Hot, fresh, buttery, salty and ultra-sweet corn on the cob in August from Minnesota is a treat everyone in this state knows very well. And when the Minnesota State Fair rolls around, it becomes a standard for fairgoers who frequent Brad Ribar's Corn Roast on Dan Patch Avenue near the Grandstand. There is always a line, and it is generally a long line.
What is it about this corn? It starts with how it’s grown and picked, and Jenna Unteidt’s family has been providing that corn for over two decades. Talking to Jason DeRusha on his weekly “DeRusha Eats” segment, Unteidt explains this special corn has ties to a country a long ways from Minnesota.
“The corn variety is called Mirai,” Unteidt says about the Japanese bi-color variety of corn. “We grow it especially for the State Fair and for the Corn Roast. It primarily goes to the State Fair.”
That means it is very difficult to find anywhere else, although Unteidt does say it may show up at a few of their retail stands.
The reason for the rarity of this corn? Price.
“It is more expensive,” she says. “It is a special variety. It's hard to get the seed. The seed is becoming more and more difficult to attain each year.”
The corn variety does taste sweeter and Unteidt says that’s because it holds sugar better than other sweet corn.
“It has a great bite. We just really love everything that the variety has to offer,” Unteidt told WCCO.
The other thing that makes it special is how fresh it is when you order it from the Corn Roast. Thursday’s corn was picked on Wednesday morning.
“That corn will be delivered Wednesday evening so that they are ready first thing Thursday morning,” Unteidt explained.
As the fair goes on, more corn is picked and delivered each night based on the needs of the Corn Roast stand. Unteidt says that as soon as the corn is picked, the clock starts ticking on that freshness.
“Anytime, from the time you pick the corn, it does start changing to starch,” she explains. “So we pick every day for the fair. We start at about 6:00 a.m., we pick as much as they need, and then we bring it back to our farm and we ice it and cool it until we're able to deliver it that evening.”
That means the corn that you're eating at the State Fair is generally less than 24 hours old since it's been picked.
“That is very fresh,” she says. And it shows.
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