One of the great joys of summer is harvesting a dozen ears of sweet, locally grown corn. Biting into a steamed, baked or boiled cob is as much a seasonal pleasure as juicy red tomatoes.
“It’ll be up to your knees by the Fourth of July” is an old farmer’s adage about corn, but with modern farming practices, it no longer holds true. Fresh corn is often available to purchase at local grocery stores, markets, local farm stands, and farmers markets long before the July holiday.
So where’s the best place to get some fresh, locally grown corn to enjoy at your Fourth of July picnic or any other summer meal or get-together?
From about May through the end of October, you can walk along the state’s country roads and find farm stands selling fruits and vegetables that are in season. The Delaware Grown website at delawaregrown.com provides information about when and what fruits and vegetables are in season, as well as examples of the roads you can travel to find different farms, markets and farm stands.
Longtime favorites include Highland Orchards Farm Market, Filasky’s Produce, Marini’s Produce in New Castle County, Fifer’s Farm Store in Camden Wyoming, Ficner’s Farm in Dover, TS Smith & Sons in Bridgeville and Parsons Farms Produce in Dagsboro.
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Another great guide is the one put together by the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The Farmstand Guide can be found at agriculture.delaware.gov/communications-marketing/farmstands-guide and lists everything from small roadside stands to big box stores in all three counties of the state.
The department also maintains a complete list of locally run farmers markets in Delaware’s New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties on its website at agriculture.delaware.gov/communications-marketing/farmers-markets-guide .
Below are a few more suggestions, including two tried-and-true Pennsylvania produce stands just over the Delaware border.
Each summer for the past few years, the I Love Lewes Facebook page has become a frequent site of posts from members asking where and when the legendary “Corn Man” is selling his produce.
The “Corn Man” has apparently been around for many years, with several vendors (not necessarily men) selling fresh corn at various locations in and around Lewes. In recent years, a local farmer has parked his truck and set up a stand on Robinsonville Road near Plantation Road. Join the Facebook page and keep an eye on the “Corn Man” posts.
Roy’s Market, located at 611 Savannah Road in Lewes, is a small, upscale, family-owned market selling locally grown fruits, vegetables and flowers. According to the market’s Facebook page, the first corn of the season arrived at the market on June 20 from Callaway Farms in Bethel.
Try SIW Vegetables at 4311 S. Creek Road in Chadds Ford, PA. Farmer HG Haskell grows more than 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables at nearby historic Hill Girt Farm and sells them at his SIW (Stepped In What?) farm stand, which has been in business since 1986. Haskell’s corn is some of the best tasting corn in the area. Bring your own bags; SIW Vegetables banned plastic bags on the farm in 2019. Visit siwvegetables.com/farmstand.
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Visit Glen Willow Orchards, 1657 Glen Willow Road in Avondale, Pennsylvania. Run by Steve and Ronnie Rosazza, this fruit and vegetable store boasts a wide variety of products, including seasonal sweet corn. Visit glenwilloworchards.com.
Patricia Tarolico writes about food and restaurants. Instagram,X and FacebookEmail email addressSign her up Delaware Eats Newsletter.
