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How ya doin'?,
The Countdown to Summer is on!
Holy Moly-- less than 2 weeks!!! The first pick up is actually NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3rd. To celebrate, we're sending out a little farming story each week till Summer finally arrives-- we can't wait to see you at the truck real soon!
We do still have openings for this Summer's share-- don't forget to reserve your spot today! And please pass this on to friends. Be sure to check out our website for all the good information and to register.
The quick run-down if you are new to Fresh Fork Market: We are a weekly grocery subscription to local farms. We call it a Farm Buying Club. Each week from June through October, our subscribers receive a fresh "grab bag" of local provisions, including fruits and vegetables, meats, cheese, eggs, grains, and more. Omnivore, Vegetarian, and Vegan dietary plans are available and packages are either $25 per week (small) or $40 per week (large). You pick the groceries up from one of our refrigerated box trucks at over 20 different area pickup locations.
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2 Ears of Sweet Corn per Plant
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We've got a thing for ears.
Nothing shouts Summer like sweet corn. Local farmers know this and they all compete for best ears in town-- because who doesn't pull over when they see a roadside stand with a sign that reads "HOME GROWN SWEET CORN"??
Each of those plants grows out two (2) delicious ears that farmers then harvest and get into the hands of hungry customers as quickly as they can, to limit any conversion of sugar to starch. In the competition for the sweetest double ears, farmers take a few things into consideration: the variety (there are hundreds to choose from), soil health, and post-harvest handling.
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Sweet teeth.
The hundreds of varieties of sweet corn are generally grouped into two categories: Sugar Enhanced (SE) and Super Sweets.
Sugar Enhanced corns are those that have been naturally crossed with other corns until certain recessive genes are present. In this modification, the grower is looking to see about 25% more sugar in the kernels than traditional sweet corn varieties. These seeds also remain large and plump full of sugar, which helps the plant germinate and grow quickly. Sugar Enhanced varieties are common among Farmers' Market growers as they are first to market and do have a good, sweet flavor with tender kernels. The seed is affordable and reliable. They also have great names, like Incredible, Temptation, and Delectable.
Then there are Super Sweets. These types are essentially made up of additional crosses of a Sugar Enhanced with another Sugar Enhanced to create a hybrid that has more kernels that express the Sugar-Enhanced gene. The sugar content is about 35% more than traditional sweet corns. The downfall of super sweets is that some (but not all) lack tenderness, the seeds are expensive, and they require warm soils and generally have less successful germination than Sugar Enhanced corns.
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Light iron, no starch please.
The major difference between Sugar Enhanced and Super Sweets is how long until they get "starchy."
A Sugar Enhanced corn gets starchy fairly quickly. The super sweets don't convert sugar to starch as fast as Sugar Enhanced corns, and because they have more sugar to begin with, they tend to taste sweeter longer. We typically buy both Sugar Enhanced and Super Sweet. I prefer one of our late season Super Sweet varieties, Miria 301, but it isn't available all season.
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A twist of the wrist!
Harvesting corn at our farms happens fast and happens by hand.
Above you'll see some of the field workers at Maurer's Farm in Wooster picking the sweet corn. Maurers and K&D in Hartville both do excellent jobs of picking corn fast, early in the morning (when it is cool), and getting it into refrigeration quickly (heat causes the sugars to convert faster.)
The crew picking has to reach down and feel that the tip of each ear is full. They twist the ear off and throw it onto a conveyor belt. The belt dumps it into a bin that holds 600 ears. They can pick the entire bin in about 5 minutes-- unbelievable to watch them in action.
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If your ears are burning...
When the sweet corn hits its peak, we move it quickly from the farm to you-- almost every ear of corn you'll get from us has been harvested that same day.
When it's sweet corn season, we show up at Maurers on Wednesday through Friday mornings, often waiting for bit while they finish picking and running the corn through their hydro-cooler (a sprinkler setup where the corn is rinsed in ice cold water to cool it). Then it goes onto the truck, is redistributed at our Warehouse for the different routes, and on its way to your kitchen. Because we work with local farms, we're able to offer this deliciously fresh corn and not have to worry about extended storage diminishing the taste-- thanks for taking that worry off our shoulders, and enjoy that corn!
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Our Summer Season begins in next week!
Click here to learn more & to sign up. Please pass this along to friends & family!
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HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?
We'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line anytime! Call us at
(800)861-8582
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LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FARMERS
Read our 2015 Almanac here and spread it to your friends and family!
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PICK UP LOCATIONS
We offer dozens of pick up locations all over town. Click below to see where the trucks are headed!
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