Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-08-12
The Market
Basket
SWEET CORN-ON THE COB
OR OFF.
Bureau of Home Economics. Y. >.
Department of Agriculture

To serve corn on the cob or off
that's a question that many a cool
ponders these days. It is is her uneniv
able task to decide whether to heeo
those members of her family who in
sist that on-the-cob is the only Amer
lean way to serve fresh corn-Oi
whether to yield to the dissenters anC
serve the kernels minus the cob.
Since fanciers of fresh corn are sc
emphatically split into two camps
neither intending to cOnceGc one ker-
mel. most women will probably take
the diplomatic way out-by compro-
mise. There1l be corn-on-the-cOb for
those who demand it, off the-cob Tor
those who like more comfort, less at
mosphere in their eating.
What many an American doesn I
realize as he staunchly upholds his
own ideas of corn cookery is that he's
luckv to have an abundance of this
luscious stuff in any shape. For the
cultivation of sweet corn is practical
Nv limited to North America.
Most favored sweet corn region OF
all is the southern part of Canada and
the northern half of the United States
Here the corn grows rapidly because
of the long warm days. But the heat
is not excessive and nights are cool
so that the corn stays sweet in the
field. AT the higher temperatures far
Their south the sugars in the corn are
rapidly changed into starch.
Sweet corn, like its big brother
field corn. is 100 percent American.
In 1779, more than century and
half after Squanto, the cooperative
Algonquin, taught the settlers of Ply
mouth how to tend their maize. Lieu
tenant Richard Bagnall brought to
that same settlement several ears OF
sweet corn. This sweet corn, some
thing new to the white man, he had
found during a campaign in the North
against the six nations.
But once introduced, the white man
lost no time getting acquainted with
sweet corn. He cultivated, improved
it. Today, sweet corn is grown IN
home gardens over large part of the
United States And there are extern
sive commercial fields of it-for can
ming purposes. Sweet corn ranks "a
mong the top three of vegetables can
ned commercially-ou in front along
with tomatoes and green peas.
Improvement of sweet corn has beer
helpful to Gamers. The by
bird corn developed by scientists is
more uniform in texture and cOnsls-
tency of grains, more regular in shape
and siz than older varieties. These
do
recent practices such as putting VI
corn in frozen packs, and an increased
use of the whole-grain method of re-
moving kernels from the cObS. Most
popular of all with the Gamers now
is Golden Cross Bantam, yellow n.y.
brid, developed by the United States
Department of Agriculture and the
Purdue University Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station.
When buying sweet corn on the
arket-or selecting it from the gar
den-look for ears that are bound up
in fresh green husks. If the husks are
dry or straw-colored, the corn is pro-
badly overmature or there has been
damage of some other sort.
Immature corn may not be recog-
nizable until the corn husk is peeled
back. If the corn has not reached the
right stage of maturity for eating the
kernels will be small and very soft.
Such corn lacks flavor after cooking.
Corn that is "just right for eating
will have a well-filled ear bright,
plump, milky kernels that are just
firm enough to offer little resistance
to pressure. It will be yellow, white,
or black depending on the variety.
Look for worm injury in an ear OF
corn. This usually starts On the tip
of the ear, works it's way down. If
the injury is confined to the tip it
may not be wasteful to buy the ear.
But worm injury along the side of
the ear is extremely Objectionable.
"Out of the garden, over the fire"
is the time-honored rule for using
sweet corn. The tender corn, if not
eaten soon, will tougher. Part Of the
sugar in the kernels changes over to
starch and makes the corn less sweet.
If it isn't possible to use the corn
right away, it should be shucked and
cooled Immediately and kept in the
COOlCSI PAL VI LIlC dIOIs y
keep corn from drying out in the re-
frigerator, wrap in a damp cloth or
keep in the special vegetable box.
Corn that is shipped commercially
is often preceded before it enters tbs
cars. In the cars it is covered with
crushed ice, and the temperature is
kept near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. HUI
Nudity in these cars is exception ally
high and the air circulates freely.
However, even under these ideal con
ditions, shippers do not try to keep
corn over to 8 days.
While the plant breeders have been
busy with their improvements the
cooks have kept pace. But one corn
dish they've not been able to improve
very much is succotash, the America n
version of Indian misiskquatash. The
basic rule for sucotash is that it be
beans and green corn stewed togeth
'er, usually half and half, with or
without salt pork. The beans NAV h.
white, green, or speckled and the
seasonings the cooks inspiration OF
the moment. With the Indian women
the association between. beans and
corn began in the field They planted
both in the same hill and as the corr
grew up the bean vines twin.ad arour r
the stalk.
Corn-on-the-cob for indoor eating j,
best when it is not cooked overlong-