Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Windmere 1/13/2015, 2:06 pm

My wife makes a side dish that we refer to as "calabasa" (which is simply Spanish for squash). She serves it with any special Mexican/Spanish dish she makes.

All it is is zucchini, cubed tomato, onion and corn cooked till it's like soup consistency. Sometimes she adds cheddar cheese. Also she adds granulated garlic and onion and salt to taste. It's so simple but soooo good.

Ok... but here's my question: My wife has finally been able to find flash frozen organic corn. Straight out of the bag, the kernels are a vibrant yellow.

However, after the last calabasa dish was done, the kernels had browned a bit. This was her first time using packaged organic corn. I've never grown corn. I was wondering if corn grown by any of you has browned when you cook it? Of course there's nothing wrong with it, I'm just curious about your experiences.

**AtlantaMarie** 1/14/2015, 9:45 am

I have not... But it may be something about the brand... What brand is it and where did she find it?

Windmere 1/14/2015, 10:57 am

Hi Marie, the brand was Cascadian Farm Organic. When I went to ask my wife the brand, I mentioned that you have not had a browning experience with organic corn. So... we called the company. A very nice gal there told me that this is not normal. She's sending us some free coupons.

Since the corn tasted fine and none of us got sick, I think there's really nothing to worry about. Nice to get the free coupons though!

**camprn** 1/14/2015, 1:37 pm

Oxidation can result from many things. Enzyme action, poor blanching, the metal pot it was cooked in... http://ucanr.org/sites/Zann_test/files/28720.pdf

**sanderson** 1/14/2015, 1:50 pm

Camp, Interesting article. Thanks

Windmere 1/14/2015, 2:38 pm

Thank you camprn. That was a very good education. I noticed article says corn kernels can turn brown due to caramelization of sugars in them. The Cascadian Farm corn we used was exceptionally sweet. Perhaps this was the reason for the brown color. Thanks again for your input.... I think the mystery has been solved!

Windmere 1/14/2015, 3:18 pm

I actually felt bad about the free coupons I got from Cascadian Farm. In between doing home school with my daughter, I called Cascadian again and told them what I learned from the article from you camprn. I said a "scientific minded friend of mine provided me with an academic study on the subject." They were VERY grateful for the information.

Thank you again camprn. Smile

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Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

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Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish

Re: Is it normal for organic corn to oxidize? Calabasa side dish


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