Corn is a common crop that likes heat and tolerates cold. Generally speaking, corn itself is relatively resistant to stress. Mild drought is not only not harmful to them, but also allows them to grow better. .

What can cause headaches for farmers is extreme weather such as floods.

But for many farmers, there is another thing that can make them both happy and scared at the same time. It is the "nodules" that grow after corn becomes moldy.

People may feel scared at first glance. After all, tumors can easily remind people of bad diseases, but why are farmer friends excited? We have to talk about its value.

Although it is harmful to corn and will reduce corn yield, the thing itself is very valuable, and the price is dozens of times that of corn.

Farmer friends grow corn in exchange for money after harvesting. Although this kind of mold damages the corn, it can achieve the same effect as planting corn.

In this article, let’s talk about how tumors grow? Is this really edible? Why is it valuable? After reading this, everyone will have answers to these questions.

The scientific name of this kind of tumor is "Ustilago corn". Due to the humid climate in the south, there is continuous rain during the rainy season. The corn does not receive sunlight for a long time, and naturally it It will get moldy and eventually grow this kind of fungus with different shapes.

It has an ugly appearance. It may be white at first, but it will turn gray as it grows. Eventually, it will contain a lot of black powder, which is also the spore of the fungus. It is this thing that causes a lot of damage. In severe cases, corn yield can even be reduced by 10%.

After introducing the conditions for the growth of corn smut, let’s talk about whether it can be eaten?

Speaking of this, we have to mention "sorghum rice".

In the 1970s and 1980s, when materials were scarce and people’s food and clothing problems were difficult to solve, rural children would look for all kinds of strange food in the fields, such as elm leaves, wild vegetables, and locust trees. Flowers are their favorite.

At that time, many people were growing sorghum. During the growth process of sorghum, a white rod may be formed due to mold contamination. There is a lot of black powder in it, but the children could not care so much and picked it off. Just put them into your mouth and eat them, and call them "wumi".

This thing is sweet and delicious, and tastes good.

Similarly, our corn smut is the "black rice" that grows on corn. Although it looks ugly, its taste is very similar to sorghum black rice. In addition to being edible directly, it is also delicious. Many people eat it fried or boiled. When cooked, the texture is very similar to mushrooms, with a hint of sweetness.

So corn smut is edible and will not cause any harm to the human body, but why is it so expensive?

In fact, Ustilago cornis is not a specialty of our country. This fungus has been prevalent in North America for a long time.

Because the taste is similar to black truffle, foreigners think highly of it and even call it "corn black truffle".

But the price of this kind of food is not very high abroad. Why does it suddenly change once it arrives in China and become food that everyone cannot afford?

It still echoes the old saying - rare things are valuable, no matter what, as long as it is rare, it will be valuable.

Although Ustilago corneum is also found in the process of planting corn in some southern areas of my country, not all of these fungi can be eaten.

In fact, the best time to eat corn smut is when it has just grown, and the taste is incredible.

But the contradiction also arises here. In order to increase the yield of corn, some farmers will deliberately inhibit the growth of corn smut, so when the corn is not moldy or has just become moldy, they will beat it a lot. Pesticides attempt to prevent the growth of Ustilago corn.

Regardless of whether the fungus eventually grows or not, things treated with pesticides are ultimately unhealthy.

In addition to the corn grown by farmers, there are also some wild corns that grow Ustilago cornae, but after all, the quantity is limited, which creates a situation in which supply exceeds demand.

Nowadays, there are very few edible Ustilago corns in our country. In addition, this fungus also has some nutritional value. Based on these two points alone, it is not surprising that Ustilago corns can be sold at high prices. .

Although this fungus is edible and relatively valuable, it is still not recommended that farmers deliberately let it multiply in large numbers.

After all, corn is an important crop in our country, and its output also affects economic development. Once everyone blindly pursues money, forgets their true intentions, and uses corn to cultivate smut, the consequences will be disastrous. .

Of course, if smut grows on corn under natural conditions, farmers should not be afraid. They can pick them for food or sell them for money.

In short, everything must go as it should.

Have you ever eaten corn smut?