Non-GMO Texas sweet corn growing in the fields at Gundermann Acres

This weekend’s co-op style produce shares will have the first round of non-GMO Texas sweet corn of the season!

From EatingWell.com…

There’s a lot of confusion over corn. It’s gotten a bad reputation due to what’s happened with field corn, which is distinctly different from sweet corn. Harvested when its kernels are hard and dry, field corn is a commodity crop used in the manufacture of products like livestock feed, ethanol, high-fructose corn syrup, corn oil, liquor and all manner of processed foods: cookies, mayonnaise, margarine… Introduced in the mid-1990s, genetically modified (GMO) seeds now produce nearly 90 percent of the field corn in the United States (along with more than 90 percent of the soy and canola). Unlike hybridized plants, which are ­created through cross-pollination, genetically modified plants have strands of DNA added to achieve desired characteristics.

Companies like infamous Monsanto have created genetically modified (GMO) sweet corn seeds that are bioengineered to survive applications of Roundup, a toxic herbicide that destroys competing weeds.

Planting “Roundup-resistant” varieties allows farmers to control weeds by spraying, an alternative to expensive and time-consuming­ methods like mechanical tilling. Monsanto has also spliced genes into the corn that produce toxins that kill corn-eating caterpillars, helping farmers reduce their use of pesticides.

GMO seeds are also responsible for superweeds and superbugs which can only be killed with more toxic poisons.

Learn more about genetically modified corn.

The moral of the story?  You want local, non-GMO corn!  And we’re thankful for our local farmers like Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX who provide that for all of us.

Steps to Enjoying Urban Acres Sweet Texas Corn, easy as 1, 2, 3!

1.) Grill it up

2.) Season it Up

3.) Eat it Up