Sweet Corn Price
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| Sweet Corn Price- How much for a dozen ears? Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
How Much Does Sweet Corn Cost?
I remember when I was a kid, sweet corn was a dollar per dozen ears. Apparently, those days are long gone...This year, I noticed that sweet corn prices were pushing above $5 per dozen, with my favorite roadside stand now charging $5.50 per dozen. In grocery stores, the price is 50 cents per ear, which works out to $6 per dozen.
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| Sweet corn price- sweet corn is going for $6 per dozen in grocery stores Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
Is sweet corn at this price still a good deal? I think fresh sweet corn is hard to beat for taste, and it is a summer tradition. But how much would you pay for sweet corn? If sweet corn cost $10 per dozen, would you still buy it? At some price point, more and more people would either stop buying sweet corn, or grown their own.
I have grown my own sweet corn in my garden before. It isn't hard to grow, but it does take some space in your garden. Each corn plant produces 2 or 3 ears, so you need about four to six corn plants to get a dozen ears. Some of the drawbacks I encountered growing my own sweet corn were 1) the ears were quite a bit smaller than the giant ears I get at my favorite roadside stand, and 2) since I planted all my corn at the same time, it was all mature at the same time.
I think fertilizer and watering more could help me get larger ears to address item one. If I wanted a supply of sweet corn over a longer harvest window, I could plant seeds a week apart over several weeks. So with a bit of effort, I could grow my own sweet corn instead of buying it. I buy sweet corn maybe four times during the summer. So this adds up to about $22 at current prices. I could buy a pack of sweet corn seeds for about $2 and grow my own and save $20.
Is Sweet Corn a Good Deal?
But back to my question- is $5.50 per dozen a good deal? I should mention that a dozen ears from my farmer where I buy actually means 13 or 14 ears- he throws in a few extra. I think this is still a great food value. What else can you get for dinner for $5.50 that is healthy and create such a great summertime memory? |
| Grow your own sweet corn and save money! Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
Since I recently moved, I have a new chance to plan a garden next year. Although I think buying fresh sweet corn is a good deal, growing my own sounds even better. I'll see if I can get a couple rows of sweet corn in this spring.
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