It's the perfect time of year to harvest and eat that farm grown corn - CTV News Northern Ontario

It's a good time to get freshly harvested corn in the north.

Mitch Deschatelets, owner of Leisure Farms in Sturgeon Falls, told CTV News the corn from his fields is in perfect condition.

While Leisure Farms is known for its pumpkin patches and strawberry picking, the farm also has more than 30 acres of cornfields.

"It's a change. We're anxious to get going with the strawberries but it gets to be same old, same old," Deschatelets said.

"As the season progresses, new things arrive and some things end. Even though it's about the same amount of work, we like it because it's a change."

He said harvesting corn in the north can be more of a challenge than it is down south, but with the right equipment, most years there are no issues.

"Using biodegradable plastic so it warms up the soil a bit faster, so we plant early and are able to have very, very sweet corn -- even in northern Ontario," said Deschatelets.

"By the end of July, beginning of August we're ready to start corn season."

Down the road 15 minutes north is Beaudry Farms, another local corn farmer along the highway.

"We're picking big time right now," said Rejean Beaudry.

"We already have three varieties that are done and are going to be jumping into the next one soon. So, it's at its peak."

Another difference between harvesting corn in the south and the north is the way it's done.

In southern Ontario, large farming machines are used to harvest. In the north, each cob is picked individually by hand.

"When you use a machine, it will pick everything, whereas when we hand-pick, we can select what's right, and then go back a second time to pick the stuff that's right later on," said Beaudry.

"You have to know what it feels like when the cobs are right and fully developed. You have to know what they feel like to pick the right type of corn."

Leisure Farms also hand picks each corn from the field. Deschatelets said his team of 20 farmers head out to the field around 7 a.m. each day to start picking.

"We're very fussy with our corn, so we like to have it at the peak sugar level. We touch every tip by hand to feel if it's starting to loosen up which is an indication of readiness," he said.

Both Beaudry and Deschatelets said it's a very busy time of year and they usually work 12-14 hour days. 

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It's the perfect time of year to harvest and eat that farm grown corn - CTV News Northern Ontario
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