corn facts

Current Facts
Fresh sweet corn on the cob is even more American than apple pie. The equivalent of three pounds of corn is consumed by the average American each day in the form of dairy products, poultry, or meat. Hundreds of varieties and hybrids of corn available today include dent corn, sweet corn, flint corn, and popcorn. The average ear of corn has 800 kernels arranged in sixteen rows. More than eight billion bushels of corn is produced in the United States annually. Twenty-five percent of the crop is exported, half the crop is fed to livestock, and the remaining corn is processed or consumed in this country. Corn is an ingredient in more than 3000 grocery products and 324 cans of cola can be sweetened from the high-fructose corn syrup produced from just one bushel of corn.

Description/Taste
Baby corn is available in white and yellow varieties and is usually three to four inches in length. Eaten whole, this unique darling tiny corn has a much milder flavor than mature corn. Yellow corn is considered to be the sweetest and most nutritious. Baby corn is merely immature sweet corn.

Nutritional Value
Low-fat, saturated fat-free, very low in sodium, cholesterol-free, baby corn is a good source of vitamin C. Eaten together, corn, beans and squash provide the 20 amino acids that form complete protein. Eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables lowers the chances of cancer. A recent study found that eating nine or ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables, combined with three low-fat dairy products, effectively lowered blood pressure.