Locavores can find Wisconsin sweet corn starting this week, although they'll likely pay about 50 cents a dozen more than last year to help offset rising costs of fuel, feed and seed, as well as extra labor. Prices will range from about $4 to $5.50, with more available early August through early September.

"It's been a really very difficult year," says Joe Eugster, who has 50 acres of sweet corn at Eugster's Farm Market and Petting Farm in Stoughton. "First it was so cold and wet in the beginning, then I went three weeks with no rain."

During a phone interview last week, he continued, "Last night we got three inches of rain and pretty good wind, and it knocked a lot of corn down."

While a "whole lot of extra work" went into replanting this spring, he said, "Crops do look good."

He expected to start harvesting sweet corn this week, moving into a new field ripening every two days throughout the season for a steady supply of fresh young corn. The business will begin selling Saturday at Eugster tent locations on Cottage Grove Road across from the YMCA on Madison's East Side and on University Avenue at Rusty's Bar parking lot in Middleton, as well as Stoughton, Oregon and McFarland sites. A vendor at the Hilldale Farmers' Market behind that shopping center, he promised corn on July 26 but wasn't sure about the July 23 market.

"It's hard to tell how much will come in the beginning. We're under the hand of Mother Nature," he said, later asking, "Do you hear that?"

"That" would be the slap of more rain.

While the Eugsters plant several corn varieties with various maturity dates, Vivian and Dick Green have a smaller operation with five acres of bi-color sweet corn at Green's Pleasant Spring Orchard in Stoughton.

Dick Green doesn't expect to start harvesting until the first week of August, when he'll be selling corn at the Dane County Farmers' Market on the Square and Vivian Green will do the same at the Westside Community Market at the state Department of Transportation parking lot at Sheboygan Avenue and Segoe Road near University Avenue.

Their corn crop is delayed but didn't suffer much damage from the "serious deluges."

John and Cheryl Lutz, Dane County Farmers' Market vendors who also sell at their farm, will wait until the first of August to harvest their remaining 8 acres of sweet corn at the Lutz Family Farm in Marshall, where rain drowned out or washed away some of their crop.

"The quality should be good," Cheryl Lutz said. "We're hopeful."

The growers offer tips for choosing, storing, preparing and preserving their product.

Choosing corn on the cob

Check the shank end; if the ear is a few days old, that end will darken. Check the tip of the cob for nice round kernels that don't have any dents in them, which would indicate the corn isn't fresh. Vendors generally don't mind if shoppers peel the husk back a bit.

"You can peek. Just don't strip the ear, too," Eugster said.

Later in the season, earworms at the tip are common, especially with organic corn; the ear, however, is perfectly good so just chop off that end.

Storing corn

"Ideally you'd take it home and eat it that day," Eugster said, adding, "With today's corn, you can eat it two or three days later." In the old days, he said, sugar turned to starch faster but hybrid corn keeps a little longer.

For storage for a couple of days in the refrigerator, leave the husk on, he said. "It should be in its natural protection until you're ready to eat it."

Cooking corn

Microwaving: Vivian Green microwaves corn on the cob, husking and removing all the silk to clean it completely and rinsing it in cold water before placing side-by-side ears (alternate ends for even cooking) on a plate and covering with wax paper to hold the moisture in. She microwaves two ears for 90 seconds, flips them over and zaps them for another 90 seconds. (Times may vary; her estimate is for a 1,000-watt microwave.)

Boiling: Cheryl Lutz also gets her corn from field to dinner plate in a few minutes: "We pick it and husk it and have water that's just coming to a boil. We throw it in and let it boil 2 minutes, cover the pan and remove it from the heat and let it sit for another couple minutes."

Grilling: Joe Eugster suggested a couple of ways to grill corn: "Pull the shuck back a little bit. Loosen the shuck around the ear of corn, soak it in water a hour or two, then when you put it on the grill it kind of half steams it.

"When we're camping, a lot of time we'll just put a few dozen ear onto the coals — not a scorching hot fire — or on a grill over fire (lay it right on the edges or let the fire burn down). We figure about 5 minutes a side. You can usually tell when you pull the shuck back when you're roasting corn, the color of kernels will change."

Freezing corn

Cook corn on the cob for 3 minutes in boiling water, then remove it from the pot and put it in ice water for 3 minutes before cutting it off the cob to freeze, said Vivian Green, noting she prefers this way.

"It really does have a nice fresh crisp flavor," she said.

For those intent on freezing corn still on the cob, she said to follow the same process except leave it in the ice water for 5 minutes to cool the core before freezing the whole cob.

She shared a recipe handed down by her mother for using frozen corn. "It turns out just like scalloped corn in the oven."

Corn Pudding

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 saltine crackers, crushed

1 1/2 pints frozen corn, thawed and rinsed

Beat the eggs, milk, sugar and salt, then add to the crackers and corn in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Microwave at 70 percent power for 16 to 18 minutes, stirring at 4 minute intervals.

Cheryl Lutz also shared her method for freezing corn.

Frozen Corn

10 cups raw corn, cut off cob

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter

Combine ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool well. Freeze in freezer bags or quart-size freezer containers.

Notes: I use a big roaster pan to cut the corn into; it helps with the flying kernels. To cool the corn after boiling, I plunge the pan bottom into ice water in the sink. Also I find it helps to use a measuring cup or scoop to place the corn in the bags.

Joe Eugster said his family hasn't had good luck freezing whole cobs of corn but does freeze lightly cooked corn with a little butter.

"Everybody should do it only because it's so good in the winter. My kids just gobble the stuff up and there's no comparison between fresh corn that's frozen and corn out of the can."

His business used to offer freezer specials on corn but hasn't had as much of a demand in recent years.

"Especially with the dollar the way it is, people should be freezing and canning more vegetables," he said, adding, "and in return that's helping the local farmers."