Roastin’ Ears 
In Southern and Appalachian speech, roasting ears - often slurred to roastnears - refers to fresh green corn on the cob, especially sweet corn, picked early for eating rather than drying.
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synonyms: corn on the cob, sweet corn, green corn
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Growin' up, we'd grab some 'roastnears' out of the garden - and that's what we called them. I would say it's more of a country thing. You don't have to roast them though - they're pretty good eatin' fresh (once you get the corn silk off). Hillbilly Dude Says...
Growin' up, we'd grab some 'roastnears' out of the garden - and that's what we called them. I would say it's more of a country thing. You don't have to roast them though - they're pretty good eatin' fresh (once you get the corn silk off). Pronunciation
[ROAST-neers]
/ˈroʊstˌnɪrz/
[ROAST-ing AIRS]
/ˈroʊstɪŋ ˌɛrz/
/ˈroʊstˌnɪrz/
[ROAST-ing AIRS]
/ˈroʊstɪŋ ˌɛrz/
Meaning & Usage
- Fresh green corn for eating (noun)
Mamaw:
Get that pot ready - Papaw’s bringing in the roastnears.
Get that pot ready - Papaw’s bringing in the roastnears.
Junior:
I’ll shuck ‘em right quick.
I’ll shuck ‘em right quick.variations: roasting ears, roastnears, roastneer corn, fresh green corn
★ "Roasting ears" distinguished corn you’d eat right away from field corn saved for drying. In Appalachian speech it naturally contracted to "roastnears," much like "y’all" for "you all." ★
Origin and Etymology
Documented in Appalachian and Southern speech since at least the 19th century. "Roasting ears" was the standard rural term for fresh sweet corn, and "roastnears" or "roas’nears" arose as a dialect pronunciation. Appears widely in oral histories, cookbooks, and folklore collections from Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the Carolinas.
Usage Notes
- Roasting ears - traditional term for fresh green corn on the cob, especially before the sugar hardens.
- Roastnears - Appalachian dialect contraction still heard in rural speech and old family recipes.
- Common meal pairing: "Roastnears & Beans" - a classic summer supper in the mountains.
- Outside the South/Appalachia, people usually just say "corn on the cob" or "sweet corn."
- Often evokes nostalgia for garden harvests and home cooking.