Press "Enter" to skip to content

The corn is ripe

Corn as we know it today would not exist if it weren’t for the humans who cultivated and developed it. Scientists believe it began as a wild grass in Mexico around 7,000 years ago, called teosinte. Today corn is a favorite vegetable, a must-have plant in everyone’s home garden, and America’s number one field crop. In the U.S. it leads by more than two times the value and volume of production of any other crop.

If you don’t grow your own corn, then watch on Main Street in Mathews for Spencer Hodges Jr. and the corn he has just picked. “I have about half an acre of corn which I pick early in the morning and then bring it out here. Doesn’t take long before it’s all sold,” he said. You can’t get corn much fresher than this: bug-free, beautiful, full white ears. You can almost smell the dew on the leaves.

Native Americans showed European colonists how to grow and use corn. From this the settlers ate a lot of hasty pudding (corn pudding...

To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.