple.
Does anyone know if I can freeze them as they come off the plant,or do I have to take the leaves off first?
Thanks for any replies..

[cyrilsquirrel]

[willawiz]

Hi Cyrilsquirrel

Sorry I can't help you with your question.  I've grown sweetcorn for the first time ever this year and now have some quite biggish cobs.  What I'd like to know is how do I know when to pick them? ???  (Without doing the rat test!)

Can anyone help?

[davy1]

Take the leaves off, wash them and dry then and straight into the freezer

[deboydoyd]

Wait till tassels go dark chocolaty brown then have a little look--peel back outer leaves and press the kernels if juice milky its ready if watery it's not. If not replace outer leaves over cob else the bugs will get it

[willawiz]

Thanks for the tip - why didn't I think of that!

[caroline7758]

I know there has been a lot of discussion on sweetcorn recently but I'm still not sure what to do about mine. The tassles are mostly a sort of purpley-brown but when I peeled back the leaves on a few of them today, the kernels were white and much smaller than usual. Do you think they've got time to improve or should I pick some and see what they taste like?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Could they have been ripe further down? You often find the ones near the end don't develop.

[cyrilsquirrel]

Thanks for all the replies folks.

Into the freezer they go...it is a shame to have to freeze them at all, but if it is me or the rat,then the freezer gets them ;D

[glow777]

Wait till tassels go dark chocolaty brown then have a little look--peel back outer leaves and press the kernels if juice milky its ready if watery it's not.

Doh - I though it was the other way around watery ready / milky unripe
I have had ripe sweetcorn for a few weeks and been waiting for it to ripen  :-\
My kernels aren't very yellow though but definitely very milky when squeezed

[Squashfan]

cyrilsquirrel, if you want to save some space you can cut them off the cob and then freeze 'em up. I don't have a big freezer so I am always angling for room myself. :-\
Also, glow, some corn is white, so it'll never get yellow. I got tricked by that last year until I went back and looked at the seed packet :P.

[glow777]

Will be trying sweetcorn tonight then - cheers Squashfan

[OliveOil]

My neighbour told me to wait until the skins split up the top - then you know your sweetcorn is really ready!  Also feel the body of the sweetcorn - it should feel FULL, the not ready ones, the skins feel loose rather than tight. Hiope that helps

[caroline7758]

Having checked back in my (very poorly kept) notes, I think mine may be minipop. Does that mean I've left them too long & they will now be inedible? :(

[Mrs Ava]

Yes Caroline.  They are a baby variety that should be picked when the tassles are still green and before the kernels have developed.  They will be as tough as old boots!  I had some go over whilst we were on our hols and I boiled them, just to see, for over 30mins, and they were still inedible.  However, the kids hamsters LOVED them as would chickens apparently.

[glow777]

Report on my first grown sweetcorn

they were most excellent  - much better than shop bought. Unfortunately the kids love them and I only have 30 left.

Will plant more next year and hope for another heatwave

[tim]

Freezing? Don't forget to wrap tightly in clingfilm!

[dingerbell]

Sweetcorn is one of the few Lottie plants that survive unscathed in the freezer. Last night wifey and I ate the last 4 cobs from last year's harvest. Hard to tell from freshly picked!! This year's harvest (50 cobs) are now ready to be put to bed in the freezer. My favourite way to eat is steamed, then grilled in a ridged pan, covered in butter with a little Cajun seasoning for a little bite...yummy ;D

[Squashfan]

sounds delish, dingerbell, will be trying that myself when a few more cobs get ripe enough!

[stuffed]

I logged on specifically to ask the two questions that have been answered here, I suppose it's that time of year, everyone needs to know the same things.
Of course the only problem is I have to find room in the freezer now ::) ::)

[saddad]

Thanks for the cling film reminder Tim, we have just been out and picked 16 cobs today.
;D