[Darkwolf]

Yeah, it sounds like corn smut. Was there a lot of rain around the time the plants were pollenating? It's a kind of fungus. I'd check for other infections and dispose of them, preferably far away or burn them so the spores don't hang around for next year.

Alternatively, you COULD eat the smut-infected corn....

In south-central Mexico, there is a variety of maize bred to be smut-friendly... down there the fungus is considered a delicassy, like truffles. No accounting for tastes, though....