Checking sweetcorn?

[gadgetman]

Is it ok to peel back the green bits to check the corn, or should you check through it?

The greenary seems to be solid, and the only way to peel back is to damage it?

[Jeanied]

You'll need to pull some of the leaves apart to check what is underneath. That will mean some splitting and ripping I'm afraid - just look at the top section. If you're cooking fresh you can barbecue it with the leaves on or the same with microwaving - but you will need to know if its ok underneath so you need to peek!

[gadgetman]

Thanks.

I assume if one is ready they all should be?

[Alison]

Not necessarily, they probably started forming at different times and therefore will be ready at different times, a bit like the way that tomatoes ripen individually.

[Rhona]

Yep - all ours are at different stages. Some will be ready in the next couple of weeks, but I suspect others will be a few weeks behind. You'll probably get to know by sight a bit more as the crop ripens by looking at the silks etc. and pulling away at the layers won't harm it much. Enjoy your crop - I'm planning a sweetcorn bbq at the lottie when enough of ours is ready!

[gadgetman]

Thanks all.

Will get checking.

[ninjawithamullet]

yellow sweetcorn, thats still white?

Just out of interest (i'm 6 months into my first year of owning an allotment)

my sweetcorn is now over 6 foot tall (atleast the main plants are) and the corn itself (nicely rapped in green leaves) is starting to what i assume you're refering to as foaming (i.e. thin straw type bits sticking out the top)

however this is my issue... the sweetcorn (when i peel back the green leaves) are WHITE !!

i swear i planted yellow sweet corn.. therefore my quesiton is, is this normal as in, is the colour the last thing to appear, and my white sweetcorn means it just isn't quite ready yet? their size makes me think ready to eat.. and i appreciate white sweet corn exists..

(nb: tricky quesiton with no pictures.. i'll get some upload in next few days)

[bluemoon]

They're probably white because they're not ripe yet, but to be honest I would have expected a bit of colour by now. Have you checked more than one plant? Also, is anyone nearby growing sweetcorn which might have cross-pollinated with yours? The kernels are the seeds and will take on the qualities of both parents, so it's possible to get cobs which look different to how you'd expected. I would have thought you'd end up with a mixture though if this was the case, some yellow kernels and some white rather than a uniform colour throughout. Try the thumb-nail test, push a thumb nail into a kernel, if the fluid inside is clear then it's not ready, if the fluid is milky then it is.

As for peeling back the greenery, it's probably best to re-wrap the cobs as best you can if they are not ready, this will protect them from weather, insects and birds to a certain extent.