Highly recommended if you have one around.Īnd I was surprised to learn that although grain corn (the stuff they feed cows) dates back 8,000 years, the first evidence of sweet corn is thought to be from New York around 1600 and was most likely cultivated by the Iroquois Indians. I guess if you want that much information, you have to buy it at a farm stand. With names like 'Bodacious' and 'Butter and Sugar', what are they waiting for? I asked at the local market what type of corn they were selling and they looked at me like I was from New York City. For example, you might see fresh corn in salads, fritters, salsas, chowders or all by itself.Ĭheck out my recipe for Corn Chowder What's In A Name?ĭid you know there are over 200 varieties of sweet corn?Īlthough you rarely seen fresh corn sold by name, I think it's about time. Although we've been serving it on the cob, there are dozens of ways to serve it off the cob. As sweet as my 4 year old daughters smile, I can't get enough of it.

That's because I'm on vacation with my family at the Jersey shore and the corn is incredible this year. I'm thinking of eating fresh Jersey corn every night for the next week. Photo: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.How to Buy and Cook Sweet Corn on the Cob Covering the seeds with compost or Sphagnum Moss (instead of sowing mix) may also help. Sulfur powder, or a tea of Seaweed, Garlic or Chamomile has been used to treat small areas of infection and prevent it spreading. Damping Off fungi need high humidity, so thin your seedlings promptly to prevent overcrowding, avoid overwatering (especially on cool sunless days when water doesn’t evaporate quickly) and make sure there is good ventilation and air circulation. However, if your climate dictates that you start your seedlings inside then you have a potential problem. Growing your seedlings in a well ventilated, cool greenhouse will produce far fewer problems with Damping Off. Damping Off is mostly a disease of indoor seed raising. You may lose a few plants occasionally, but so what.

It shouldn’t be a big problem if you take the precautions outlined below. The best defense against Damping Off is to avoid giving it the growing conditions it needs. Fortunately such techniques aren’t really necessary for the home grower. Almost all soil contains the spores of Damping Off so commercial growers often avoid soil in their mixes, or sterilize it with heat or chemicals. Other kinds of Damping Off kill the seed before it germinates, or rot the roots, causing the tops to turn yellow and die. This type of Damping Off mainly affects very small seedlings and becomes is less of a problem as they get older and their stems get tougher. These develop shrunken black stems and eventually fall over and die, though the stem may remain upright for a while afterward. The best known type of Damping Off first manifests itself as a fuzzy whitish mold on the surface of the soil and then goes on to girdle the succulent stems of newly germinated plants. This fungus disease can be the bane of the inexperienced seed starter and comes in several guises.

Corn quicky