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It's that time of year again when we need to tell ya'll about the little caterpillars you will often find in our grower's Sweet Corn! If you have never grown your own corn or had homegrown corn you may not know about the relationship between the Corn Earworm and the host plant they prefer (they like Tomatoes, too!).
So here it is: if you grow corn these little guys will be hanging around, waiting for the first opportunity they get to chew up the ends of the ears. They are part of our ecosystem and when you think about it we are taking their dinner away from them when we harvest the corn for us to eat. The fact is that the little bit of yellow mushy stuff is just "processed" corn. It is not anything dangerous to your health, just Mother Nature at work.
It's very simple to peel back the husks to reveal the little guys (you might want to do this outside or over the sink or newspaper). This is not a big deal! Trim the damaged ends off and you're good to go. If you have a compost bin just chuck all the trimmings and husks in there, otherwise they will make a healthy addition to the landfill. Your neighborhood birds would be thrilled to find the caterpillars in their feed dish if you have one in your yard. We have a lot of respect for our environment and these creatures are a part of it.
***Here's a great tip from Laurie's mom Linda: she feels the corn cob through the husk and chops off the end without peeling back the husks, keeping the trimming task a bit neater in the kitchen!
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Conventionally-grown corn is sprayed with several pesticides, usually every 3-4 days during the "silking" period and the chemicals are very effective: they kill the Corn Earworms on contact and from the inside out if they happen to get a bite in first, either way pretty much instantly. We do not want to eat food that kills bugs instantly!
You may find organically grown corn that does not have any Corn Earworm damage in the grocery store. Be aware that it is sprayed, too. The chemicals used are not as harmful and the USDA has put their Organic stamp of approval on them, but the farmer is still using some type of control. We hope you understand and appreciate the natural and healthful ways our farms grow your food!
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One of our Spring Baby Chicks is growing up to be a beautiful "Rainbow" Hen! She has long feathers on her head that look like long hair.
Rosco is growing so fast: he kind of drives his big sister Sweet Pea a little crazy because he wants to play ALL the time! He is learning how to "sit".
Our first Duckling hatched this past week! The Mama Duck takes it around everywhere with her, she is very protective of it.