After spotting bizarre growths on a few ears of corn, one gardener feared something had gone wrong — until their grandmother turned the find into dinner.
The gray bulges were not a total loss after all but huitlacoche, which ended up on the table.
What happened?
"Some of my corn looked deformed, and all the other ones are looking good. What is the cause of this?" the gardener wrote in a Reddit post alongside photos of the affected ears, showing kernels that had puffed up into irregular masses as well as some of their corn stalks.
The answer came from the poster's grandmother. Born and raised in Mexico, she recognized the growth right away as huitlacoche, the edible fungus called corn smut that is treated as a delicacy in Mexican cooking.
She turned it into a meal rather than tossing it. "She sautéed it with onions, baby carrots, and a homemade salsa and made fresh tortillas. It was very good. Tasted almost like a potato with a hint of corn if that makes sense," the OP said.
Why does it matter?
Proper identification can completely change how a damaged-looking crop is understood; something that appears ruined may still be edible and, in some cases, prized.
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People are turning to backyard plots, raised beds, and small gardens to help reduce grocery costs. Growing food at home can lower produce bills while also providing fresher ingredients, better flavor, and benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Even when a harvest does not look perfect, it may still have value.
For gardeners, that is part of the learning curve. Here, the deciding factor was cultural knowledge, since the poster's grandmother recognized the food that the poster thought was a failed crop.
That kind of perspective can reduce food waste and give gardeners more confidence in their choices about what to grow, harvest, and keep.
What are people saying?
Commenters leaned into the discovery and offered some advice, too.
"I didn't know you could post smut on this sub," one joked.
"Not even joking. Since you have the fungus, I would look into how to purposely inoculate the rest of your corn if not this year the next. Huitlacoche can sell for up to $40/lb," another said.
"Yummy! You have been blessed," one more added. "I hope my corn gives me some huitlacoche this year."
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