Field corn vs. sweet corn

maizenblue

Member
Aug 14, 2007
67
3
8
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.
 
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.


Your buddy is pullin your leg
 
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.

Sweet corn is a variety that has more sugar content. You can eat field corn at the milk stage and it isn't that bad. But, most sweet corn today is the mix of white and yellow kernels, that is not a variety of field corn.
 
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.

Field corn is not sweet corn. When you drive down the road and see corn, it is field corn. Its breed for yield and starch content. It is feed to livestock and processed into almost anything. When you walk down the grocery store isle, you are looking at processed corn. Corn is in everything. Pop, Ketchup, Chips, etc. Read the food labels, it is in everything.

Sweet corn is breed for taste and sugar. It is shorter and usually uglier than field corn. Sweet corn production is less than 1% of total corn production.
 
Field corn will also more than likely have a pink or red cob.

You should know if you are eating field corn right away... it will generally be much tougher.
 
He is right that sweet corn is a very small percentage of corn grown, but all sweet corn on the shelf or at a market is NOT field corn, it is sweet corn.
 
I think the sweet corn sold today, especially the Peaches and Cream variety, is too sweet; I like to taste corn, and if I want a sweet fix, I will buy a candy bar. Just sayin
 
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.

You must be 10, 11 tops right?
 
Sweet corn is a variety that has more sugar content. You can eat field corn at the milk stage and it isn't that bad. But, most sweet corn today is the mix of white and yellow kernels, that is not a variety of field corn.

This is absolutely correct.
 
Ever been cow tippin'?


Some times people have to learn things the hard way.

I had always assumed if you were born and raised in Iowa you automatically
knew this stuff.
 
Ok, my understanding is that almost all "sweet" corn sold by grocery stores and street corner farmers is actually field corn. My friend (grew up on a farm) told me only a verrrry small percentage of all corn produced is actually sweet corn.

Is there any way to visibly tell the difference? My buddy said real sweet corn kernels should look kinda rough and shriveled.
Maybe if we started calling it "sweet maize" and "field maize" it would help you differentiate?
 

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