Plant breeders are capable of amazing things. Take sweetcorn: since the early 20th century new techniques have been able to jack up the sugar content of this staple veg by an astonishing tenfold, creating supersweet varieties whose kernels are approaching 50% pure sucrose. Yet corn has so much more to offer than intense, one-dimensional sweetness. There’s a new generation of equally delicious savoury corn varieties with different flavours, dazzling colours and even superior performance in the garden. And it’s high time we gave them a go.
The ubiquitous supersweet varieties are based on a single genetic mutation that partially disables the ability of the developing kernels to convert sugars produced by the plant into the stores of starch that fuel the growth of new seedlings. This means that the intense sweetness of these varieties comes at a price for gardeners: their lack of energy reserves means they have lower germination rates and are more susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections, particularly in cold, wet climates like the UK. Sound familiar? This same mutation hampers the ability of the crop to produce the aroma chemicals that create that “corny” flavour, making for a sugary, yet otherwise comparatively bland flavour on tricky-to-grow plants.
Pick a non-sweet variety like ‘Blue Jade’ instead and you’ll get tasty cobs up to a month earlier than most supersweets on dwarf 1m-high plants that grow brilliantly even in pots. Trading in pure sugariness for a deliciously waxy, new potato-like texture and rich chestnut-meets popcorn flavour, they work great steamed, microwaved, boiled or barbecued, with butter.
They look adorable, too: 10cm-long cobs in a stunning steely blue. I sow mine in May (from seed bought on the internet) direct into the ground or pots, spaced 10-15cm apart. Each “bonsai” plant only produces a couple of cobs, but as you can plant them so densely, the yield per bed is just as great, if not greater.
After trialling a few dozen varieties, ‘Suntava’ also came up a winner for me (another online purchase). These long cobs are dyed the deepest purple by the same antioxidant compounds, called anthocyanins, that are believed to contribute toward the potential health benefits of red wine and blueberries, giving you added phytonutrients, too. So high are these in anthocyanin pigments that the sheaths and leaves are also stained bright purple, making the variety highly ornamental, with a similar flavour to ‘Blue Jade’.
Yields of four or five cobs are typical, produced in September. They’re easier, prettier and have an “unbuyable” flavour. If you try one new veg this year, make it this.
Email James at james.wong@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @Botanygeek
