Corn Have Ears
By @acelawrites
@acelawrites (19272)
Philippines
July 23, 2016 4:23am CST
Do you refer to fruit of the corn plant as ear(s) of corn? Sometimes it is also called corn -on-the cob.
Whatever it is called, I was happy when my sister-in-law sent me fresh picked ears of corn complete with its hair ( in the photo).
I remembered when we were young we love to braid the corn hairs but our father would scold us saying the corn ears will not develop fully into good fruits because the corn hairs are helpful in pollination process.
I always have such happy memories on the farm and seeing the fresh ears of corn reminded me how we decorated each ear of corn.
8 people like this
11 responses
@simone10 (54180)
• Louisville, Kentucky
27 Jul 16
@acelawrites Oh, it really does! We also like to sprinkle parmesan cheese over the corn while it's still hot.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
24 Jul 16
Yes, corn on the cob with butter tastes best!
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@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
23 Jul 16
The word 'corn' originally referred to any cereal grain - wheat, barley, rye or oats. It was only when the word crossed the Atlantic that it became specifically used for maize - originally "Indian corn", which was a foreign crop to the settlers, so they didn't have a specific common name for it. The word 'maize' came into English from the Spanish who borrowed it from the Taino people of the Caribbean.
The ear of corn refers to the whole fruiting head of the cereal, which in Indian corn, means the cob and the husk and silk, as it is cut from the plant. The photo shows ears of barley, wheat and rye, respectively.
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@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
23 Jul 16
@acelawrites Zea is a genus of large grasses and Zea mays takes its name from the Spanish name for the species which has been domesticated and which we know as maize or corn. It originated in Central America but has since been grown as a crop all over the world, along with so many other things like tomatoes, potatoes, chillis, bell peppers and pumpkins which we take for granted in cooking!
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
Thanks for this info. @owlwings . It is nice to know barley grains on panicle/stalk are also called ears of barley. Yes, we call corn in Filipino as mais, maybe from the Spanish word maize or Zea mays, its scientific name, which I can not forget during exams in college days because it sounded as a reverse of maize.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
@owlwings thanks for the added info. But I don't take them for granted in cooking, those whole foods (slow foods) which are very healthful.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
25 Jul 16
Yes, they're so sweet and just right for making corn soup!
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@epiffanie (11325)
• Australia
24 Jul 16
Oh lucky you! those freshly harvested corn are sweet I imagine ..
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
24 Jul 16
I was so happy to see it too! They are white variety, but still so young, so I cooked it into a corn soup with lots of pepper leaves and ginger.
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@brokenbee (11937)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
And its hair reminds me of my hair. Hahahaha! It's straight and a little brown. Hmmmm
I also love corn, white or the yellow, it doesn't matter.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
So you've got beautiful hair? yes, corn hairs are beautiful too, sometimes brown, sometimes burgundy when still young; some yellowish.
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@brokenbee (11937)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
@acelawrites When I was younger, yes. And they usually told me that it's like corn hair. LOL
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@toniganzon (77064)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
Ear of corn is just a cob. It actually came from an ancient word "ahs" which meant husk of corn. It's where the kernels are attached to and it's just the kernels that we eat.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
Yes, boiled corns are the best! Specially the glutinous white variety.
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@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
24 Jul 16
We refer to the corn as both and it is always delicious, no matter what name we use.
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@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
24 Jul 16
Yes, a corn is a corn no matter what it is, so tasty and healthy.
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
23 Jul 16
Coming! And yes, Japanese corn is also famous here, but I prefer the local white variety.
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
25 Jul 16
Yes, corn on the cob which is boiled or broiled is good!
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