I finally cracked and picked some of the weird pink tasseled corn. Most of them didn't look big enough, but the tassels had all browned off, and when I pierced the kernels they were milky inside, so all the signs that I know of corn being ready were there.
I was a bit worried that it was going to be the end of us all, and when we got all the stuff off, it didn't exactly inspire me with confidence.
The kernels were a different shape. Kind of a little teardrop like. And see those funny little things coming off them?
There was one normal cob in there, in the second photo you can see it second from left. You could tell it was different when it was cooked, because it actually tasted good.
Then there were some that were were only tiny. I remembered that Veggiegobbler had said that the pink tasseled corn looked a lot like some baby corn she had grown, so I thought that maybe that's how these two had turned out.
To make it up to my family to whom I was about to feed this weird stuff, I made an extra nice dinner, put a smile on my face and served it up. It smelt good, just like normal corn. The little ones were great, we ate them whole and Veggie was right, it was just like baby corn.
The ones with the unusual shaped kernels though... well, Felix's face says it all. Poor little man, he loves corn and was excited about it. It wasn't too awful, and it did taste like corn, but it was hard, and not really sweet. It tasted kind of like something that should have been ground up into flour. He plowed his way through it, while we all watched him with a mixture of disbelief and respect. He said he liked it though, and he looks pretty normal today.
So I think that we have all learnt something important here today. In the future, don't listen to me when I tell you to grow home brand popping corn.
10 comments:
Thank you for the review and taste test, Ali ... I was almost tempted to buy some popping corn for myself just on account of those pink tassels!
In pic 3, the 'little things' are the tail end of the silk - the tassel which is the male part of the flower, when you open the fibrous husk and remove the spent silk, you would tear each one off its kernel - there's a fibre to each kernel that's why pollination has to be really thorough for every kernel to develop.
There's always a few undeveloped kernels which are very nice if treated like 'baby corn' and picked when you pick the mature cobs. They won't develop any more, you might as well eat them as put them into the compost.
The only Corn which is 'sweet' is Sweet Corn. Gee! ;-) All Corn is edible just some varieties are sweeter than others. A lot of the heritage Sweet Corn is not as sweet as some of the commercial hybrids but at least they breed true.
Hey Elaine, I had no idea that each silk strand was attached to a kernel, that's amazing... so each kernel needs to be pollinated individually? What a mission corn goes through to get to the dinner table.
I think this corn would have been good to grind up and bake with, I would have had a go if I had the know how. And maybe a lot more corn, I'd probably get a cupcake out of mine.
Everyone deserves a pink tassel in their life Elaine, however failing that, there's always red dragonfruit :)
How interesting are the shapes of the tear drop kernels! Felix has great manners ploughing through the corn if it wasn't overly nice!
I'm hanging out to crack open our corn, my persistent asking each day "is it time yet?" is starting to resemble a young child in the back of the car asking "are we there yet?".
Yep, that looks like baby corn to me. When I first started growing it I let it grow too long and mine looked like those too. Grow it again!!! I planted my babycorn a few weeks ago but nothing has come up. I'm pretty disappointed but if I've still got some kernels I'll try again.
Erin I am like that with most things in the garden... Last year I grew a rockmelon and waited for months before I cracked and picked it... it was perfect; beautiful and round and orange and fleshy... and not even remotely ready to eat. You would have thought that would learn me, but no, another one grew and I did the same thing!
Veggie I might give a few more a go, you were right, the small ones tasted pretty good. I have lots more corn in too, are you getting much rain down there? Everything is going a bit nutty here, the rain has just pushed everything along, it's like a tropical jungle in my yard!
Ali ... Rockmelons are the only fruit that I know of which *falls off the bush* when it's ready! It's weird to go out into the garden and see these fruit just sitting there waiting to be picked up but unless they have fallen off they are not ready - that's why you never see stems on shop Rockmelons.
Yep we've had plenty of rain the last few weeks and more expected this weekend. Like your place it has made a terrific difference to the garden. I'm expecting some juicy plums this year.
Elaine, it would have been nice to know that last year! My poor rockmelons, I sabotaged them :(
You know that if any grow this year it's going to be the biggest pain in the butt waiting for them to ripen. Worse than the bananas.
Veggie, plums sound quite fabulous, keep us posted on them :)
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