Fresh Sweet Corn

part of: Sweet Corn

Sweet corn is a staple summer vegetable in Australia, distinct from field corn in that it’s bred for high sugar content and tender kernels. It’s picked at an immature stage when the kernels are plump, juicy, and sweet rather than starchy.

Corn on the cob is a barbecue classic — charred over coals and slathered with butter. Off the cob, kernels turn up in fritters, salads, soups, and salsas. It’s also a go-to addition to fried rice and is beloved by kids in lunchboxes.

Australian sweet corn is grown primarily in Queensland and northern New South Wales, with fresh cobs available through summer and into autumn. Freshness matters — the sugars in sweet corn start converting to starch from the moment it’s picked.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Sweet corn is grown from seed in warm conditions and harvested by hand or machine when the kernels are at the ‘milk stage’ — plump and full of sweet liquid. The ears are snapped from the stalk with husks intact. For fresh sale, the corn is rapidly cooled after harvest to slow sugar loss, then sold on the cob with husks on or trimmed.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 86kcal
Protein 3.3g
Carbs 16.7g
Fat 1.4g
Fibre 2g Sugar 6.3g
Mass Distribution

1 ear, large (7-3/4" to 9" long) yields is about 143 g — roughly 120 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈1.42kg
Freshwater ≈230.02L
Land ≈3.82m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

summer vegetable side

Goes well with
butter lime chilli cheese basil
Classic dishes
  • Corn on the cob
  • Elote
  • Corn salad
  • Succotash

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromSweet Corn, kernels goes well withbutter goes well withlime goes well withchilli goes well withcheese goes well withbasil shares a sourceCanned Sweet Corn shares a sourceCorn on the Cob shares a sourceCream Style Corn shares a sourceFrozen Sweet Corn
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