Why is Sweet Corn sweet? - Carroll County Grown (2024)

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Why is Sweet Corn sweet? - Carroll County Grown? ›

As corn kernels dry the sugar in them converts to starch; harvesting the sweet corn at an early stage in maturation allows higher contents of sugars to remain in the grain making the corn sweet. Sweetness in corn is a naturally occurring recessive gene that humans have been enjoying since the Native Americans.

Sweet corn occurs as a spontaneous mutation in field corn and was grown by several Native American tribes. The European cultivation of sweet corn occurred when the Iroquois tribes grew the first recorded sweet corn (called 'Papoon') for European settlers in 1779.

Sweet corn is grown in all 50 states. However, Florida, Washington, Georgia, California, New York and Oregon are the largest producers of all types of sweet corn.

Based on the value of production, the top five sweet corn states are Florida, California, Georgia, Washington, and Minnesota.

Sweet corn isn't the only type of corn that is consumed, but field corn is as well. While sweet corn only accounts for approximately 1 percent of corn production in the United States, 10 percent of field corn is refined and also used in food ingredients.

But unlike many of these other varieties grown to feed cows or make the syrup used in processed food, sweet corn, in general, is not genetically modified. Plant biologists have discovered that it's more vulnerable to common rust than its other corn cousins.

Corn, or maize (Zea mays), was originally domesticated in the Western Hemisphere by Native Americans and was then carried to Europe by the early explorers. It is a major crop cultivated in most temperate climates, although the United States is the single largest producer.

Washington and Minnesota both produced more than 1.4 billion pounds of sweet corn in 2021. Washington and Minnesota accounted for roughly 52% of the sweet corn produced in the United States in 2021.

Looking a bit closer at the numbers, Pennsylvania is the state with the greatest percentage of corn in good condition (82%). The state also has the third highest percentage overall of excellent corn at 18%. Only Illinois and Nebraska have greater percentages of excellent corn at 26% and 21%, respectively.

One of the main nutritional benefits of sweetcorn is its high fibre content. And as we know, dietary fibre is important for our health: it aids digestion, it can decrease the risk of heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. On top of that, fibre helps you stay fuller for longer.

What county produces the most corn? ›

As shown in the table below, the US county that produced the most corn in 2022 was McLean County, Il. It has been the top corn producing US county since 2013.

Field corn kernels are more spaced out on the cob and look dry and dented compared to sweet corn's plump and juicy kernels. Sweet corn is harvested when the kernels are in their prime, fully developed and sweet.

"Corn is perfectly safe to eat raw, but you will want to eat young, tender corn before the sugars turn to starch for the most enjoyable taste. Marz advises staying away from field, or dent, corn which has an unpleasant taste.

Field corn, also called cow corn (because it's used to make cow feed), is taller than sweet corn and has thicker leaves. It stays in the fields until the kernels are dry, mostly because it's easier to process that way. Jim Young / Reuters. This is field corn. It sits on the stalk longer to let the kernels dry out.

The variety of corn we enjoy eating is called sweet corn, which does not grow nearly as tall as field corn (another identifiable difference). Sweet corn has a higher sugar content than cow corn and is picked while immature before the sugar has a chance to turn into starch. Fresh, sweet corn is juicy.

The varieties were defined by the characteristics which made them suitable for different recipes: popcorn was one variety; flint corn was ground into flour; another type, dent corn, was cooked as hominy; sweet corn was eaten roasted; waxy corn has a very complex form of starch that is slow to convert to sugar.

Scientists believe people living in central Mexico developed corn at least 7000 years ago. It was started from a wild grass called teosinte. Teosinte looked very different from our corn today. The kernels were small and were not placed close together like kernels on the husked ear of modern corn.

Originally from Mesoamerica, more specifically Mexico, corn is now found in all parts of the world where the crop can grow. Today 40% of all corn that is cultivated is consumed by people, while the remaining 60% is used to feed animals, and to support consumer goods industries all over the world.

Historians believe corn is a true (Central) American original, saying corn did not exist in Europe until Italian explorer Christopher Columbus encountered it in 1493 during his excursion in the Caribbean and brought it back to Spain.