Columbus, Ohio and Livonia,
Michigan
August 7, 2003
Kroger Great Lakes Division
shoppers in Mich. and Ohio can now purchase "Olathe Sweet" sweet
corn, widely known as the best grown corn in the United States.
Harvested high in the Rocky Mountains in Olathe, Col., by hand,
"Olathe Sweet" sweet corn is known for its pleasant taste and
tender texture.
Kroger will
have a limited, one-time supply of "Olathe Sweet" sweet corn --
once the current stock is out, it will not be replaced this
season.
"Kroger
takes an active role in ensuring that our shoppers have the
highest quality selection of summer produce," said Jon Flora,
president, Kroger Great Lakes division. "Throughout the summer
growing season, Kroger employs two full-time buyers and
inspectors to personally work with Colorado growers, including
the 'Olathe Sweet' sweet corn co-op of growers."
"Olathe
Sweet" sweet corn is grown in a mountain climate -- warm days
and cool nights -- coupled with melted natural spring snow for
irrigation. Throughout the harvest, the Kroger produce
inspectors monitor the sweetness of "Olathe Sweet" sweet corn by
testing the actual sugar level of each crop.
Prior to
harvesting, the corn is inspected to ensure each ear is
developed with full kernels from end to end. After inspection,
only the top ear on the corn stalk, known as the primary ear, is
harvested by hand. This practice ensures that Kroger shoppers
may choose from the fullest, sweetest ears of "Olathe Sweet"
sweet corn, available in three varieties -- white meat, yellow
meat and bi-color meat.
When
harvested, "Olathe Sweet" sweet corn is immediately slush iced
in the fields enabling the corn to be shipped to coolers within
one hour of harvesting. This rapid corn cooling halts the
sugar-to-starch process, giving "Olathe Sweet" sweet corn its
distinctively sweet taste.
"Olathe
Sweet" sweet corn is trademarked to ensure quality freshness.
Many varieties of corn are grown near or in
Olathe,
however, only "Olathe Sweet" is known for its sweet flavor. It
can be boiled, steamed or easily prepared in the microwave.
However, due to high sugar content, the corn should be carefully
prepared to retain its sweet taste.
One of
Kroger's lead chefs, Chef Mike who works in
Livonia,
Mich.,
says "Olathe sweet corn is such high quality and so sweet that
butter and salt aren't needed when preparing. Olathe corn also
does not take as long to cook as regular corn." For grilling
corn, Chef Mike recommends the following:
-
Do not husk corn until you are ready to grill.
-
Peel off only a little of the husks, leaving about 2-3
layers of husk on the corn. No need for aluminum foil.
-
Soak the corn in-husk in water for a few minutes and
then place on a cooler part of the grill.
-
Continue to check the tenderness of the kernels every
few minutes. When the kernels feel bouncy (like a water
balloon) the corn is ready to be taken off the grill.
To boil,
place the "Olathe Sweet" sweet corn in boiling water for no
longer than one to one-and-a-half minutes. To steam, remove
husks from the corn, place husks over three-fourths inches of
water in the bottom of a saucepan. Then, lay the corn on the
husks and bring water to a boil; cover and cook 1-2 minutes,
then serve immediately. To microwave, pull "Olathe Sweet" sweet
corn husks down half way on ear and remove silks. Replace husks,
and then place corn on a microwave safe dish and cook for one
minute.
Kroger's
Chef Mike is an award-winning chef who resides in Ann Arbor,
Mich. His background includes working at several of
Michigan's
premier restaurants in the area, such as The Earl and The Lord
Fox in Ann Arbor, and serving as the Executive Chef at the
University of
Michigan
in Dearborn's Henry Ford Estate. Chef Mike graduated with Honors
from The Colorado Culinary School. He's involved with the
opening of all Kroger stores in Michigan that feature a Premier
Chef Station, a gourmet deli featuring heat & serve food,
ready-to-go items and a top-notch chef on hand to oversee the
gourmet deli and provide suggestions and tips.
Headquartered
in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the nation's largest
retail grocery chains. At the end of the first quarter of fiscal
2003, the Company operated (either directly or through its
subsidiaries) 2,496 supermarkets and multi-department stores in
32 states under two dozen banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred
Meyer, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Smith's, Fry's and Fry's
Marketplace, Dillons, QFC and City Market. Kroger also operated
(either directly or through its subsidiaries) 792 convenience
stores, 445 fine jewelry stores, 395 supermarket fuel centers
and 41 food processing plants. The Company contributed $106
million last year to local communities and non-profit
organizations. For more information about Kroger, please visit
its web site at www.kroger.com
.
Fun Facts About Corn
-
Farmers grow corn on every continent except
Antarctica.
-
Each tassel on a corn plant releases as many as 5 million
grains of pollen.
-
One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of pop.
-
There are about 600 kernels on each ear of corn.
-
A bushel of corn fed to livestock produces 5.6 pounds of
retail beef, 13 pounds of retail pork, 32 pounds of chicken,
or 28 pounds of catfish.
-
The corn cob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant's
flower.
-
The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.
-
Pioneers planted 4 corn kernels for every plant they hoped to
harvest: "1 for the maggot, 1 for the crow, 1 for the cutworm,
and 1 to grow."
-
The corn plant has both male and female parts. The silk is the
female part while the tassel is the male part.
-
Sorbitol, produced from the corn sugar dextrose, is used in
toothpaste as a low-calorie, water soluble bulking agent.
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