I Now Have Corn of my Own That I can Eat and Enjoy

Corn has finally arrived in time before the season starts winding down.  I knew I was going to get corn, but it all depended exactly when this would happen for me.  A few weeks into the month of August I was able to collect the corn that I needed for the summer.

Yesterday is when I did this fun and easy task of removing and checking the ears for ripe corn.  I didn't just want to go out there and start cutting down all the ears on the stalks because chances are that I would likely remove some there were still ripening.

The one thing that I did was check them pretty much every day until yesterday, so I knew that the corn would be coming out very soon.  Once I had pollinated them I could then wait a few weeks for them to develop and once they had reach their full size I could then look at them and wait until they were ripe.

Only 24 were cut from the stalks yesterday and weighed in at 15 pounds.  I was happy with this and I wasn't so worried about the weight and size as I was with the taste.  I cooked them like usual and they came out to be incredibly delicious.  Tender and sweet just like all corn should be.  Here are some photos that I took of the corn harvested yesterday.

Many Corn Plants are Beginning to Produce Silks and Tassels

Today was interesting because I saw my corn stalks and noticed that the hairy part of the corn or silks are being produced by some of the plants.  This is where the corn will reside until it is mature and ready for consumption.  Once it gets pollinated correctly then it will start growing and you will notice that it gets bigger each day.

I don't know if it has been pollinated until the ear begins to grow.  Most corn stalks are able to get as many as three per plant.  I am looking for quality rather than quantity when it comes to corn and any other type of gardening. 

This is the silk and if you have ever peeled corn before then you know exactly what this is.  What you don't know is that this is where the pollen needs to go in order to produce the corn that you and I consume. 

This is where the pollen comes from.  The tassels.

Like everything else in gardening time is what goes against these plants and with only a couple of months left I am confident that I will get plenty of delicious corn to enjoy for the rest of the season.