What to know about this year's Olathe sweet corn

Dig in: We called Reid Fishering at Mountain Quality Farms in Olathe to check on this summer's crop. Here's what we learned:

• Corn earworms are back this season, but pesticides are limiting the damage after a low-yield harvest in 2023. "We have a little bit better playbook on how to fight off these pests," he tells us.
• His farm is packing 400,000 ears of corn a day right now. All told, the valley's growers will harvest 20 million ears this season.

The intrigue: What makes Olathe corn so sweet is the altitude and weather. The high-elevation hot sun and cool nights give the corn its character.

Fun fact: Olathe corn is sweetest at harvest. But if you cook it, just boil or grill it for a minute, he says — just hot enough to melt butter. Any longer and it loses some of its sweetness.

• If you find worm damage, just cut off that part. The rest of the cob is still good.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Reid Fishering's farm packs 400,000 (not 400) ears of corn a day right now.