July is National Sweet Corn Month.

Caitlin Mellendorf is a nutrition educator with the University of Illinois Extension in DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt Counties and indicates the heart of the sweet corn season is nearly upon us.

Mellendorf highlights some of the ways sweet corn can be prepared and how to deal with the pesky process of shucking it.

While corn can be eaten straight off the cob, Mellendorf says sweet corn can have a lot of other functions that add to those summer meals.

Mellendorf also notes that canned corn is a great alternative if you have difficulty shucking corn or don't want the hassle of preparing it. She points out they are getting reports of some of the frozen corn being very starchy, attributing it to the fact we're coming up on about a year since sweet corn was available.