A. Yes! The corn plant manufactures natural sugars when the kernels are filling out. These kernels are seeds that each contain a natural food-storage compartment as well as the corn embryo. A seed can’t store sugars, but it can live on stored starches throughout the winter months and in its early stages of growth the following season. The moment you pick an ear of sweet corn, its sugars start to change into starches, because the natural goal is to nourish the seed for reproduction. In 24 hours, most varieties convert more than half their sugar content to starch. The loss of sugar is much slower at lower temperatures, so refrigerate corn if you are not able to eat it right away. If you aren’t near a refrigerator you can keep the corn fresher by peeling off the outer layers of husks and storing the cobs in single layers rather than stacking them. Corn tends to overheat inside its tight husks, so give each ear as much breathing room as possible. It also helps to cover the ears with a damp cloth.

A. Corn only needs about 3 minutes to cook in boiling water. We recommend bringing your pot of water to a rolling boil before putting the corn in. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, turn off the element, and serve!

A. Yes! We have many varieties that are excellent for freezing. All of our “freezer” corns are late season varieties so we recommend waiting until August/September to get your corn for freezing. These varieties have larger, heartier kernels that hold up better when frozen. There are many ways to freeze corn. One popular method is to cook the corn, remove the kernels, and store in small freezer bags. Another method is to freeze the cobs whole; Remove the outer layers of husk, rip the silk off the top, and throw into your freezer. When cooking the corn, allow to thaw for several hours prior to placing in your pot of boiling water. Only cook for 3 minutes.

A. The best place to purchase fresh corn that is guaranteed to be picked the same day is at our own farm market on Central Saanich Road. Corn sold at other locations is not guaranteed to be picked fresh that day. You may see our corn for sale periodically at other farm markets throughout the summer but we can never gaurantee it was picked fresh that same day. We will be selling our fresh corn at various Farmer’s Markets throughout Victoria during the summer season from July – September. A list of these markets is included below: • Oak Bay • Oakland’s • Sidney • Goldstream • Metchosin

A.Yes! All of our corn is hand-picked by trained individuals. When a cob of corn is ripe, the kernels typically fill out all the way to the tip of the corn (some varieties more than others). Our customers are able to choose their cobs the same way our trained corn pickers know to pick them when they are ready. Simply feel the cob up towards the silk to feel the “fullness” of the kernels. A more tender “young” cob will taper off more towards the top, whereas a more mature “ripe” cob will have nice full kernels all the way to the top. It is personal preference as to what maturity of corn one prefers. Our staff in the market would be more than happy to assist in showing you how to choose your corn.

A.We happily offer a discounted price to customers looking for 4 or more dozen corn. We sell our corn in “sacks” of 4 dozen, but any amount can be purchased. We recommend calling our market several days in advance so we can have your order pre-packaged and ready for pickup!

A. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. A GMO is produced through a laboratory process whereby genes from one species are inserted into another species in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, eg pest resistance.

A. NO!! We do not use any GMO seed for any produce grown on our farm.

A. At Silver Rill, we honour the old “baker’s dozen” which is 13 cobs to the dozen. So, buy a dozen, get one free! We honour this baker’s dozen almost all the way through our season, although at the beginning when supply is still limited we are unable to give the extra cob to the dozen. This allows more of our loyal customers to get to enjoy our early season crops when we only have a limited supply!

A. Prices vary depending on the amount, and can change yearly. So please contact the market directly for exact pricing information!

A. There are many factors involved in setting the cost for our corn, but mainly we consider the costs of planting, growing, and harvesting our corn. These costs include but are not limited to: seeds, water, tractor (fuel and maintenance), wages, etc. As with any business, the process of inflation does force us to have incremental price increases every 2-3 years.

A. We have LOTS of other fresh produce available at our market, WHEN IN SEASON and available for harvesting. The following is a list of the different vegetables and fruits you may find here at our market: VEGGIES: Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Peas, Peppers (sweet and hot), Potatoes, Squash, Swiss chard, Tomatoes, Zucchini. FRUIT: Apples, Apricots, Blueberries, Cherries, Grapes, Loganberries, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tayberries. And much more including freshly prepared preserves and pickled veggies, and our own HONEY from Coastal Honey Farm in Saanichton, BC.

A. Typically around 4 months, this is VERY weather dependent. July, August, September, October. Sometimes we start in June and we have harvested corn into November before!

A. We typically open sometime in early June when strawberries and some of our early vegetables are ready for harvest.

A. Unfortunately we are unable to disclose the exact varieties that are grown here at Silver Rill; Our varieties were chosen through years of extensive trialing and customer feedback, and are a well-kept family secret! We do however re-name our corn varieties for use in our market to reflect the type of corn being sold. Please check our “Corn” section for information on all of our wonderful varieties!

A. There is not “one” variety of corn named Silver Rill corn. Silver Rill Corn is the name of our business, so every cob of corn you will find here is technically “Silver Rill” corn.

A. BY HAND! Each cob of corn sold here at Silver Rill is hand-picked by trained individuals, fresh every morning, rain or shine!

A. Row Covers, a thin fabric sheet that acts like a greenhouse when laid over corn that is planted in the ground. The fabric of these sheets allows sun and water to come through, while keeping heat and moisture within. We use Row Covers to help grow our early season varieties of corn in order to harvest our corn as early as possible.