Get Fresh: Newhard Farms Corn Shed

Get fresh

N E W H A R D FA R MS C O R N SHED

BY LENORA DANNELKE

Zukes, cukes, peppers, and tomatoes are all perfectly respectable summer crops, but let’s face it: The star of this season’s produce show is sweet corn. And whether your on-the-cob consumption style is delicate a nibble or an uninhibited gnaw, nothing brings the juicy gusto like premium quality ears from Newhard Farms. Joel Newhard, who operates the fifthgeneration Ruchsville farm with his father Don, explains that “attention to detail”— embracing sustainable agriculture practices and green technologies to maintain soil health, employing planting techniques for earlier harvests, supplying abundant water, and applying “foliar feed” nutrients that are absorbed through the leaves instead of the roots—results in a superior product. “When it’s growing, we make sure that plant never has a bad day,” he reports. During early morning picking for that day’s sales, ears are taste-tested raw in the field “to make sure it’s up to our standards. Picking sweet corn at optimal sugar levels is key.”

farmer’s favorite

Joel Newhard recommends making corn on the grill. Start by soaking still-in-the-husk corn in water for up to an hour, placing on a medium-hot grill and cooking for about twenty minutes, turning every five minutes. “The husks get nice and brown, but when you peel those back after cooking, all the silks will come right off, and you have good crisp kernels.”

FROM L TO R: Joel, Karen, and Don Newhard.

Sweet gratification

A roadside staple Friday through Sunday at Newhard Farms Corn Shed, The Boneyard food truck concession of Bad Bones BBQ feeds a need for premium hickory-smoked pork, beef, and chicken specialties and house-made sides—and also satisfies an immediate craving for corn. Slow-roasted cobs that are shucked, brushed in melted butter, and sprinkled with a proprietary sweet-and-smoky spice blend provide a fantastically flavorful preview of the field-fresh treasures you’re taking home. Scope out the menu of this local mobile kitchen and catering company at badbonesbbq.net.

Although Newhard reports that the nonGMO white and bi-color varieties they grow—both derived from the same genetic line—taste the same, each maintains a devoted following, apparently driven by aesthetics. In this area, mature consumers are partial to white, while Millennials favor bi-color. Preferences vary by region. Signature green and white mesh bags of corn sell at a brisk pace at the on-site Newhard Farms Corn Shed. The tidy farm market also stocks selectively sourced local fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and other country comestibles. Newhard’s mom, Karen, brings her energies to this side of the family business.

For best flavor, corn should be eaten the day it’s picked, and the sooner the better. However, unshucked ears stored in the fridge remain eminently edible for up to a week—if you can wait that long.

NEWHARD FARMS CORN SHED 3250 MAUCH CHUNK RD COPLAY 610.799.3303 THECORNSHED.COM