Last updated on October 14, 2018 by Liza Hawkins
Imperfect, heirloom, colorful, natural varieties of like old fashioned corn and other produce are truly the best tasting AND best looking.
Yesterday Jack spent the day at my parents’ homestead and when I dropped him off in the morning they told me that there was extra corn from their garden if we wanted any.
Of course I wanted some; who doesn’t want corn on the cob in August?
But they warned me that this corn was “old fashioned corn” and probably not what we’re used having to from larger scale farms or grocery stores.
They were right! It was very different; it was (gasp!) imperfect, less sweet, a little chewy, FRESH and delicious.
It makes you wonder just how much our food has changed over the recent centuries.
Not just corn, but produce in general is bigger, sweeter, crisper, and more perfect. Perfect. Really though?
I’d wager that the imperfect, heirloom, colorful, natural varieties of produce like this old fashioned corn are truly the best tasting AND best looking.
What do you think?
You can find my mothers heirloom and saved seeds for sale on Etsy at gardengatefarmer.etsy.com.
It may be imperfect, but it’s real. I wonder if there were any fertilization issues…I would have expected a few more kernels.
Good question – I’m no expert, but I’m sure they would know. I’ll find out! Thanks!
Unless it’s labeled as organic, any corn in the US may have been grown from genetically modified seed from companies like Monsanto whose corn is more resistant to herbicides so farmers can spray their crop with impunity to kill weeds and not worry about their harvest (they make Roundup by the way).
Of course, I can’t help but wonder if dumping MORE chemicals into the soil is really a good idea.
Well, I know THIS corn was most likely non-genetically modified (probably heirloom seeds), and it most definitely had no chemical/pesticides used, although they’re not “certified” organic. It was corn from my parents’/sister’s farm.
If, though, you are talking generally, then I agree. There’s way too much intervention of all kinds when it comes to crops.
Oh yeah, I meant generally speaking.
I think the corn in your pictures didn’t have the benefit of having crazy super-corn genes and additives and may have been affected by the hot summer and infrequent rain we’ve been having.
I bet you’re totally right about the heat & drought – that took a toll. It still tasted good though!
It is very sad there is such a thing as genetically engineered food! I read somewhere that bugs actually improve the flavor of food because the plants release chemicals to protect themselves which makes the food taste better! Weird but organic taste so much better than non!
I love corn!! My parents used to have a huge garden and grow corn every year. It was delicious. I think I am going to buy corn the next time I am in the store. Or hit up a farmer’s market 🙂
Jen – interesting! Never heard that!
Wife Don’t Cook – Definitely Farmer’s Market!!!
Hey! It’s true, Eddy, there should be more kernels. The drought hit us hard and without proper irrigation the corn just didn’t produce how it should. It is open pollinated, or heirloom, corn which means not only is it not GMO but it is isn’t hybrid either. But I think because of the lack of water (and therefore slow/inconsistent growth) pollination probably wasn’t what it should be, which could be why there are missing kernels (as opposed to just the under-developed kernels). Corn really needs a lot of plants to properly pollinate. We were still happy to get some because it was sort of an experiment to see if we could grow some for ourselves. We don’t have the space to grow enough to sell. It was fun to give it a try! Maybe we will try popcorn next year. 🙂
This Wife Don’t Cook – my vote goes to farmers’ market too! 😉
Thanks Josie! I knew your words would be far better than mine on this topic!