Odd thing at the supermarket this evening

[BainsBane]

They had a sale on fresh corn, ten cents an ear. The produce worker was putting new corn out, and people were standing they shucking their ears of corn and putting the cobs in plastic bags. I'm talking about a big crowd of people. The store had a bin there for people to put their corn husks in. I asked a woman why everyone was shucking the corn in the store rather than at home. She shrugged her shoulders and kept shucking. A few minutes later I was over in the cheese section, and a woman said to me, "I don't understand why they were shucking the corn here either. It's not going to stay fresh. It must be some pack mentality." So apparently people saw others shucking, and started to do the same themselves, to ten and more ears of corn at a time. They couldn't possible be eating them all tonight. Group behavior is odd.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Maybe they didn't want to deal with the mess at home?

Or maybe they don't know (or care) about the freshness?

[BainsBane]

2. Maybe

and maybe the woman just didn't feel like talking, but I found it odd she just shrugged her shoulders rather than saying she didn't want the mess at home. I think we can assume they didn't think about the freshness.

[Dalai_1]

3. Fresh Market

has the "on site shucking" available in our area.I assumed it might be if an ear was not okay
they didn't have to pay for it..when I inquired it seems most just do not want the shucks/silks in their
kitchen or garbage..

[Stinky The Clown]

4. That's pretty much anywhere in this area. All supermarkets have shucking cans by the corn

None of the farmer's markets do, but all year-round stores do.

They same thing takes place where the cabbages are displayed. The outer leaves are pulled off at the store.

[cbayer]

5. Well, the disappointment of getting home, shucking your corn and

finding out that it's a bad ear may be the cause.

I have never seen what you describe, but that's the only thing I can think of.

I like to roast my corn with the husks on, so it doesn't appeal to me.

[BainsBane]

6. Makes sense

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Having had corn snapped right off the stalk, and...

also having it from a supermarket shelf, I'd say any corn older than a half an hour is too old, and once it hits the supermarket it's so far past its prime you can't do much more to it.

I will eat that supermarket corn if it's cheap enough, but I don't see any reason to clean silk off my floor, counter, towel holder... and deal with a mountain of husks in my kitchen unless I have tomales on the menu.

I usually plan 2-4 ears per person and leftovers can be used.

[BainsBane]

8. I don't have access to corn that fresh

The best I can do is the farmer's market.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. I don't either, normally...

used to be a guy down the road who retired and took up farming as a hobby. Knock on his door and he'd hop down the rows and knock off a dozen or so perfectly ripe ears and charge you a buck or two. Alas, he's dead now and the tiny farm has been "developed."

Less than a half hour and they were shucked and in the pot. Didn't really cook 'em, just warmed them up and they were so sweet and tender it was like candy.

Once in a while you catch a guy with a fresh load of corn at the farmstands, but it's usually been sitting around for a while. If it was picked that day, though, and it usually is, it's quite edible.

We're getting into berry season now, with the Strawberry Festival next weekend. Because of the weather, things are a little behind, but berries are coming in fine. just getting over spinach, rhubarb, and a few other early crops.

Yum! There's something to be said for living in farm country.

[Warpy]

9. Dried corn husks are a big deal here

because that's what we wrap tamales in. I don't know if they're recycling them for that purpose or if they've just bowed to the inevitable fact that some people partially shuck ears of corn to find out if the kernels are fully ripe and unblemished by smut (which, by the way, is also edible).

Tacky people put the slightly unripe ears back unprotected by the husks where they will dry out.

[northoftheborder]

10. I don't understand the shucking at the store either. Corn is so much better cooked IN the husks.

[Tien1985]

11. They do that here too

I was wondering what it was all about. I thought maybe they were checking for bad ears.

[Freddie]

13. Went to the farmers market today

And I noticed a large garbage can for shucking your corn next to the corn for sale! It's either new or I just never noticed it before. Did not shuck mine as I'm not cooking it til tomorrow.
Really went there for local strawberries and they were sold out Owner said because of all the rain lately the already brief season is pretty "washed out". Poo!

[HappyMe]

14. We just went grocery shopping yesterday.

Nobody was shucking their corn.

I always cook mine right in the husks on the grill. I don't think shucking it at home is that big a deal.

[BainsBane]

15. Yum, Yum!