Getting Corny

I love corn. It's the ultimate sign that summer is upon us and the livin' is easy. Finding good corn on the cob becomes the goal of the quest. You've had corn from the supermarket that's been a tad on the tough side. Still, you plunge ahead, hoping to get that perfect ear of corn. I have two words for you: Farmers Markets.

You'd have to be orbiting Alpha Centauri to have escaped the phenomenon of these incredible places to find delicious, tender, ripe, succulent, and whatever good adjective comes to mind, foods.

Want to find the best corn on the cob? These are the places to check out. The corn is picked often - sometimes three times a day, so you know it's fresh. Why is this important? Glad you asked.

Corn begins to convert sugar to starch the moment it's picked. That's some serious chemistry going on. It means that you need to get it from the plant to your tummy as soon as you can, if you're going to enjoy it at its sweetest.

Buy it fresh, keep it cool, and eat and process it as quickly as possible to retain all the goodness it contains. On Wednesday we'll talk about canning corn and on Friday we'll cover freezing tips for this golden delight.