Fresh corn on the cob is a summertime staple, but did you know most of the corn you see growing in Tennessee isn’t the kind you’ll find on your dinner plate this summer?

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In fact, sweet corn – the kind you buy fresh, frozen or canned at the supermarket – accounts for less than 1% of all corn produced in the U.S.

Sweet corn has large, juicy kernels and a high natural sugar content that gives it the flavor we love. It’s harvested in the summer when the stalks are still green, usually by hand.

See more: Sweet Corn Recipes

Photo by Brian McCord/Farm Flavor Media

Field corn, on the other hand, makes up the majority of corn produced in both our state and the country. It grows taller with thicker leaves and small dents in the kernels that give it the nickname “dent corn.”

Due to its high-starch and low-sugar content, field corn doesn’t have the same sweet flavor as one would expect from corn on the cob – though many folks do enjoy cooking with it for a more savory summer side dish. However, it’s primarily used in livestock feed, ethanol production and food ingredients such as corn syrup, cornstarch and corn oil.

Field corn is harvested in the fall after the stalks have turned brown. Farmers mostly use machines called combine harvesters – commonly known as combines – to reap, thresh, gather and winnow, a process that harvests the corn and strips the grain (or kernels) from the chaff (or husks).

See more: Farm Facts: Sweet Corn