POP! does corn

The Kids’ POP! Club did its usual job on corn Saturday, August 13, to the delight of scores of curious participants, young and old.

The “usual job” means we: 

• Tasted kernels cut from very fresh sweet corn that was picked the day before by one of our farmers

• Offered a recipe with nutritional breakdown

• Shared info about corn – is it a fruit, a grain or a vegetable? – as well as different products made from it, many edible, many not! (See posters below.)

• Had a seek-and-find bin filled with cracked corn, which is the kind of corn fed to deer and farm animals.

• Provided paper and ink pads so Popsters could make their own “corn art.”

Many participants were surprised at how tasty the raw corn kernels were – moist and crunchy. And many were surprised to see that corn is used to make a huge variety of products, some edible (popcorn, corn tacos) and some not, thanks to byproducts like cornstarch (batteries and diapers). See list below.

Our next get-together is September 10 when we’ll learn about what the color of fruits and vegetables can tell you about their nutritional value.