Corn buying etiquette

[Anonymous]

I peel back the corn to check it, but I don't completely peel the entire thing right there in the store. I find that odd.

I'm from the midwest - corn central - and this is how it is done out there. I never saw large bins at grocery stores for completely shucking the corn at the store until I moved out here. But everyone - even the farmers' wives - would peel back a bit to check. Common sense.

[Anonymous]

Two different issues here:

1. Husking in the store and only taking home bare ears is weird... why would you want to take home corn that started drying out hours before you cooked it? Just dumb. My upbringing included the rule "if you drop an ear of corn on your way in from the field, don't go back to pick it up. It's already too old."

2. Peeling back the husk to "check" it. That's plain rude. Most of us who know corn have no problem with a little worm or a couple runt kernels at the top. But if the husk is compromised, the flavor changes and I wouldn't buy it.

[Anonymous]

If the stores already put out bins that allow for it, what the heck is your problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I peel back the corn to check it, but I don't completely peel the entire thing right there in the store. I find that odd.

I'm from the midwest - corn central - and this is how it is done out there. I never saw large bins at grocery stores for completely shucking the corn at the store until I moved out here. But everyone - even the farmers' wives - would peel back a bit to check. Common sense.

We're from the east coast, and this is how it's done here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it rude to peel back the corn (on the cob) before you buy it. This farmer at the farmers market was getting frustrated (but in a very nice, polite way) because EVERYBODY was doing it. My mom says it's rude to peel back the corn. Never heard that before and was wondering if anybody else had?

All grocery stores hae a huge plastic trash can for the corn husks, so, obvioously, it is fine with them to shuck the corn before you check out.

[Anonymous]

No, you don't SHUCK it before checking it out, you shuck it to buy it. I don't shuck in the store (that sounds dirty) since we cook with the husk on, but the shucking bins are not to check out the goods. Where are you from?

[Anonymous]

Sorry 16:31, I read your post as "check it out" not "check out."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the stores already put out bins that allow for it, what the heck is your problem?

I don't have any problem with people shucking their own corn before leaving the store. I think it's stupid, but hey, their problem not mine.

It's peeking and discarding I don't like. Would you open a package of Skittles to make sure the color ratio is to your liking? Same exact concept. You are ruining something that someone else would have found acceptable. Once you open it up, no one will buy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never peel back to check. No one ever buys those ears afterwards, so it is a huge waste of food. I buy two extra ears, just in case.

how is this any different? if you get a bad ear you wouldn't use it. it's exactly the same as someone discovering in the store the ear is bad and leaving it there. the only difference is that you pay for bad corn.

No, it is not the same. If you are buying corn at the farmers' market - as I do - then the farmer is losing money since no one will purchase the already peeked-at ears. And I believe strongly in nurturing our local farms. I can afford to lose the $.50 for one bad ear. But people reject okay ears all the time. People don't buy those rejects, and the farmer loses several dollars. Entirely different.

He can feed it to his animals. There are really many other uses for corn, not just corn on the cob.

Depends on the animals he's raising. Corn makes cows bloat and requires treating them with antibiotics. My grandfather had to kill cows that got into his corn, because of how sick they got.

There's a huge difference between cows getting into a cornfield and gorging themselves on corn and feeding them unsold green ears. You also don't treat bloat with antibiotics - bloat is excessive gas, antibiotics won't make a difference. You have to get rid of the gas either through the GI tract (farting), putting a tube down their throat to the stomach or piercing the stomach with a trocar. It's like trying to release the air from a ballon without it popping.

Also, I agree with the gal from PA. Corn here is way too expensive and there's nothing wrong with gently peeling back the top of the husk to see a few kernals, if we had any doubts, we'd stick a thumbnail on it to see if it was plumb to bursting - which is the way it should be. We used to do it right on the stalk to see which ears were the ripest and most ready. Different varieties of corn have different sizes and plumpness. You might be able to tell which are the fullest ears in a bin by just feeling but you don't know if it's been allowed to stay on the stalk long enough or if you're getting white corn or yellow corn. I also never buy it at Giant/Safeway. It sucks. I grew up on a corn/dairy farm in Indiana and we sold produce from our farm/2 acre garden.

So, maybe if the farmer has chickens, pigs, etc. But even then, he's probably growing field corn for them, not good sweet corn that fetches a few dollars a dozen at the farmer's market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you don't SHUCK it before checking it out, you shuck it to buy it. I don't shuck in the store (that sounds dirty) since we cook with the husk on, but the shucking bins are not to check out the goods. Where are you from?

From the south and we shuck (this is not a dirty word) corn before cooking it in boiling water and where we know how to cook corn-on-the-cob properly.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry the corn cooking etiquette thread is scheduled for next week-- try to confine yourself to telling people the proper way to shop for now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry the corn cooking etiquette thread is scheduled for next week-- try to confine yourself to telling people the proper way to shop for now.

I'll be away next week. I would appreciate it, however, if you would be kind enough to copy my post on next week's "corn cooking etiquette" thread. Many thanks in advance. (If you do, I'll share my secret for the best way to cook corn.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, you don't SHUCK it before checking it out, you shuck it to buy it. I don't shuck in the store (that sounds dirty) since we cook with the husk on, but the shucking bins are not to check out the goods. Where are you from?

From the south and we shuck (this is not a dirty word) corn before cooking it in boiling water and where we know how to cook corn-on-the-cob properly.

thank you! asian from calif here, and this is how i do it too!

btw, i do buy corn that people have peeled back the husk a little to check.

[Anonymous]

only on DCUM would checking corn for rot turn into a 4 page fight. love it.

[Anonymous]

Corn in boiling water is the simple way. On the grill, husk on ROCKS. ( and I am from the South as well)