First Sweet Corn Sightings

The early spring means some early sweet corn. Just as peaches started showing up early over in Palisade, so is the case with Olathe sweet corn.

It was one of the first "local" things I got to sample after moving here a year ago. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a cook out and Olathe sweet corn was on the menu. I was skeptical. "I mean, come on, how much better can it be?" I just moved here from Kansas where corn and wheat farming is a way of life.

It was better. Much better! Like other things grown in the valley, warm days and cooler nights make for perfect conditions to grow the finest sweet corn in the US. Over in Olathe, the first of this year's harvest is coming in. Each ear must be picked by hand because the corn is too tender to be harvested with a machine.

Local growers like Tuxedo Corn Company and others handpicked the first of this year's crop over the weekend. The season usually extends through the first week of September. It's one of the more stable and profitable crops in the Grand Valley. Starting this week the sweet stuff will be available in growers stores, local farmer markets, and grocery stores in the region.

So if you're planning a cook out in the next few weeks, make the trek to Olathe and grab some ears of the super-sweet stuff. Cooked low and slow over a grill then served with some melted butter and a dash of salt, that's what summer is all about! Especially here in Western Colorado. Yum!

Credit: westernslopenow.com