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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,829
Registered: ‎03-18-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

I see both at the grocery stores. Do you ask the produce manager? I get my veg and fruit from our CSA and I happen to like white Silverqueen corn the best. I took the silk out of it and put the husk back on and soaked them in salted water for a while and then put them on the grill tonight. They were outstanding!! I ate 3 ears and I usually don't eat a ton of corn except in the summer when I can get it on the cob. We got a whole bunch so I might make a corn casserole tomorrow. My grandson is sleeping over tonight. He is almost 4 and he had 3 ears too. I made a nice salad with butter lettuce and veggies and dressed it with  champagne vinegar with dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper and a good olive oil. Mmmmm... it was delish!

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

[ Edited ]

When I had a garden I always planted Silver Queen white corn.....sweet and flavorful and not as prone to disease. I haven't seen anything but yellow corn at the stores in my area recently. Silver Queen is grown in several areas of the south. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,040
Registered: ‎09-12-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

I'm from the Midwest and we like to think our soil produces the best sweet corn, especially the upper Midwest with its black soil. White kernals are usually a little more tender but don't have the flavor of yellow or bi-color. But, it depends on when the corn is picked. We have 3 varieties here - white, yellow and bi-color. The longer sweet corn sits after it's been picked, the tougher the kernals. I like bi-color for the flavor and tenderness.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,764
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?


@Irshgrl31201 wrote:

I see both at the grocery stores. Do you ask the produce manager? I get my veg and fruit from our CSA and I happen to like white Silverqueen corn the best. I took the silk out of it and put the husk back on and soaked them in salted water for a while and then put them on the grill tonight. They were outstanding!! I ate 3 ears and I usually don't eat a ton of corn except in the summer when I can get it on the cob. We got a whole bunch so I might make a corn casserole tomorrow. My grandson is sleeping over tonight. He is almost 4 and he had 3 ears too. I made a nice salad with butter lettuce and veggies and dressed it with  champagne vinegar with dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper and a good olive oil. Mmmmm... it was delish!


@Irshgrl31201, Sounds delicious!  I never soaked my corn. Will have to give that a try. 😊

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,820
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

I could be wrong but their was something to do with a GMO license and law suit as to who owns the dna.  Don't ask.  Lol. But if you are interested It was online a year ago.  Also, there were tornados and floods in corn growing areas.

White corn is sweeter to me.  I always buy white corn.  But only organic, and that usually doesn't come out until june or July. I saw corn at oir store too.  But I didnt  look to see where it came from

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,105
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

Time for some gardening history. Sweet corn used to start converting its sugar to starch as soon as it was picked. The sweetest/best corn would go straight from the field/garden to the table. Then a variety was developed called 'Silver Queen' that was slower to convert and it became very popular. People soon started to accept it as the gold standard of sweet corn. 

 

Hybridizers started to crossbreed corn and soon were creating yellow, white, and bicolor corn varieties that were better than 'Silver Queen'. These new varieties were sweeter to start with, stayed sweeter longer, and were just superior in every way. Consumers didn't care. They knew that 'Silver Queen' was the best. Retailers soon figured out that if they just called the new varieties 'Silver Queen' it would sell, so all white corn these days is typically sold as 'Silver Queen' even though virtually none of it actually is. If modern consumers were given two ears of white corn today, one the old, original 'Silver Queen' and another a more modern hybrid, most would instantly choose the hybrid regardless of the color.

 

The name 'Silver Queen' became synonomous with good white corn and became ingrained in shoppers' minds, so nearly all white corn sold these days is sold as 'Silver Queen' even though most of it isn't. That old, original 'Silver Queen' would not be impressive to modern day sweet corn buyers, but the name is now used generically for nearly all white corn. You are very unlikely to ever find the old 'Silver Queen' corn in a supermarket or farm stand, but you will find lots of white corn labeled in such a manner.

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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,070
Registered: ‎09-23-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

Since corn is a Summer crop I doubt any corn you are buying now is grown on American soil.

Best corn I ever had was on a camping trip coming thru Iowa,stopped at a Farmer's Stand. It was the Bi-colored. Best ever.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,600
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?


@mousiegirl wrote:

@saltysails wrote:

What happened to fresh yellow corn on the cob?  Why are we only offered white corn on the cob at the stores now?  Does anyone know?


 

 

@saltysails  I find white sweeter and more tender, but my produce market sells both, and I think yellow is still popular, probably more nutrition in yellow.


The yellow has beta carotene so more nutrition in yellow corn over white corn.  It seems the food we like more (sugar sweet) is not a nutritious as the foods we don't like as well.  Same in salad greens.  People love iceberg lettuce because it's sweet, but not as good for you as dark green crinkly lettuce.  In lettuce, the darker green it is, the more nutrition.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,322
Registered: ‎02-22-2015

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

[ Edited ]

@gardenman wrote:

Time for some gardening history. Sweet corn used to start converting its sugar to starch as soon as it was picked. The sweetest/best corn would go straight from the field/garden to the table. Then a variety was developed called 'Silver Queen' that was slower to convert and it became very popular. People soon started to accept it as the gold standard of sweet corn. 

 

Hybridizers started to crossbreed corn and soon were creating yellow, white, and bicolor corn varieties that were better than 'Silver Queen'. These new varieties were sweeter to start with, stayed sweeter longer, and were just superior in every way. Consumers didn't care. They knew that 'Silver Queen' was the best. Retailers soon figured out that if they just called the new varieties 'Silver Queen' it would sell, so all white corn these days is typically sold as 'Silver Queen' even though virtually none of it actually is. If modern consumers were given two ears of white corn today, one the old, original 'Silver Queen' and another a more modern hybrid, most would instantly choose the hybrid regardless of the color.

 

The name 'Silver Queen' became synonomous with good white corn and became ingrained in shoppers' minds, so nearly all white corn sold these days is sold as 'Silver Queen' even though most of it isn't. That old, original 'Silver Queen' would not be impressive to modern day sweet corn buyers, but the name is now used generically for nearly all white corn. You are very unlikely to ever find the old 'Silver Queen' corn in a supermarket or farm stand, but you will find lots of white corn labeled in such a manner.


@gardenman  Learning something new everyday on these feeds! I do buy from a local Farmer's Market twice each week. Sweet corn in Nebraska isn't available yet. Don't buy much corn, but when I do it's enough for my family to enjoy with me. Thanks!

 

@songbird @spud188 My late husband was from Iowa. His family had hatcheries and farms. He wasn't interested in that lifestyle, but did talk me into trying corn on the cob! I, in turn, taught him to NOT eat greasy fried foods and potatoes. He was so surprised to find out a lean meal with lots of interesting veggies and greens was much healthier than a heavy meal of meat, potatoes, green beans and dessert. Smiley Happy  

Money screams; wealth whispers.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,249
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Fresh Corn...Why white and not yellow?

[ Edited ]

I only buy bi-color corn and grill it. 

 

I wish I knew if it was non-GMO.  I'm guessing it's not since they don't promote that fact.