[nic/n/paul]

i have just strated growing on my allotment and am not sure what to do with corn the cob once it has grow. i was given one before and tried to boil it but it was terrible. whats the best way to cook and preserve these. thanks  the welsh gardener  :?

[WG.]

Hello and welcome to the forum.   I can't grow sweetcorn up here but any I've tasted fresh have been absolutely beautiful.   Maybe you got some plain old maize ??

[Little Miss Muffet]

Try steaming it on the cob.It will hold more flavour.To preserve it
 freeze and add to stews.
To keep it fresh place in a cool dark place like a shed should keep quite a while like that just watch out for the mice.

[Trillium]

Have the pot of water boiling, with a bit of salt added, then go out and get the corn. Husk off all the leaves, any bugs that are freeloading, and drop the cobs into the water. Less than 3 minutes should do it. Remove from water with tongs, lather with butter and if you like a bit of extra salt. If it's actual sweet corn, it's heaven. If you somehow got 'cow corn', the crude tasteless stuff that's grown for sileage, then throw it in the compost.

We grow a lot of sweet corn here and truly pig out during the season. A few people like to BBQ it in the husks, some people season it with pepper and lime - to each his own taste. A few people eat it raw straight off the cob.

[annie2006]

easiest way is put ur corn into a dish with a lid on with 1cm of water. stick in microwave for 3 mins full power. lovely!

[Ice]

Yeah, like wot trillium said and also using a sharp knife you can run it down the cob and cut off the bits of corn, then add to a batter mix for sweetcorn fritters.  (It won't look like the stuff from the supermarket)

[Trillium]

To keep it fresh place in a cool dark place like a shed should keep quite a while like that just watch out for the mice.

Not sure what kind of corn you're using Muffet, but true sweet corn simply won't 'keep' once it's picked. Once you break it off the stalk, the sugars immediately begin turning to starch, hence the need to have the water boiling for best flavour. Store corn shouldn't be older than 1 day or it's rubbish. As for storing it anywhere longer than a day, then you must want it either moldy or drying it for grinding. No way will it taste edible from storage.  Sorry, but we deal in enough corn over here to know the difference. In fact, we even have heating stoves over here that simply burn special variety corn kernels for heat.  

[Little Miss Muffet]

Trillium we used to store it like that for up to two weeks.we used to keep it in like apple boxes cover with a hesian sack.The corn always tasted fine.By the end of week one we used to put the rest in stews.
we used to raid the field up the road and come home with armfulls of it so this is what we did for the suppless.

[Trillium]

Ah, that explains it.  I wonder then if it really was true Sweet Corn you were getting because it really does taste terrible by the 2nd day. Your jaws really get a workout by then. We threw it to the livestock by then.

[richyrich7]

Ok so how do the supermarket suppliers strip off the corn from the cob ? and how does any one else do it?

 Normally in our house it just gets eaten same day of picking, so how can we freeze it ?

Be nice to have some later in the year rather than the stuff you get from asda.

[Aunt Sally]

A few people like to BBQ it in the husks,

We like it like that:

Peel the husk leaves back to the base but don't remove them.  Remove all the silks and fold the leaves back over the cob and secure with some strong string.  Put on the barbie, not sure how long, you'll just have to test one occasionally.

[ziggywigs]

Yummy, i'm growing 16 plants for the first time this year.  

I watched Carol Klein harvesting hers...and i still don't understand why she took a pot with a lid on to put the one she harvested into?  Did it contain hot water or was it symbolic?

[GrannieAnnie]

It had her hot water in it!  Like Trillium says, as soon as you pick the corn, the sugar starts to turn to starch, so you need to get it to your hot water as soon as possible.

In one of my books it says take the hot water to the corn, nothte other way round!!!

[ziggywigs]

Thanks Grannie.  It didn't appear to have hot water in it...but i wondered if it was supposed to have to start cooking the minute the plant was picked.  Must remember that when i harvest my cache!  Maybe OH will start to eat corn...which he loathes the smell and taste of.  

[cozzcov]

I was going to say take the pot of boiling water to the plant not the cob to the pot - but grannie beat me to it.  

If you manage to get corn on the cob still with the husk on it and its been off the plant for over 30mins best thing is to BBQ it to caramelize what sugars are left - I normally leave the husk on in place and put directly onto the hot ashes.  Eat when husk has burnt back, peel any left and add LOADS of butter, of course.  
Some thing else I like to do on the BBQ is de-husk the cob, put in foil with butter and a teaspoon or so of the powder from a french onion cuppa-soup, a veggie stock cube/boullion works well too. Again pop the package into the hot ashes. Corn steams and has a great sauce all in one.