Hey, Corny Kids!
Today is Corn on the Cob Day. Did you know that all corn grows on the cob? It may seem like an obvious statement, but I had to look it up to be sure. And did you also know that corn is the only thing that grows on a cob? That one should be pretty obvious too; I didn’t look it up. But I wanted to go over some lesser obvious points about corn for today’s Blog post in celebration the day.
Here are some facts on the cob comin’ your way:
Corncobs are Edible
The cob is the part of the ear on which the kernels grow. Did you know you can actually eat the cob that corn grows on? It needs to be baby corn, but it can be consumed. You’ll find whole cobs of baby corn most commonly in delicious stir fries! As the corn plant matures, however, the cob transforms into a tough inedible hunk of organic material.
Cobs Enabled a Dirty Habit
Once a corncob reaches maturity it may no longer be edible, but that doesn’t mean it goes to waste. It can be used for industrial use as organic compound or livestock bedding—even fuel. But probably most-widely known, corncobs were used to make tobacco smoking pipes some decades ago.
Pop Corncob
Though you always see the loose kernels bagged in plastic or tucked away in microwave-ready packages, popcorn kernels—like all corn kernels (as mentioned in the third sentence)—grow on the cob. It’s pretty cool! You can actually order popcorn cobs in microwave bags and the kernels pop right off the cob. It’s fun to see.
This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed popcorn on this Blog. Check out a previous Blog post that breaks down the popping process of popcorn by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!
- John