About Our Corn

VARIETIES | COOKING | FREEZING
 

The Sparkes Corn Barn is a family owned and operated business. We pride ourselves in growing quality local produce for our community. We started retailing and wholesaling our fresh sweet corn 11 years ago, carrying on a tradition of quality started by the Mitchell family in the early eighties. Look for our green and yellow hip roof barns located throughout the upper Fraser Valley.

Starting in early March we till the ground in preparation for our first planting, which is usually completed by late March. We stagger our plantings, continuing to plant new fields into late June to ensure the corn we pick fresh and deliver to our stands daily is at its prime ripeness all season.

Varieties

• Peaches and Cream
  This popular early bicolour variety is our first corn of the season and is only available at our Barns in early to mid July
• Triplesweet Jubilee
  Our specialty, Triplesweet corn is available at our Barns from late July through early October

Cooking

• There are many ways to cook fresh sweet corn. These are some of our favourites:
• Boiling
  Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add corn, cover and cook for 3-8 minutes until kernels are tender. Salt should not be added to the cooking water as it will toughen the corn. Sprinkle it on after the corn is cooked.
  Alternatively, place husked corn in a large pot of cold water and bring pot to a boil; corn is ready when the water reaches a rolling boil.
• Microwaving
  Place husked corn in a microwave safe dish and add about 2 Tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, making sure to leave a small opening in the corner to let the steam escape. Microwave the on high for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. Use caution when removing the plastic wrap as the dish will be filled with steam.
• Barbecuing
  Soak corn in the husks in water for about half an hour prior to cooking. Trim silks and grill turning frequently for about 20-25 minutes on medium heat.

Freezing

• All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavour, and texture of food during frozen storage. For best results, corn requires a brief heat treatment, called blanching to destroy the enzymes before freezing.
• Blanched
  Blanch corn by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and adding corn. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of cob (longer for larger cobs). Place corn in ice cold water to cool for the same amount of time as it took to boil the cobs. Drain and either cut off the cob and place in freezer bags or put the whole cobs in bags and freeze. The blanching process enables the corn to last for up to 12 months in the freezer.
• In the Husk
  Corn can also be frozen in the husks but will only last for 2 to 3 months in the freezer without blanching. Place whole cobs with husks intact in bags and freeze. To serve, defrost and prepare as you would fresh corn.