All you need to know about corn on a raw vegan diet
Content
Video: 'Corn on a Raw Diet'
Sweet Corn - the Best Variety
There are several different sweet corn sub varieties. My favorite sub variety, which is also extremely tasty in its raw state when the corn is fully ripe and fresh, is a sub variety that I believe is called Sweet Nugget F1.
Cobs of this sweet corn sub variety are typically between 17 and 22 cm, that is 6.7 and 8.6 in, long, and the average cob diameter is about 4.5 cm / 1.8 in.Â
The kernels are large, rectangular in shape, just slightly rounded, some are even flat, dark yellow, almost orange in color.
The kernels have a soft, NOT a crunchy texture.
A sweet, pleasant taste is present when the corn cob is fully ripe, which can be recognised by the fact that the kernels are full of corn milk – press a kernel and then a whitish corn liquid will ooze out of it.
The sowing time of this variety of sweet corn is between mid-April and the beginning of June, and the harvest time is the first half of September.
Is Raw Corn Easy to Digest?
What is interesting about corn in general is that the ripening process is the opposite of the fruit ripening process.
Fruits first contain starch, and during ripening this starch in fruit becomes simple sugars. The fruit is ripe when all the starch in the fruit has been converted to simple sugars. This is how you recognise a fully ripe fruit – when it is soft to touch, sweet and easy to digest.
With corn, we have the opposite process. Ripe, young corn on the cob contains simple sugars. After picking, it is best to use the corn immediately or at least within the first few hours, because after picking those simple sugars start turning into starch. Within the first 24 hours or so, after picking, corn becomes primarily a starchy food. When corn is starchy, it has hard kernels that are difficult to digest in their raw state, and that is when they must be cooked.
How to Soften Corn WITHOUT Cooking?
With the simple process of freezing corn, we can stop the process of turning sugar into starch, as well as soften the corn kernels.
When freezing a food, the water inside the cells of the given food turns into ice crystals that occupy a larger volume of space than liquid water. Because of this phenomenon, the cell membranes of these foods burst open. When that same food is thawed, the ice crystals melt, automatically taking up a smaller volume of space than in their frozen state. This way, suddenly there is more space between the now cracked food cell walls and the internal fluid of the cells. And this whole process gives the food a soft texture.
Is the Store Bought Frozen Corn Raw?
It is important to note that by law all commercially frozen vegetables, including corn and peas, but excluding bell-peppers must be blanched before they are frozen. Commercially frozen fruit on the other hand, is not blanched before being frozen.
Therefore, store bought frozen corn is NOT raw food, but blanched. Blanching is the process of exposing food to boiling salt water for just a few minutes in order to deactivate the enzymes in the food that lead to oxidation of the food, and to destroy the microorganisms in the food in order to prevent potential food spoilage, i.e. to extend the shelf life of the food.
How to Prepare Raw Corn?
Preparing Raw Corn
1) Removing the leaves
- Remove the leaves from ripe and young corn cobs.
- You will need the following equipment:
- A pair hygienic gloves
- A Mason jar
- Freezer bags
2) Saving the corn silk
- When removing the leaves from the corn, save the so-called corn silk, from which you can make a very tasty tea.
- Place the corn silk in a clean and completely dry mason jar. Keep the jar in your kitchen cupboard and use the corn silk whenever you want to enjoy some soothing herbal tea.
3) Freezing the corn cobsÂ
- After you have properly cleaned the corn cobs, put them in freezer bags, and thus in the freezer.
- Leave the corn cobs in the freezer for about 24 hours, so to have them well frozen.
- About 8 hours before you would like to use the corn in a meal, take a couple of corn cobs out of the freezer and out of the freezer bag. Put them on a plate, and then put them in the fridge first.
Frozen food should first be thawed in the refrigerator for the first hour or two, and only then it can be further defrosted at room temperature.
This method of defrosting food prevents the potential growth of bacteria on food that can occur when frozen food is immediately exposed to the room temperature.
4) Warming up the corn cobs
- When the corn is thawed, you can warm it a bit in the dehydrator.
- Once the corn is completely thawed, its kernels are soft and delicious.
5) Take the kernels off the corn cob
- Take the kernels off the cob and top your favorite salad, or zucchini pasta with them.
6) Making a corn sauce
- Use the softened corn kernels to make a delicious dressing for your salad or zucchini or cucumber zoodles.
- To make the dressing, simply blend the kernels in a blender and add some spices if desired.
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For the Very End
Please let me know in the comments down below, have you ever eaten a raw corn and if yes, do you like it.
If you have any additional question, leave your questions in the comment down below and I will reply gladly.
Keep glowing,
MarinaÂ
Marina from Health Glows
As a certified raw vegan diet and healthy lifestyle coach, Marina helps her clients and followers to transition to a raw vegan diet in a proven and sustainable way in order to get rid of health problems and build a high level of health.