Sweet Corn Pickers

Our neighbor grows corn. He grows a lot of corn! Organic corn, conventional corn, feed corn, organic feed corn! He even makes Kettle corn!! Farmer Bob has asked for a little help during this growing season for the harvest of corn and vegies. The crops are growing with vigor and in abundance. The Farm Stand is open, Grower's Markets are thriving, and locally owned grocers are also carrying their produce.

In the fields ready for the second round of picking. Wheelbarrows are pushed through the rows of corn and two sides are picked at a time. A row between each picker insures a clean harvest. Today we only picked the "top ear" of corn. There will be a second harvest in this field of corn.

Corn as far as the eye can see. Don't let the cloud cover fool you! It is hot and muggy work even in Southern Oregon. The fields of corn have their own micro climate in addition to just being heavily watered the night before!

Wheelbarrow half full. This corn is ready for the picking and picking only the top ear leaves the field available for a second harvest. The bottom ear of corn has not reached maturity yet. In a few more weeks it will be harvested.

The corn picking queens and I filled the back of a full size truck in two hours. It took three passes with our wheelbarrows to load the truck for market. Roughly three thousand ears of corn. The load of golden sweet corn will be stored in the cool lower level of the big barn with damp blankets over the corn to keep it from drying out. This corn is ready to be sold at market in the morning.

Field stations at the ready! The wheelbarrows are left to mark the end of the picking and the beginning of the next run. This field will be picked again on Friday and continuing on where we left off today. There are many rows of corn left to harvest before we begin on the bottom ears.

Tools of the trade: gloves, boots, water bottle, hat, sunglasses, long sleeves, a happy heart, and amazing sweet corn!~