Aw shucks! Did you know that some of the corn you see growing across the state is not actually the sweet corn you can eat? Field corn, also known as dent corn because each kernel has a tiny dent, is grown as a grain used in livestock feed, ethanol production and food ingredients such as corn cereal, starch, oil and syrup. Unlike field corn, sweet corn kernels are soft and sweet and taste great eaten right off the cob.
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Scroll through the slideshow and check out the downloadable infographic below to learn more fun facts about North Carolina-grown corn.
Most of the corn in North Carolina is grown in the Coastal Plains.
Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
I was expecting a LOT more information on the difference between field and sweet corn than just the fact that field corn has a dent on each kernel…. I would have thought there were more differences than that!
I was expecting a lot more info other than just the name.
Just try to eat an ear. You will know the differences!
Can you approximate the size of the dent on the field corn? I am trying to do an analysis on the physical differentiations between field and sweet kernels.