{{Short description|Type of cereal grain}} {{Infobox food | image = Baby corn.jpg | image_upright = | image_alt = | caption = A bowl of cooked baby corn | alternate_name = Young corn, cornlettes, child corn, baby sweetcorn | serving_size = 85 g | calories = 19 | calories_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nutritionix.com/food/baby-corn |title=Calories in Baby Corn |website=nutritionix.com |access-date=August 16, 2024}}</ref> | protein = 0.7 | fat = 0.3 | carbohydrate = 4.2 | similar_dish = Corn | no_recipes = true }} thumb|Baby corn still in the husk [[File:Stir fry à la Gabi-showcasingbabycorn (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|A stir fry of a mixture of vegetables including baby corn]] '''Baby corn''' (also known as '''young corn''', '''cornlettes''', '''child corn''' or '''baby sweetcorn''') is a cereal grain taken from corn (maize) harvested early while the stalks are still small and immature. It typically is eaten whole including the cob, in raw, pickled, and cooked forms. Baby corn is common in stir fry dishes.
== Production methods == There are two methods for producing baby corn: either as a primary crop, or as a secondary crop in a planting of sweet corn or field corn. In the first method, a seed variety is chosen and planted to produce only baby corn.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.goldcountryseed.com/Agronomy/Documents/Corn%20Pollination%20and%20Fertilization%20-%20Gold%20Country%20-%20Spotlight.pdf|title=Corn Pollination and Fertilization|publisher=Gold Country Seed|access-date=2016-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229034549/http://www.goldcountryseed.com/Agronomy/Documents/Corn%20Pollination%20and%20Fertilization%20-%20Gold%20Country%20-%20Spotlight.pdf|archive-date=2016-12-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many varieties are suitable, but those developed specifically for baby corn tend to produce more ears per plant.<ref name="r746">{{cite web | last=Achitoff-Gray | first=Niki | title=What Is Baby Corn? | website=Serious Eats | date=2015-04-29 | url=https://www.seriouseats.com/the-story-of-baby-corn | access-date=2025-10-26}}</ref> In the second production method, the variety is selected to produce sweet or field corn. The second ear from the top of the plant is harvested for baby corn, while the top ear is allowed to mature.<ref name='PNW0532'>{{cite report |title= Baby Corn |publisher= Pacific Northwest Extension |at=PNW0532 |date= May 2000 |first1= Carol A. |last1= Miles |first2= Leslie |last2= Zenz |hdl=2376/7200 |hdl-access=free |series=Farming West of the Cascades }}</ref>
Baby corn ears are hand-picked as soon as the corn silks emerge from the ear tips, or a few days after. Corn generally matures very quickly, so the harvest of baby corn must be timed carefully to avoid ending up with more mature corn ears. Baby corn production mostly occurs in Asia, as it is a specialized form of corn farming often requiring hand picking, which is generally not compatible with mechanized corn agriculture practiced in the United States.<ref name="Kearns">{{cite web | last=Kearns | first=Landess | title=The Adorable Mystery Of Where Baby Corn Comes From | website=HuffPost | date=2016-05-06 | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/where-does-baby-corn-come-from_n_5729387ee4b096e9f08fa79a | access-date=2025-10-26}}</ref> Baby corn ears are typically {{convert|4.5|-|10|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|0.7|to(-)|1.7|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} in diameter.<ref name="PNW0532" />
== Uses ==
Baby corn is consumed worldwide.<ref name="fao">{{Cite web|url=https://www.feedipedia.org/node/358|title=Maize green forage |website=feedipedia.org}}</ref> It is often associated with Chinese-American food, such as stir-fry, though it is not as widely used in China.<ref name="d942">{{cite web | title=Learn More About Bite-Sized Baby Corn | website=Uwajimaya | date=2023-07-18 | url=https://www.uwajimaya.com/uwajipedia/baby-corn/ | access-date=2025-10-26}}</ref>
Baby corn forage can also be fed fresh or ensiled to livestock animals.<ref name="fao" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.feedipedia.org/node/13883|title=Maize silage |website=feedipedia.org}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/extension/uploads/sites/25/babycornbroc.pdf What Is Baby Corn? Pamphlet] from Washington State University
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Category:Maize varieties Category:Miniature versions of vegetables