Sweet Corn Is Ready To Be Harvested Once You See This Sign

There's nothing like crunching your teeth into a sweet, juicy piece of corn on the cob in the middle of summertime. Those endless fields of corn you've seen in the countryside might look overwhelming, but corn is generally easy to grow. It does need to be harvested at the right time, however, but you'll know it's ready when the silks growing from the top of the husk are long, brown, and dry.

The silks are the thin, hair-like fibers that emerge from corn kernels while they grow to collect pollen. They're a great indicator to follow when harvesting corn because you can spot them easily without having to peel back the husk. They dry out as the corn matures, which causes them to turn brown. The corn should be at its prime about 20 days after you first see the silks, when they're dark and brittle. That's when it will be the most flavorful, making for the most delicious, easy grilled corn on the cob imaginable.

If you pick corn too early, you can expect tough kernels with very little juice. If you wait too long, the corn will be dry and the sweetness will have dulled. So you need to hit the sweet spot and be precise with your timing to ensure the best quality.

Apart from the silks, you can also check if the corn is ready by observing the husk. It should also be starting to brown and dry out, and the kernels inside should be a milky or bright yellow rather than a darker color. If they're too pale, the corn isn't ready to pick. If they're black, it's overripe.

You want the kernels to be in the milk stage, where they're full of juice. You can test the corn to see if it's in the milk stage by puncturing a kernel with a fingernail. If the liquid that comes out is white, it's good to go. If it's clear, you're too early. Likewise, if the liquid is thick, you've probably missed your window. There's no need to worry if your corn doesn't taste perfect, however. You can always dress it up with a sweet and spicy ingredient or make Mexican street corn. And if things really go wrong, here's our ranking of 10 canned corn brands –- we promise we won't tell.