I’ve learned that the end of July is NOT a good time in rural Virginia to try to get together with friends. It’s all because of the corn.
Corn…corn everywhere…sweet corn, feed corn…backyard corn…fields of corn….corn, corn, corn.
Everyone’s dealing with bushel after bushel of corn to process and store, or process and sell, or process and store for animal feed. The corn stalks along our rural road are a towering mass of green. Field after field of corn dots the landscape, interspersed with hay, tobacco and fields dotted with black and brown beef cattle.
I harvested 40 ears of sweet corn from my little 8′ x 10′ garden bed. The pictures today are of my 40 ears of sweet corn, awaiting blanching and freezing, and me all dirty from garden work but standing proudly by my sweet corn. We left some immature ears of corn on the stalks, so there will be more to come.
Everyone bands together to help each other during sweet corn time. Friends gather in kitchens and spend the day husking, blanching, packing and freezing corn. Canning pots are out and kitchens filled with steam as jar after jar of corn is packed, boiled and stored.
Did I mention it’s corn season in southern Virginia?
Now I’m off to eat lunch…guess what’s on the menu.
Our corn is not ready yet, and I am looking forward to picking some and grilling it on the BBQ
So, corns do play a part in rural landscape. I suppose soon, the landscape will change, and other plants will appear as the focal point of rural feauture…
Corns look yummy!!
Lets go CORNING!!
~ bangchik
Bangchik and Kakdah, yes, corn is very important and you will see it all throughout rural America, down to the south, up north, and in the midwest. The other big crop around here in Virginia is hay – which looks like big fields of very tall grass – and tobacco. Tobacco is interesting to see growing. Thanks for stopping by! Jeanne
Thanks Keewee! Where do you garden? Back on Long Island, New York, our corn wouldn’t have been ready for a few weeks yet…you can really see the zone changes comparing the two gardens. Happy gardening! Jeanne
No corn in Maine yet, and we are HURTING for it. Enjoy your bounty!
Hooray for corn! We planted some for the first time this year and it is just starting to tassle. I can’t wait! Know what you mean – summertime in the garden makes for a busy schedule!