Which Corn Do you Grow for Baby Corn for Stir Frying?

John3 · April 8, 2010

Which Corn Do you Grow for Baby Corn for Stir Frying? Or is there a miniature corn for doing this?

John3 · April 9, 2010

I have been searching for some time came across this article - it mentions special varieties but then did not give the name of them

Extension Service Garden Hints

Harvest baby ears from your corn patch

CORVALLIS - If you grow corn in your home garden, then you might want to harvest fresh "baby" corn ears this summer.
Baby corn is usually processed and sold in cans or jars. The tiny ears of corn are popular in Asian cooking and a favorite in salad bars across the United States. They are primarily imported from East Asia.
Just harvest some of your sweet corn early. Field, regular, sugary enhanced or super sweet corn varieties work great for baby corn. You don't need to buy the fancy stuff from the store.
But be aware - sweeter varieties of corn do not produce sweeter baby corn, explained Jim Myers, Oregon State University vegetable breeder. With baby corn, the ears are harvested before pollination, and also before sugar has been stored in the kernels.
Corn grows so quickly that timely harvest is crucial. In an extra day or two, the corn can grow larger than you might like for baby corn, giving a tougher and larger ear than might be good in a stir fry dish or salad.
Baby corn ears are best harvested when they are two to four inches long and a third to two-thirds of an inch in diameter, whether grown with a regular or close spacing pattern.
To harvest baby corn at the perfect time takes practice. You might need to harvest a few at different stages each day for a few days to learn exactly when the baby corn is at the perfect stage for you. Start by harvesting ears where silk appears that day. Each ear may reach this stage at a different time on each plant, so you'll have to watch your plants closely.
Refrigerate baby corn, with husks on, immediately after harvest if you don't use it right away. Baby corn can be pickled or canned, or blanched and frozen.
A few seed companies offer special baby corn varieties, grown solely for baby corn. These varieties are just as big as regular corn plants, but may have more ears per plant. They are not dwarf corn plants. If baby corn varieties were allowed to mature, they would look like a typical medium-sized ear of field or sweet corn.
If you want to grow a patch of corn specifically for baby corn, you can save space by planting corn seed much closer together than usual. Sow each seed about four inches apart in the row. Keep the row spacing to the normal 30 to 36 inches apart.
Baby corn has fewer pest problems than full-sized ears of corn. Corn earworms and cucumber beetles generally do their damage later, when the corn ear is filling out and maturing.
Home gardeners can harvest baby corn and mature sweet corn ears from the same plant, said Myers.
"They may want to harvest the lower ears for baby corn, and then allow the top ear on a plant to mature for sweet corn," he said.
Most any sweet (su) corn variety will work well as baby corn. According to information from University of Minnesota, starchy feed corn, with a tendency to grow multiple ears, also works well harvested as baby corn.
Baby corn is has not been widely commercially produced in the United States because it has to be harvested and processed by hand. But small local farms are starting to produce baby corn for local fresh markets.
Growers should be aware that baby corn takes a major labor commitment, warned Myers. Baby corn can be grown as the sole crop and harvested nine to 12 times over the period of a month to six weeks.
By: Carol Savonen
Source: Jim Myers

John3 · April 9, 2010

Found one blurp about type

Quote:

Some gardeners are interested in growing "baby corn," such as that found in salad bars and gourmet sections of the grocery store. Baby corn is immature corn, and many varieties are suitable, but "Candystick," with its 1/4-inch cob diameter at maturity, is a good one to try, especially since its dwarf habit means it takes up less space in the garden. Harvesting at the right time is tricky; silks will have been produced, but ears not filled out yet. Experimentation is the best way to determine when to harvest baby corn.

John3 · April 9, 2010

OK found a pdf about growing corn for baby corn and it lists about 6 that are very good for baby corn.

Tormato · April 10, 2010

Seeds of Change lists Chires as a baby corn. It's said to have up to 40 ears per plant. I have not tried it.

Tormato

John3 · April 11, 2010

Thanks Tormato for the seed name and where to get them.

April 8, 2010	#1
John3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama 7.5 or 8 depends on who you ask Posts: 727	Which Corn Do you Grow for Baby Corn for Stir Frying? Which Corn Do you Grow for Baby Corn for Stir Frying? Or is there a miniature corn for doing this?

April 9, 2010	#2
John3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama 7.5 or 8 depends on who you ask Posts: 727	I have been searching for some time came across this article - it mentions special varieties but then did not give the name of them Extension Service Garden Hints Harvest baby ears from your corn patch CORVALLIS - If you grow corn in your home garden, then you might want to harvest fresh "baby" corn ears this summer. Baby corn is usually processed and sold in cans or jars. The tiny ears of corn are popular in Asian cooking and a favorite in salad bars across the United States. They are primarily imported from East Asia. Just harvest some of your sweet corn early. Field, regular, sugary enhanced or super sweet corn varieties work great for baby corn. You don't need to buy the fancy stuff from the store. But be aware - sweeter varieties of corn do not produce sweeter baby corn, explained Jim Myers, Oregon State University vegetable breeder. With baby corn, the ears are harvested before pollination, and also before sugar has been stored in the kernels. Corn grows so quickly that timely harvest is crucial. In an extra day or two, the corn can grow larger than you might like for baby corn, giving a tougher and larger ear than might be good in a stir fry dish or salad. Baby corn ears are best harvested when they are two to four inches long and a third to two-thirds of an inch in diameter, whether grown with a regular or close spacing pattern. To harvest baby corn at the perfect time takes practice. You might need to harvest a few at different stages each day for a few days to learn exactly when the baby corn is at the perfect stage for you. Start by harvesting ears where silk appears that day. Each ear may reach this stage at a different time on each plant, so you'll have to watch your plants closely. Refrigerate baby corn, with husks on, immediately after harvest if you don't use it right away. Baby corn can be pickled or canned, or blanched and frozen. A few seed companies offer special baby corn varieties, grown solely for baby corn. These varieties are just as big as regular corn plants, but may have more ears per plant. They are not dwarf corn plants. If baby corn varieties were allowed to mature, they would look like a typical medium-sized ear of field or sweet corn. If you want to grow a patch of corn specifically for baby corn, you can save space by planting corn seed much closer together than usual. Sow each seed about four inches apart in the row. Keep the row spacing to the normal 30 to 36 inches apart. Baby corn has fewer pest problems than full-sized ears of corn. Corn earworms and cucumber beetles generally do their damage later, when the corn ear is filling out and maturing. Home gardeners can harvest baby corn and mature sweet corn ears from the same plant, said Myers. "They may want to harvest the lower ears for baby corn, and then allow the top ear on a plant to mature for sweet corn," he said. Most any sweet (su) corn variety will work well as baby corn. According to information from University of Minnesota, starchy feed corn, with a tendency to grow multiple ears, also works well harvested as baby corn. Baby corn is has not been widely commercially produced in the United States because it has to be harvested and processed by hand. But small local farms are starting to produce baby corn for local fresh markets. Growers should be aware that baby corn takes a major labor commitment, warned Myers. Baby corn can be grown as the sole crop and harvested nine to 12 times over the period of a month to six weeks. By: Carol Savonen Source: Jim Myers

April 10, 2010	#5
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,959	Seeds of Change lists Chires as a baby corn. It's said to have up to 40 ears per plant. I have not tried it. Tormato

April 11, 2010	#6
John3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama 7.5 or 8 depends on who you ask Posts: 727	Thanks Tormato for the seed name and where to get them.