Where to get sweet corn in Bloomington, Indiana, and close by
Whether it's grilled or boiled, dripping with butter or slathered in mayo, cotija and sprinkled with Tajin, now is the time get your Indiana sweet corn fix.
Here are some of the places where you can get locally grown sweet corn.
Bloomington, Owen, Brown County farmers' markets
Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, 401 N. Morton St., open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
Tuesday Farmers’ Market, Switchyard Park, 1611 S. Rogers St., 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays
Woolery Mill Farmers’ Market, front lot at 2250 W. Sunstone Drive, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays
Smithville Farmers’ Market, 7555 S. Strain Ridge Road, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays
Owen County Farmers’ Market, 459 W. Morgan St., Spencer, 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays
Nashville, Indiana, Farmers’ Market, in the parking lot at Brown County Inn, 51 Ind. 46, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays
Morgan County Farmers' Market, Friends Church parking lot at Monroe and Main streets in Mooresville, 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays and The Main Connection at Main and Indiana streets in Martinsville, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.
Bedford Farmers' Market, on the courthouse square, 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays.
Farmers’ Market at the Bloomingfoods East parking lot, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 3220 E. Third St., Wednesdays
People’s Market at First United Church, 2420 E. Third St, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays
Bloomington farm stops and more
Rose Hill Farm Stop, 902 W. Kirkwood Ave., open 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. daily
Taylor’s Fresh Produce, 670 S. Cave Road, which says on its Facebook page is "always open"
Honeysuckle Hill & the Pumpkin People, 829 E. Spring St., Bloomfield, open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Bloomingfoods locations, at 3220 E. Third St. and 316 W. Sixth St.
Thickstun Family Farm, 5937 E. Ind. 45, Bloomington (New Unionville), Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Skip the grocery store sweet corn. Here's why
Sweet corn is at its best when it's picked at the right time. It's also so, so much better when its eaten or stored right away.
A test for whether the corn was picked at the proper stage of maturity involves puncturing a kernel. Corn that's picked too early will ooze a watery material. If it's too old, it will have tough, doughy kernels. Just-right ears of sweet corn have a milky juice that oozes out of a kernel when punctured.
Unhusked ears of sweet corn in the milk stage feel firm, have full kernels at the tip of each ear and have brown, dry silks.
After sweet corn has been picked, it needs to be used immediately whether that's for fresh eating, canning or freezing. When temperatures soar (like right now), the sugar in sweet corn is quickly converted to starch, according to the Purdue Cooperative Extension. If that happens, the corn will taste starchy, not sweet.
With the advent of new cultivars, the conversion to starch is somewhat slowed but older varieties of sweet corn can lose up to 50% of their flavor within 12 hours of picking if left unrefrigerated. If sweet corn must be stored before it's used, Purdue states it's best to keep the sweet corn at temperatures as close to 32 degrees as possible.
Some cooking options
While boiling sweet corn in a pot on the stove is always an option, you can also soak the corn (keep the husk but lose the silks) in water for an hour and then grill it with the husks tight around the ears. You can also cook corn, husk and all in the microwave.
The Bloomington Community Farmers' Market recently provided the steps for the microwave cooking for four or fewer ears of corn.
Peel back the husks to the base of each ear, remove the silk and trim the tips if they appear underdeveloped or damaged.
Close the husks back into place around each of the ears. Cook on a microwave-safe plate for 4 minutes per ear.
Once cooked, allow the corn to cool slightly before removing the husks and serving.
Reach Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Sweet corn vendors in and near Bloomington, Indiana
