Picking Sweetcorn

[freefolk]

This is the first time I have grown corn on the cob. The first few are delicious. Can they be left on the plant, or can they be picked and stored? Or do you just eat them when ready? Many thanks in advance for any answers.

[burnie]

If you pick and store the cobs the sugar turns to starch and the flavour is gone. I'd eat them fresh, I just eat them raw straight off the plant myself lol.

[Bex2012]

If you leave them too long on the plant, they go hard and inedible. You literally have to pick and eat. If you arent sure if they are ready, burst a kernel with your nail. If its a milky fluid, they are ready.

[Snoop Puss]

As burnie and Bex say, you can't keep them fresh off the plant. And if you leave them too long on the plant they go floury and then they dry up completely. Some people freeze them, either shucked or whole.

[Mr Bones]

Hi Freefolk and welcome to the vine. Sweetcorn is one of those veg that plot to plate time is of the essence. You just cannot buy as fresh as when you're lucky enough to grow your own. Enjoy..

[ESBkevin]

Yes press for milky juice once the end hairs are completely brown. Harvest when ready and eat. If you have too many harvest anyway and blanch, then run a knife along/down the cob to remove the grains and freeze them. They still retain most of the sugar and are better than shop bought if not quite as good as that golden hour after picking.

[nickdub]

Freezing is the only real option if you have too many to eat fresh.

You can leave one or two cobs go hard and dry on the plant and then harvest the seeds in the Autumn for sowing next year. They will not come exactly the same if the seed was F1 or F2, but they still should be fine.

[Nicos]

I had to stop growing sweetcorn as we had a very interested badger ( not to be encouraged!)

We used to pick them and freeze them whole inside their natural wrapping (inside a freezer bag if course)
Always pleased with the results.

[Snadger]

If you pick and store the cobs the sugar turns to starch and the flavour is gone. I'd eat them fresh, I just eat them raw straight off the plant myself lol.

Me too. Once eaten raw with the juice/milk from them running down your face you will never want to cook them again!

[Snadger]

If you pick and store the cobs the sugar turns to starch and the flavour is gone. I'd eat them fresh, I just eat them raw straight off the plant myself lol.

Me too. Once eaten raw with the milk running down your front you will never cook them again!

[Snadger]

See, i like then raw that much I have to post in duplicate!

Bob Flowerdew used to run from the plot to get them in to the pan while they were still fresh!

[chris_m]

I'm still waiting for mine to do much. Some of them now have the male flower head (tassels?) formed/forming but no cobs nor silks yet.
There do appear to be some "hairy" areas on the stems a couple of leaves down, I'm assuming (and hoping) that these are the start of the silks.

Edit, it looks like they are the silks forming because when I looked this morning one was looking more like a beard than just a 5 o'clock shadow.

[LexLucre]

You don't want to keep them, eat them!

Enjoy your hard work

[Nannysally99]

I took one to a friend last week, expecting her to BBQ it.
She just peeled and ate it raw, declaring it delicious

[TrialAndError]

The only options if you have too many are to freeze or give them away. If you give them away to to friends they will definitely be impressed.