Road Trip: Szalay’s Sweet Corn Farm

Posted by in Road trip | 2 comments

Szalay’s Sweet Corn Farm is my favorite place in Akron, when late summer comes and the sweet corn starts rolling in.  Located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, they specialize in sweet corn, but have a ton of other vegetables.*
*Some of their vegetables are locally grown, and some aren’t any different from what you get at the grocery store.  If that matters to you, just make sure you check their signs to see “fresh picked” or “local.”  Their corn is always grown in Ohio, though some comes from fields they have South of Akron so they can start the season a little early.

Unlike some farmer’s markets, they are open every day of the week.  With sweet corn, this really matters.  You want to eat sweet corn as soon as possible the day it is picked, because it starts converting its sugar into starch.  I make a special trip down to Szalay’s on the day I want to cook my corn.

Szalay’s Sweet Corn Farm
4563 Riverview Road
Peninsula, OH 44264
330-657-2727
Hours: Open daily, 9am-7pm, mid June to October 31st.
SzalaysFarm.com

My top five list of favorite things they sell are, in no particular order:
1. Sweet Corn: It’s right there in the name.  And it’s really, really good corn.  No need to peel dowh the tops to check it – just make sure you’re picking ears that are heavy for their size (from the bed of the tractor that they keep it on), and you’ll get great, full ears of corn.

2. Other Fruit and Vegetables: They also carry a lot of locally grown produce.  As I said before, though, they also carry a lot of produce that’s not locally grown.  Just check the signs, or ask someone who works there, because the locally grown stuff is going to be much better tasting.  They usually have a sale on whatever’s in season; keep an eye on the tables they have out front near the corn for the best deals.

3. Ohio Products: They carry a lot of locally made jams, jellies, pickles, and maple syrup, including their own brands.

4. and 5. Did I mention the corn?  I don’t have five things.  The first one counts as five for me; I’ll make the trip just to get their wonderful corn.  Everything else is just a bonus.

Here’s the map:

 
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Related posts:

My list of Ethnic and Gourmet stores in the Akron, OH area.

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2 Comments

  1. Daniel / September 15, 2009

    Absolutely NOTHING like biting into an ear of sweet corn that’s just hours from being out in the field. Other than (perhaps) dark chocolate, there is no better food.

    Dan
    Casual Kitchen

    Reply
  2. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner / September 15, 2009

    Thanks, Dan!

    PS: I forgot to put my Boiled Sweet Corn recipe in the post!

    This is my favorite way to cook sweet corn if it is fresh from the field:

    Equipment:
    12 quart pot

    Ingredients:
    6 quarts water
    3 tbsp table salt
    1 dozen ears corn, husked

    Bring water to a boil. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes – no more, or you start to waterlog the corn! Remove and serve

    Reply

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