Sweet Corn Delivery or Pickup

Sweet corn on the cob helps define summer barbecues. Eating boiled or grilled sweet corn on the cob dripping with butter is a delightful treat. Sweet corn also goes well in salads, side dishes, or added to soups. Sweet corn, Zea Mays Saccharata, is in the grass family and is used as a grain. You can find sweet corn in three color variations: yellow, white, or bi-colored. Corn grows as ears inside a husk with a silky tassel that grows from the top of the ear of corn.

Inside of the husk, the corn has densely packed rows of kernels. When freshly harvested, sweet corn has a delicate almond flavor and is very juicy and sweet tasting. Eat fresh sweet corn as soon as possible as the sugar begins to convert to starch soon after harvest.

Sweet corn differs in several ways from field corn that you see growing in vast fields throughout the Midwest. Field corn doesn't have the same sugar content that sweet corn has, and it tends to be dry and starchy. Field corn is closely related to maize which has been grown throughout Mexico and Mesoamerica for over 8,000 years.

About 1,000 years ago, a mutation of maize appeared in Brazil, and this mutation was much sweeter and palatable. Cultivators over the centuries have taken this sweet corn mutation and created sweeter, juicer variations that you'll find in the store or farmers market today. Corn normally ripens in the middle of summer until late summer, depending on the region it's grown in.

Whether you want fresh, frozen, or canned sweet corn, enjoy the convenience of having it delivered to your home when you order sweet corn through Instacart. Simply shop the Instacart website for sweet corn, add it to your order, and an Instacart shopper will deliver it to your home on the same day!

One of the challenges of getting really good sweet corn on the cob is its short shelf life. Within 30 minutes of harvest, heritage sweet corn with the su1 gene begins to convert the sugar into starch. However, most commercially grown sweet corn has the su2 gene, making the corn sweeter and helps to extend its shelf life.

When choosing fresh sweet corn, look for husks that are bright green and with tassels that are cream-colored or are just starting to turn brown. There's no need to open the husk—you can feel the firmness of the kernels under it. If you notice the tassels looking dried out, and if you see signs of worm infestation, avoid those ears of corn.

If you're buying frozen sweet corn, choose bags that don't have excess ice inside of them as this indicates that the bag has been in the freezer too long, and the corn may have freezer burn. For canned corn, watch for the expiration date.

Store fresh corn on the cob with its husks still on in plastic bags in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. The corn will keep for up to 14 days, but try and eat the corn as soon a possible for optimum sugar content and flavor. Freezing sweet corn is easy. Scrape the fresh kernels off of the corn cob, blanch them for about two minutes, dunk them in ice water, and allow the kernels to dry. Place them in freezer storage bags and keep them for up to six months.