Michelle Rotuno-Johnson

mrotunojoh@marionstar.com

MARION – Visitors to local food pantries will be some of the first to sample some locally-grown sweet corn this week, as volunteers began harvesting an acre of the tasty crop on Monday.

Volunteers made their way through the tall rows, breaking off the ears with brown tassels and tossing them into bags.

On Wednesday from 4:30-6:30, the rest of Marion County is invited to the field behind the Marion County YMCA. The Marion County Farm Bureau will be there with some cooking demonstrations, and to help give away corn to residents.

Steve Wickersham, a member of the Farm Bureau's board, said he hopes the project can continue next year. The Farm Bureau sponsored the sweet corn project as part of its Farm to Family program. Beck's Hybrids dealer Evan Long donated $400 worth of sweet corn seeds, and Morrow Chemical donated chemicals for the field.

Wickersham said the Bureau's goal is to help people figure out ways to make cheap, healthy meals with fresh produce.

They can definitely start with a few ears of corn.

"If the silk is dry, it's ready," Wickersham called to the volunteers Monday.

On Monday, some food pantries drove away with close to 1,000 ears. Bill Robertson was definitely the oldest volunteer in the field: the 95-year-old was busy pulling off ears for Good Shepherd's pantry.

"It gives me something to do," he said with a smile as he looked for a good piece of corn. "I need to get a little exercise."

Robertson and his fellow pantry workers took home more than 800 ears.

The Marion Senior Center was collecting corn, too. Center director Steve Badertscher said his staff will give some of the corn away as part of its produce giveaway, and use some in soups in the fall and winter.

"I'm glad that they included us in this project," he said.

Some volunteers weren't with a particular pantry on Monday. Dorothy Downing, garden coordinator at Christ Missionary Baptist Church, said she was just helping to help.

"If this is the least we can do, hey. I'm all for it!" she said.

Jane Harper, who helps with gardens at Cornerstone Alliance Church, said she was astonished at how many ears an acre can produce.

"It doesn't seem all that huge, and then we get out there," she said. "This is going to feed a lot of people."

mrotunojoh@gannett.com

740-375-5150

Twitter: @RJReports

If you go...

Sweet corn harvest and cooking demonstration

Marion Family YMCA

August 20, 2014

4:30-6:30 p.m.