In the U.S we characterize corn as a vegetable, however in many parts of the world corn is considered a grain.
Corn is in the grass family.
The ear or cob of the corn is part of the flower and the kernels are the seeds.
Corn is grown on every continent except for Antarctica.
On average an ear of corn has 800 kernels and 16 rows.
Did you know that an ear of corn will always have an even number of rows?
Corn can come in many colors such as white, yellow, black, red and gray/blue.
There are 200 varieties of corn. Some common types of corn include:
Dent corn- Dent corn is often used to feed livestock such as chickens and cows. It is also called field corn.
Flint corn- Flint corn is also known as Indian corn. It comes in a variety of colors and has harder outer shell. It is also used to feed livestock. Popcorn is a type of Flint corn.
Sweet corn- Sweet corn is the common corn you eat on the cob.
Flour corn- Flour Corn is used to make baked goods ,corn flour and tortillas.
Corn contains fiber, potassium, vitamin C, Vitamin A, protein and carbohydrates for energy.
One acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in one growing season.
Corn has thousands of uses. In fact, during your day you probably use or eat something that contains some form of corn.
Corn is used in many foods such as cereals, popcorn, corn chips, baby food and even pet food.
Corn is also used as a sweetener in many foods. For example did you know that juice and soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi contain corn sweeteners?
High fructose corn syrup is made from corn. It is the most common sweetener is processed foods.
1 bushel of corn can sweeten about 400 cans of soda.
Corn is also used for many nonfood items such as cosmetics, paint, laundry detergent, ink and more.
Corn is also sometimes an ingredient is some medications such as antibiotics.
About 40% of produced corn is used for ethanol production for gas.
The U.S produces about 42% of the worlds corn, this makes America the largest producer of corn in the world.
In the early 20th century, a farmer could hand pick about 100 bushels of corn in a regular 9 hour work day. Today, using modern machinery that amount can be picked in about 7 minutes.
Christopher Columbus traded with the Natives and brought corn back to Europe. Before than the people in Europe never had corn.
The Native Americans introduced corn to the new settlers. They taught them how to grow and take care of it. The Native Americans also showed the new settlers how to use it to make a variety of foods. This saved them from starvation.
