Today we celebrate Illinois’ state vegetable, sweet corn! This Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, be sure to enjoy an ear or two of delicious Illinois-grown corn. Learn more here.
Here are 12 fun facts to know:
- Sweet corn leaves were used as chewing gum by Native Americans.
- While many consider corn a vegetable, it’s actually both a grain and a fruit.
- Sweet corn cobs always have an even number of rows.
- The tallest sweet corn plant ever recorded was 35 feet and 3 inches.
- An acre of corn eliminates 8 tons of carbon dioxide from our air.
- Corn is grown on every continent except Antarctica.
- The United States produced around one-third of the world’s corn, but only 1% of the corn planted in America is sweet corn.
- Sweet corn comes in all sorts of colors: black, blue, green, grey, purple, red, white, and yellow.
- On average, one ear of sweet corn is 86 calories.
- Sweet corn is cholesterol free.
- Illinois ranks 2nd in the nation for corn production.
- Illinois grows more corn than we can use – 53% of corn grown in Illinois is exported.
Protect Family Farms
The estate tax has devastated family farms for decades as these farms are often sold to pay the inheritance tax. It’s time to finally help family farmers pass their farmland on to the next generation, protecting our family farms from being sold off to large corporate or foreign interests.
Please Sign the Petition to protect family farms in Illinois!