Question of the Week - Homosapien freeloader

Last week I had a photo of a corn stalk that was reddish near where the ear should be. This is “ Homosapien freeloader” disease, as my fellow agent Eddie McGriff calls it. In other words someone needed some roastin’ ears to eat and they pulled this ear. When this happens the corn leaves keep on producing photosynthates and they have no place to send them, the ear is gone, so they accumulate near where the ear was and cause this color in the corn plant.

This week a farmer brought me this to identify. I told him to taste it and tell me what happens but  he wouldn’t. What is this and why did I ask him to taste it?

Later,

Rome