June 10, 2003
Sasser - Farmers are harvesting one of the South's sweetest crops - white corn. Rows and rows of sweet corn stand more than 6 feet tall in hundreds of fields across South Georgia. Sweet Georgia corn is making its way from the fields, to produce stands, to dinner plates.
Fred Donaldson and his wife stop at Mark's Melon Patch, in Sasser, every time they take a trip to Florida from their home in Douglasville. "We always stop for silver corn, you can't beat the taste," said Donaldson.
Taking a shorter trip from Albany, Olga Osteen picks up 200 ears of silver queen corn. "I love this corn," said Osteen. "We shuck it, can it, and make it last all year. It's so sweet you don't have to add sugar when you're creaming the corn."
Sweet Silver Queen and now Silver King corn are flying off produce stands this summer. "The difference between silver queen and king is that the silver king is larger and some people think it's sweeter because it's sugar enriched," said Mark's Melon Patch owner and farmer Mark Daniel. "It's so sweet you can eat it here in the fields without even cooking it."
Many farmers are thanking recent rains for a plentiful and flavorful crop this year. "The rain delayed the planting of the corn by two weeks, but the end result is worth it. The corn is health, large, and tasty," said Daniel. And, there are still rows and rows of sweet corn waiting to be plucked from the stalk, thrown in the farm truck, and taken home for supper.
Mark's Melon Patch will also start selling yellow corn on Friday. Yellow corn is the most popular nationwide, but in the South, sweet white corn continues to dominate.
Posted at 4:45PM by kathryn.murchison@walb.com
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