Harvesting the Corn

A couple of weeks ago, I eagerly talked about the progress that our Corn had been making. First the male flower (The Tassel) had grown at the top of each stalk and then a week later the female flower's (The Ear) started to appear. My only real concern at the time was whether I had been a little too ambitious in planting the corn in just one row and as such cause problems with Pollination.

Corn is always best picked first thing in the morning while the air is cool and before the sun has had a chance to sap away some of the vitamins and minerals from the plant. You can also wait until dusk, especially if you plan to eat the Corn that evening but early mornings in my opinion are the way to go. To pick, simply reach down and while firmly holding the husk, gently twist until it comes away cleanly from the plant.

If done correctly, the husk should look similar to this picture. Note the remains of the Ear at the top.

 

 

As it turns out, my concerns around pollination were well justified. Of the six ears that eventually developed full term, five of them ended up suffering from an under developed top. Only the center most Husk (on the far left of the picture below) was fully developed. 

Lesson learned for next time, when I'll make a point of planting at least two rows to see if I can encourage cross pollination and better development.

Overall, I've very pleased with the way the corn came out, especially given that it was my first attempt. I also took the opportunity to pick some more Basil and while most of which is being gifted to some friends, there's going to be enough left over for us to try making Corn and Basil Cakes later on today. I'll let you know how that goes.