When planning to buy fresh organic produce, one’s mind doesn’t immediately go to Walmart. But according to one recent shopper at the retail giant, you might want to check your corn twice before buying it.
Recommended Videos
TikTok creator @junctiontumbler posted a video, which got over 21,800 views, pointing out something not many people know about the humble vegetable, but not before criticizing how Walmart displayed it.
What Did He Notice About the Walmart Corn?
“Here we are at Walmart, checking out the corn,” the creator says at the start of the clip.
He then films several ears of corn still in their husks.
“Look how bad this [expletive] looks,” he says.
While the corn itself appears fairly normal, the creator then points to the silk strands at the top of the corn.
“Did you know on this strip right here, each one of these little strands goes down to a kernel and fertilizes it?” he says.
He explains that each strand of corn silk connects to an individual kernel.
“So this gets pollinated and it goes down to the kernel,” he says. “Goes down into one of those and fertilizes it.”
Commenters Had Thoughts
In the comments section, some viewers didn’t focus so much on the scientific corn explanation and instead criticized Walmart’s produce section.
“I don’t buy my produce from Wally World,” one user wrote.
“Most of their produce looks like that tbh,” another said.
Others pointed out that what the creator was showing was normal.
“It’s called silk,” one commenter wrote.
Another thought the corn looked perfectly fine, writing, “That looks absolutely mouthwatering to me right now.”
Is There Something Wrong With the Walmart Corn?
No. What the creator is pointing at is completely normal and is called corn silk.
According to a blog post by Serious Eats, an ear of corn is made up of female flowers, and the silk is part of that reproductive system. Each strand of silk connects to one potential kernel on the cob.
The way it works is that corn plants have both male and female parts. The tassels at the top of the plant release pollen, while the ears grow lower on the stalk. When pollen lands on a strand of silk, it travels down that strand until it reaches the egg cell connected to it. Once that egg cell is fertilized, it can become a kernel.
@junctiontumbler Checking out the corn at #walmart Did you know? #didyouknow #prices #inflation #psa ♬ original sound – Junction Tumbler & Mug
The Mary Sue has reached out to Walmart via contact form and @junctiontumbler via TikTok messages for comment.
