A Tale of Twoferabuck Corn

[Stinky The Clown]

We stopped at Safeway on our way home, looking for chow. I wanted some Bruce Aidell sausages. Sparkly also wanted to grill some vegetables. Corn, of course, always comes to mind.

The corn they had was smallish and kinda dried out.

Two ears fer a buck.

What???? This time of year?

Turns out, our local corn is in a week or so lull. In the spring, there was a week of rain, the produce guy said, and they missed a week's planting. This is the week it should have ripened. There simply is no local corn. Next week it will again be cheap, good, and plentiful. But not this week.

The corn they had was from southern Virginia.

Duzziss sound reasonable to you? I never heard of such a thing before.

[Dover]

1. Does a buck for 2 ears of corn sound reasonable?

Or are you asking if the excuse for that price is a reasonable one?


It's interesting. I have seen the shelves a lot emptier than usual at my grocery store of late.
Particularly in the produce section.
Hardly the usual look of abundance with veggies spilling out of their bins. And the prices in general are higher. Perhaps corn especially since it is tied to the ethanol issue on top of higher transportation costs (though I'm not sure if corn for human consumption is experiencing the same hikes as feed corn). Price wise, nothing really surprises me anymore....BUT 50 cents for a small cob seems pricey. Of course, compared to other things like red bell peppers...it's a bargain!

Time to plant that garden!

The U.S. Agriculture Department has said it expects U.S. food prices to climb 5 percent this year, the largest annual increase since 1990, then rise by another 4.5 percent in 2009.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7709069

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Sorry, I guess I wasn't that clear ....... I was asking about the excuse.

The price of corn has varied a bit, as it does every year. It averages 4 for a buck. Sometimes even cheaper. Two fer a buck is early or late season pricing, not prime season, like .... uh ..... now.

[hippywife]

2. Now that I think about it

I paid that for local corn at the very beginning of the season at the farm stand in the sleepy little burg just north of here. After that it went to 3 fer, and one day I even paid 7.99/dozen at the other farm stand.

I just figure it's the blowback from ethanol production, and don't get me started on that stupid topic! :mad:

[NashVegas]

4. Sounds Close to What We're Paying

I just paid $1.25 for 3 at a local farmstand. That's about average right now. I have no idea what it costs in the super market, though.

[mtnester]

5. $3.00 a dozen

farmers market here (farmers dozen, which is 13-14 ears)

Ohio

On edit, we were cooking and freezing corn all day today outside. Lovely day here for it too.

[yy4me]

6. Around here, 2 for $1.00 is not bad for early corn but I think it

drops to about 35 cents an ear as we get into the season. What is bad with your observation is that it was old and dried out. It is not not fair to be priced that way. Should be sold in bulk to someone who will make chowder or whatever. I doubt if anyone will buy what is obviously old produce.

[eleny]

7. 3 for a buck Olathe, Colorado corn today at Soopers

I didn't buy any but people were flocking and from what I saw the kernels looked good. Maybe next time. Olathe corn is mighty fine!