Community Supported Agriculture
Corn
From our August 2, 2010 newsletter:
It’s summer time and hot ‘corn on the cob’ seems to be the perfect snack, for munching in the evening. Not only is it great in taste, but also packs a high amount of nutritional value within itself. A meal rich in corn can go a long way in protecting against many diseases and ailments.
Corn is rich in phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, and selenium. Corn is rich in vitamin B constituents, especially Thiamin and Niacin. Thiamin is essential for maintaining nerve health and cognitive function. It is also a rich source of vitamins A, E Riboflavin, and Folate. Corn’s high fiber content ensures that is plays a role in prevention of digestive ailments; including colorectal cancer. The antioxidants present in corn also act as other type of anti-cancer agents and helps prevent Alzheimer’s. Also, being rich in phytochemicals, corn provides protection against numerous chronic diseases. At 330 to 350 calories per 100 gm, corn packs a lot of punch at a small caloric price.
All of this information is great, but what does it mean for you. Corn contains Pantothenic acid, which is a vitamin necessary for carbohydrates, proteins and lipid metabolism in the body. Corn provides a large chunk of the daily folate requirement. A deficiency of folic acid in pregnant women can leads to the birth of underweight infants and birth defects. Folic acid, along with vitamin B12, also helps prevent anemia.
Yellow corn is a rich source of beta-carotene, which forms Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining good vision and healthy skin. Rich in vitamin E, corn is a natural antioxidant, essential for growth as well as boosting the immune system. Antioxidants fight cancer causing free radical. In fact, cooking corn only increases the antioxidant! Phosphorus is essential for maintaining normal growth, bone health and normal kidney function. Magnesium is necessary for maintaining normal heart rates and also for developing bone strength.
Here is something that you probably did not know. Corn has properties that helps prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Corn oil has been shown to have an anti-atherogenic effect on cholesterol levels. The presence of phenolic phytochemicals in whole corn is effective against hypertension. Phenolic phytochemicals is also effective in assisting the management of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Researchers in biochemistry have determined that consumption of corn husk oil lowers plasma LDL cholesterol by reducing cholesterol absorption in the body. All of these factors help reduce yhe risks of cardiovascular diseases.
Corn is best used immediately. Within 3 days of being harvested, half of the sugars in the corn will have coverted to starch! Refrigerating the corn may slow this slightly, but you are best off eating the corn in the first two days.
If you wont be able to eat it within that short time frame, your next best bet is to cook the corn and cut it from the cobs and freeze it. You can freeze it on the cob as well, but that takes up a lot of freezer room that you may not have.
One note about cooking - do not add salt to the water if boiling the corn. This toughens the kernels.