Corn pickin' and frost question

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My wonderful spouse and I have been rehabbing a house for the last few weeks. Today we spent 14 hours of daylight working on it, just like daily for the last few weeks (excluding vacation time). I have been neglecting my garden, unfortunately. :( The weather has been great, EXCEPT for the fact that we have had unseasonably cold nights...light frosts in the valley...not here on the hilltops yet.

I still haven't got my corn in! Is it a loss this year? It hasn't frozen out or anything...I am new at this corn raisin' stuff. Has the sugar all turned to starch? I will feed it to the livestock if I have to, but I will make a point of picking it if it's still good. Guess that means I have to stay home and cook some, eh? :)

Any help you can provide will be much much appreciated! Thanks!!!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), September 24, 2000

Answers

Pull back a few of the shucks, press your nail into a kernel and if you still get milky fluid, it's good for eating. Unfortunately, corn has a pretty narrow window when it is ready and afterwards, gets starchy, dries and has to be used in other ways. Some varieties have a longer period when it's good as "green corn" or will stay sweet after picking. Before you get too anxious to feed it to livestock, try letting some dry and grind it for cornbread. It's really sweet but can be a bit gummy without the addition of a little regular cornmeal. If you are just wanting it out of the garden and it's past prime, by all means, cut the stalks and feed the whole business to your animals. My goats and sheep will work on even the tough stalks until not much is left. That's when the dogs take them and make chew toys out of them!

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), September 24, 2000.

Any corn grinds OK if dry enough. Flint corn such as what is sold as decorative "Indian Corn" grinds OK if fully mature even if not super dry. I suggest the drier the better though.

-- Hermit John (hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), September 24, 2000.

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