New corns of note

[Pulsegleaner]

@Pulsegleaner When my parents go tot Texas in winter they are often in the Mexican markets, sometimes buying groceries like fresh veggies. They tell me every corn they've ever bought was just beyond awful. I think they've tried several times to eat corn bought fresh at a market. I've asked them every question about it to see where they might be going wrong - are they sure it is for eating fresh, etc. What do you think they are buying to get such terrible fresh corn on the cob? If it is not for drying and being sold as fresh cobs, I can't figure what the problems is.

I have no idea either. If this was 100-150 years ago, I'd say that maybe the problem was that the corn was what is known as "roasting ears" (a corn you can both eat young and grind as meal when it matures). But those haven't been popular for a long time outside the heirloom market.

I suppose it is THEORETICALLY possible that, if they grew up on sh, sh+ and se sweet corns, older ones wouldn't taste sweet enough to them, and that maybe those are the corns being grown in Mexico. But I am not sure.

 

[baymule]

@Pulsegleaner When my parents go tot Texas in winter they are often in the Mexican markets, sometimes buying groceries like fresh veggies.

Where in Texas do they go?

 

[seedcorn]

@Pulsegleaner When my parents go tot Texas in winter they are often in the Mexican markets, sometimes buying groceries like fresh veggies. They tell me every corn they've ever bought was just beyond awful. I think they've tried several times to eat corn bought fresh at a market. I've asked them every question about it to see where they might be going wrong - are they sure it is for eating fresh, etc. What do you think they are buying to get such terrible fresh corn on the cob? If it is not for drying and being sold as fresh cobs, I can't figure what the problems is.

Best guess is they are used to northern sweet corn, get south of Indiana they call all immature corn ears, sweet corn. A lot of the older varieties barely classify as “sweet” by today’s standards.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They tell me every corn they've ever bought was just beyond awful.

In what way? Taste. texture, appearance, something else?

If it is not for drying and being sold as fresh cobs, I can't figure what the problems is.

I've never been to those Mexican markets so I'm just guessing. Sometimes ethnic markets have different things. It would be good to know what variety of corn that is. Is it open-pollinated or one of the hybrids. We are so used to the super sweet hybrids that the open pollinated might not taste like we think it should. I grew up on open-pollinated corn for corn-on-the-cob, it is not super sweet. Dad called it white shoepeg.

If they are willing they might chat with the seller and ask how it is supposed to be prepared. I run into people on the sister chicken forum that don't like our home raised chicken. They are so used to the store bought Cornish X that is butchered at 6 to 8 weeks of age that our chicken just doesn't taste right, cockerels especially. Our chicken is typically butchered older so it has more flavor and texture. You need to cook it different to the store bought chicken. Sometimes when we tell them how to cook it they are happy. Some people you just can't please.

So that's my two guesses. It may be a variety that they are not used to so it tastes different. Or there is something about it that means it needs to be cooked differently than they are cooking it.

 

[Zeedman]

@Pulsegleaner When my parents go tot Texas in winter they are often in the Mexican markets, sometimes buying groceries like fresh veggies. They tell me every corn they've ever bought was just beyond awful. I think they've tried several times to eat corn bought fresh at a market. I've asked them every question about it to see where they might be going wrong - are they sure it is for eating fresh, etc. What do you think they are buying to get such terrible fresh corn on the cob? If it is not for drying and being sold as fresh cobs, I can't figure what the problems is.

Perhaps it was parching corn?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Perhaps it was parching corn?

As far as I know, parching corn always starts out as mature dried corn. You may soak it before you parch it, but it's fully mature, and is sold dry. Remember, the standard parching corn is Hickory King, and that's a dent. I can't see any way anyone would mistake it for corn on the cob corn.

 

[heirloomgal]

Where in Texas do they go?

I think it's called West Laco, Westlaco, or something like that....

 

[heirloomgal]

Yeah, I think it's a variety issue. They tell me there is a great deal of poverty in this area and that just about everything imaginable is for sale there, so I'm thinking it is some kind of easy to grow, prolific corn that they sell fresh but is probably not meant to be a fresh eating corn but is just some unripe kind of corn, probably for flour, they are selling. I think they said it was pasty and zero taste. I guess the sellers aren't worried about customer satisfaction

The thing is, which truly throws me, is that this stuff must be VERY bad for my parents not to eat it. Not being sweet enough isn't likely. They are the most un-picky eaters I know. I question some of the leftovers and even foods they consume; it's that 'we can't waste a thing' mentality, which is commendable. So if they spent money on it, it'd have to be REALLY bad to get wasted. This is probably the only food product I've ever known them to ever throw away (aside from some fresh buckwheat flour I gave them years ago).

 

[meadow]

@Pulsegleaner When my parents go tot Texas in winter they are often in the Mexican markets, sometimes buying groceries like fresh veggies. They tell me every corn they've ever bought was just beyond awful. I think they've tried several times to eat corn bought fresh at a market. I've asked them every question about it to see where they might be going wrong - are they sure it is for eating fresh, etc. What do you think they are buying to get such terrible fresh corn on the cob? If it is not for drying and being sold as fresh cobs, I can't figure what the problems is.

Back in the early 1980's, I purchased fresh corn (in California) and had a similar but less extreme experience. There was nothing sweet about it; very disappointing. My grandmother told me that happens when it has been too long after being harvested. I don't know if she was correct, but it was such a negative experience that I haven't bought fresh corn since.

 

[meadow]

You all have gotten me interested in Painted Mountain. The fellow that developed it did an interesting video on how he decides which young plants to cull. But he also did a video about his new release variety, Montana Morado Maize [eta: just started selling, as of Nov 2021]. He's been working on it for 50 years! I love the look on his face towards the end of the video. 🥰

The Montana Morado Maize largely came from my Painted Mountain Corn. It grows about the same but with a little larger and stronger plants, it is naturally diverse, open pollinated and you can grow it year after year. It has long 8 row thin cylindrical ears with shiny black kernels. Its ancestors are 100% North American Native corn.

A word of caution though... at least one seed company is selling an imported corn with a very similar name.

ETA: Found Dave Christensen's backstory about how Painted Mountain and Montana Morado Maize came to be:

"At the age of age of 17, I received a powerful unexpected dream from God. I saw two thin ears of black corn. I did not know why or how, but my soul was imprinted to develop this corn. Thus began my lifelong work with ancient corn varieties kept alive by Indian families & homesteaders.

30 years ago, I experimented with Navajo desert corn from Black Mesa, Arizona. One plant produced two ears, and when I peeled back their husks, each glistened with shiny black kernels. I was elated to have found the sacred black corn of my dream. I introduced the black Navajo color into my work and developed Montana Morado Maize.

Recently, scientists have discovered that dark-purple corn contains extraordinarily high levels of anthocyanins. These compounds act as antioxidants, with many powerful health benefits. Now I understood why I was guided to create this.

The sacred corn seed is the result of fifty years of exciting discovery and conscious breeding guided by a vision, grown in Montana with love, prayers and blessings for your health and well-being."

– Heirloom corn breeder, Dave Christensen, Big Timber, Montana