Flour Corn Advice

Christopher Weeks wrote:Hi Tori, it might be valuable to tell us about your general location or climate, so we can judge whether our experience is applicable. My field corn hasn't started forming any visible ears yet and it's always a (failing) race to get them field-dried before snow starts to fall, so I can tell that I'm in a different boat than you are, but it doesn't narrow down what kind of conditions you're likely to be dealing with very much.

Thom Bri wrote:Pick a few and peel back the leaves. Dig into the seeds with a fingernail.

Is it milky? Too soon if your goal is dry corn to mill.
Is it soft but not milky? Mmm, you can harvest, but you'll have to dry it more somehow. Or it will mold.
Is it too hard to dent with a fingernail? Okay to pick. But even so you should hang it loosely to completely dry.

But it's Okay to leave it longer, until the husks are fully dry. It can help to bend the ears down so the tips point down on the stalk. They will shed rain and dew better and dry faster and mold less. Around here farmers often leave it in the field until long after the snow flies, and pick it when the ground is frozen. Not ideal, but it works, can get bird and insect damage leading to mold if left too long.

Mark Reed wrote:
In my climate though, I don't often have that choice as I have too many animal pests, especially squirrels and also especially with flour corn it can be subject to mold if a humid, rainy period hits on partially dried cobs. Because of that I sometimes pull up the whole stalk while there is still some green in the husks and hang it upside down inside to finish.

Tori Escobar wrote:

Thom Bri wrote:
After picking, can I hang them inside the house to avoid further pest damage and to dry further?

Yes, you can hang it in the house or garage. There are some insects that can damage corn after harvest, so the quicker it gets dry and hard, the better. After my corn is dry I put it in the freezer at least a week to kill weevils.

Drying fast also prevents molds, some of which are poisonous. If an ear gets moldy, it's best to simply toss it.

Tori Escobar wrote: