Corn Palace

Ah, Shucks! We recently bought 5 ears of corn from the Corn Palace, all of which turned out to be dimpled (meaning old) and two had worms. No wonder the guy wouldn’t let me look at the ears of corn for myself! When I tried to do that, he (the owner/​manager) said, «No, I will pick them out for you.» I was suspicious, of course, but really wanted this to be a good local corn source and so I was willing to trust the guy. On the way to the car, I mentioned my reservations to my husband but that I would give him one shot. Well, that’s it — he got his one shot and he failed. No more Corn Palace for me! Don’t waste your time or money! And, if you decide to try it for yourself, make sure YOU inspect the corn. What a disappointment. For a charge of $ 2.50 (5 ears of corn @$.50), he just cost himself untold losses in sales!

There may be worse roadside places to buy «fresh» produce. If so, I haven’t encountered any. Many reasons are apparent to avoid this operation like one would avoid The Black Death. Here are a few:
* Despite its location adjacent to a cornfield, the corn isn’t fresh. Picked more than a week ago, that which isn’t rotten is all dessicated. And it’s not even a sweet white variety. Mini-​pumpkins they have, but I didn’t assay their condition.
* Customer service? None. Zip. Nada. Zero. Nyet, you don’t want to interact in any way with the bozo — presumably inebriated owner — on duty in the stand. Ask a question — any question — about the produce, and the vindictive-​filled reply will be unintelligible. Then the a$$hole launches in with personal attacks! Hopefully his family will get him back on some appropriate meds.
* Facility is dangerously dilapidated. Having taken advantage of its shade, I’d advise the would-​be customer to brave sunburn rather than step under its canopy. Cool enough, however, to attract its share of pests.
Learn from my experience. Avoid.

This place sells the best sweet corn I have ever tasted.
The peaches and cream corn taste amazing sometimes, great sometimes, and always yummy.
Their two-​tone yellow corn is another favorite of mine. It has sweet yellow corn with specks of chewy yellow corn. Love that flavor and texture combo.
I also like their yellow corn. Surprisingly sweet like store-​bought white corn. However, they are not always sweet and the sweet ones tend to have worms. Worms are no big issue, because I chop the wormy parts off. And they are usually only chomping at the tip of the corn.
Their white corn is no good (very bland).
I seldom buy anything there besides corn.
They cycle through their crop during the week, so they don’t always have peaches and cream. However, they seem to be available on weekends.
The store shutdown during Winter.
I buy only when the corn look fresh (i.e. Moist, crispy green and not dry). And yah, it’s disappointing if you come far away and they do not have what you want.
Cooking-​wise, I tend to like the peaches and cream and two-​toned yellow corn boiled in salted water and then salted. They have such good flavor that it is almost overkill to grill or add butter.
I like the yellow corn grilled, butter and salted. Yum!

I came in looking for corn and started picking them from the pile when the guy tells me he picks the corn for me. Says its been that way since 1938 or whatever. Regardless every cob was either under developed or moldy at the top. Never go back.

I love Corn Palace! The corn here is absolutely fabulous. In reading some of the negative comments, I have to say the gentlemen working behind the counter have always been friendly and helpful, never rude, to me. That makes me wonder about at least some of their complaining customers’ attitudes. I suspect that some of these folks were the first to be rude and selfish… A customer is NOT always right. No farmer wants customers pawing the corn ears and leaving the husks pulled apart. It damages the corn and looks gross for the next customer. No wonder they keep the corn behind the counter. Yes, I have encountered the odd corn worm — so what? (If you don’t find any corn worm in your bag of corn, what the heck was sprayed on it?) Cut that tiny portion off and eat the rest of that delicious corn. It doesn’t get any better unless you grow it yourself.
And if you don’t like being told you can’t strip the corn, just go buy yours at a supermarket and enjoy the starchy, flavor-​free result.

We went on Sunday July 5^th. Pulled right up in front. Not a single other customer. The place was open so went inside to see the produce. Very small selection of produce, The broccoli was old and more yellow than green .
So I asked my wife where is the corn?
She said on the counter .
There was like 10 ears of corn on the counter. So i asked the man behind the counter. if the corn was grown here? His answer was. MAYBE…
Then i looked at him and he was pissed
Told me that i asked a stupid question and to leave…
Really??? This guy is not friendly and has no interest in selling produce
In his defense maybe his parole officer just came by…

Bottom line, the corn is not very good when I came here 7÷4÷2015. The price for corn was cheap at 5 for $ 2. I BBQ’d the corn with husk on my grill the same day as I usually do, but the corn was very starchy and tough. I’m not planning to corn again here. They also had a limited selection of other vegetables for sale, such as onions, peppers, celery, but I did not try any of these. The cashier was nice. I may come back here to try their tomatoes.

Corn Palace is a nice little produce stand by a HUGE field of vegetables. Big letters spell out the storefronts’ name. It’s a charmer, just a little vegetable shack out in the middle of the high tech hustle and bustle, with cars rushing by on Lawrence Expressway.
Some of the reviews had made me a little nervous –would I meet the crabby men who yelled at customers? Well, not this time around. One lone man, maybe a bit older than me, quiet demeanor, but a little watchful. Perhaps people got a little too pushy with the produce and they’re guarded about who they sell to. Can’t really blame them –I’ve been to the local small produce places and people get mega-​weird about choosing their fruit and vegetables, to the point of others having to wait too long for theirs.
Another customer was there and made a little small talk w/​us. Another customer pulled up as we were leaving, so they seem to have a steady stream of interested people coming by.
Corn was five ears for $ 2. The cashier has a little pile at the front counter, and will pick them out and bag them for you after you tell him how many you want. Hubby did the friendly chitchat and I stared out at the fields, admiring the soil and the space. Nice little shop. Would definitely go back.
Small parking lot for fresh, local produce.

An interesting experience! My son and a girl from his high-​school are working on an article for his high-​school newspaper and went here to interview the owner and take some photographs (after getting permission, of course!). Free publicity for him too.
The person there (presumably the owner)? was *unbelievably* rude. He essentially refused to answer any questions or allow any photographs. Absolutely no customers, so he was not busy or being interrupted in any way.
While waiting outside for the girl’s Mom to pick her up, they were also loudly told to «get off my property» or he would call the police. I had been thinking of getting some produce there, but not after this ridiculous over-​the-​top behavior.
Yeah, this is not your traditional Unilocal review from a buying customer, I suppose, but this place’s owner (?) certainly went out of his way to not gain a new customer today! And lost an old one — the girl’s Mom will not return again.
Please avoid this «palace» like the plague. Unless you *like* being treated rudely.

This has been the best place to find sour puss attendants who have been selling vitriol and bad vibes for the last 50 years or more in Sunnyvale. The tight wad bitter bachelors who own the place have scared away almost all the neighbors through the times and are more like ex felons than farmers. It is sad as a even the sweetest corn will taste sour from these psychopaths. The place should be named THE SCORN PALACE which should be razed ASAP and have holy water sprayed all over to dispel the EVIL and Damnation that impregnate the premises which most likely was a cemetery in the distant past and its ghosts are sure to be tormenting all who desecrate the hidden graves.

Its been years since I was treated so rudely! I had picked up a piece of corn and as I prepared to put it in the bag I peeled back the top of the husk to check for worms the guy bellowed at me from across the room that «WE DONT. PEEL THE CORN». I responded that I wouldn’t buy the corn unless I could inspect it and this time he screamed the same thing at me. I dropped my bags of goodies on the floor and left. I see by other posts that the guy who runs this place has a real problem with customer relations. He sure won’t get my business ever again!

As long as this place stands, I will be a customer. Maybe because its small business or maybe because I am smitten with the sweet little man who owns the place, but I am a fan.
Good spot to get firewood for cheap. Try the purple garlic if it is on season. And then there is the little ziploc of dried, ground jalapeño near the register. Hello delicious!
I fear that when the owner is no longer around, we may see the stand vanish and the new development of houses sprawl right into place. But for now, I will definitely buy from the Corn Palace. Cannot wait until they start getting pumpkins for Halloween!

Yet another year that I didn’t shop at corn «palace». Found plenty of other markets with sweet juicy corn and no worms! Corn palace… did you miss me or my money? Probably not! Don’t shop here… buyer beware.

Hello to all of those who look into these reviews and still keep an open mind to what is going on here. I see these few bad reports that say how Ben wouldn’t allow them to shuck the corn but what they fail to realize his concept to not allowing the corn to all be shucked is that it begins to lose its flavor after its shucked like everyone one does in the markets. In fact like another individual wrote Ben picks the corn for the day not the week or a month in advance like Safeway does. Im sure if you put enough butter and salt on your corn it will taste good no matter what. Those of you that put down the owner of this stand (Ben) «SHAME ON YOU» this is one of the very few last individuals that still believes in growing healthy quality natural products. I know for a fact although he picks the corns for you he also gives you extra to allow for any natural damaged ones. I respect this man as he has fought the over growth and continued to grow his corn because he believes. I don’t think Ben would have to do anything if he sold out to the developers. One day im sure they will have it anyways but until then let the Ben have the due respect he deserves. Those of you that I know have come here for all these years please respond with support to the negative individuals that lack the respect for an individual that has farmed this ground for more years than they have been on the face of this earth.
«CORN PALACE RULES»

This place is a quick firewood go to spot. I like this wood because 1. its already pretty dry and 2. I have yet to find any spiders. If youre a female… dont expect help loading the cart, or your car with the wood.
Too me the fruit and everything else there that is for sale doesnt look all that great… and that is why I come for the wood.

Ben is great, he has owned this land and farmed it for over 70 years. He hand picks the corn for you because that’s the way it was done in his time, that’s the way it’s done in Europe and many other countries, and that’s how he feels comfortable, without people tearing up his corn. Yes, some will have worms, a good sign that you’re not getting something with chemicals all over it. Very fresh.
I can tomatoes, and he has given me his phone number to call ahead for a lug of tomatoes. One lug cans up into 10 quarts of canned tomatoes, just FYI. I don’t know of anywhere else in this area where you can buy a beautiful lug of tomatoes.
I love Ben, he has character and spunk. Realize that anyone who has resisted selling this much prime real estate in Silicon Valley must have grit, and must love farming, which is one of the world’s hardest professions. Right now he has hundreds of beautiful pumpkins, which can be cooked if you want, for $ 1-​$ 2 each.

Freshly grown corn right in the backyard of the silicon valley. I’m eating some of the corn right now. Sweet, plump, pops in your mouth. Delicious.
The old man is like 90. Half the lot is now under real estate development. He said his brother died who owned the other half of the 20 acre lot, but he’ll keep growing corn on his 10 acres until the end.
Warning, you can’t choose your corn. He’ll choose for you. But usually he does a good job.
Much respect for someone who could sell the land for probably upwards of $ 10 – 20 million (10 acres in prime Sunnyvale real estate, they’ll build 51 homes on the other 10 acres. Each home in that area sells for about $ 800k — $ 1Million in that area) but instead he works the land 7 days a week.
If you want some excellent corn, stop by. Support the local farmer

I have lived by the Corn Palace for almost my entire life. Produce really doesn’t get more local than this! They just recently sold a whole bunch of their land which is kind of sad but they still keep on keepin’ on!

There be corn.
Great little produce shack in Sunnyvale; the corn tends to be very delicious.

I do like the old fashioned produce stand. I was expecting friendly people, since its located in a nice neighborhood, but instead the men who works there are grumpy. They really need to work on customer service.
Me and my mother are only interested on buying the corn. Yes the corn looks fresh and yummy, but the guy won’t even let us touch and choose from stack. He insisted on choosing the corn by raising his voice. He was so grumpy, and it made us uncomfortable.
If your shopping for produce especially grown from the farm, you should be able to take a look and select your best choices. Since they were against that, we only bought a few.
I also noticed, not all produced are fresh. The fruits are wrinkled and over riped.
They might have good corn, but the bad experience is enough for me and mom to come back.