THUNDER BAY – Food Now – Unlike other parts of Ontario and the US, there is no Local sweet corn shortages! That is the word from Kevin Belluz. “Eat ‘em up or Freeze ‘em for Local Food all Year!”
Thunder Bay sweet corn growers were fortunate to have enough rain during the season and more than enough heat to ripen a lot of great sweet corn this year! The shortages in other areas are a good reminder to freeze a little extra this year while you can – you never know when our food supply could be interrupted.
Freezing sweet corn can be done quickly. Husk the cobs and then place them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to lightly blanch them. Take the cobs out and place immediately into cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, cut off the kernals (using an electric knife and holding the cob in the middle of a bunt pan works great!), and place on
cookie sheets to freeze the kernals separately before adding to a freezer bag.
Kevin Belluz shares, “At Belluz Farms, we have always taken great pride in selecting the best varieties of sweet corn for our customers. Over 10 varieties of sweet corn with different maturity dates are planted on their farm in the Slate River area in order to ensure that there is fresh corn for selling every single day until about September 9th this year”.
“Quick handling is the key to Sensational Sweet Corn and at Belluz Farms we wait until the ear is just right and then we pick it early almost every morning for our customers to enjoy as fresh as possible! Our customers tell us our sweet corn is the sweetest they’ve ever tasted. You can get it at our Little Red Barn in town or Come out to the Farm where you can also attempt our 4 acre Amazing Maze that spells out ‘Titanic Ship of Dreams Fateful Maiden Voyage 1912’”.
“Many people think corn has little to offer nutritionally and that just isn’t so. It is high in folacin and a good source of Vitamin C, thiamin, magnesium and potassium”, concluded Belluz.