Without fail, one of my favorite vegetables is sweet corn. Nothing is better than fresh Florida sweet corn. And I’m not just saying that because it’s my job either. It’s so good, that you can practically just eat it raw and it is delicious. Unfortunately, we have to wait a few more months for its peak season, but when it’s available, it is the best around.

You might not know it, but Florida is the largest producer of market fresh sweet corn in the U.S.  Sweet corn is mostly grown in the southeast and central parts of Florida. Sweet corn is available from October through June, with peak availability in April and May.

How to buy
It is best to buy fresh sweet corn with the husk still attached. Sweet corn cobs should feel and look moist and plump, with the kernels inside fat and shiny; press against the husk and you should be able to feel the kernels inside. The silk of the corn should be a little sticky and should look glossy, stiff and moist. Do not purchase sweet corn that has straw colored husks; they should be green.

Tips for storage
Store sweet corn in the husk, placed in a refrigerator or a cool dry place. Keep the ears separated during storage to prevent mold.

Cooking tips
Cook your corn as soon as you can. As corn sits, the sugars convert to starch. Steam corn for five to seven minutes or try roasting and grilling for a smoky flavor. Easily remove kernels from the cob by standing the corn on end on a cutting board and cut down the cob with a sharp knife.  Salt can make corn tough, so only lightly salt the corn before cooking, and be sure to add or serve salt after cooking.

Flavors well with
Seafood, onion, tomato, chili peppers, thyme, rosemary

Because I always like to give a recipe with each of these posts, here’s another from who else but our Chef Justin.

Creamy Corn and Jalapeño Soup
Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

6 ears Florida sweet corn, cleaned
1 small onion, chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño pepper, minced (seeds removed)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
Chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic and cumin; sauté until onion and jalapeño are tender, about 10 minutes. Cut corn kernels from cobs. Add corn to pot. Stir in broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until corn is very tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to processor or blender and carefully purée. Add enough milk to thin to desired consistency. Return to pot; stir to heat through (do not boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls and garnish with cilantro.

The weekend just past, apart from its oppressive heat and humidity (welcome back, Brisbane summer…), was also fairly windy. I’d been noticing since Saturday morning, maybe even since Friday evening, that a couple of the sweet corn plants were not quite upright, and were leaning at slight angles as the breeze pushed them around a bit.

When I watered the garden this afternoon, one of the affected plants actually gave up the ghost under the fairly gentle onslaught and keeled over altogether, while the angle of the other one increased to a dangerous level.

Fortunately there’s plenty of spare soil in the garden bed, along the southern side of the trellises where there’s a gap between them and the non-trellised plants. I just excavated a bit of the dirt, mounded it up around the base of the 2 plants, and firmed it down to give them the added support they obviously needed.

GardenerScampus Tip: Keep a regular eye on your plants in their early days (if not all the time) and shore them up if and when it’s needed. Otherwise you may look out and find your vegetables are lying down on the job, possibly for so long that it’s too late to remedy the situation.

Shimlahills offering is proving its potential as the largest producer of Canned Yellow Baby Corn. Shimlahills SHOP Ltd specializes in producing and trading quality baby corn. The yellow baby corns are harvested in one of the most fertile region of India, Gujarat. With innovative technology the harvesters in Gujarat have evolved their own varieties of corn which yield more ears of corn per stalk. Shimlahills specifically process this kind of high quality corn. Expert and technologists at Shimlahills use their ground breaking technique to keep intact the tenderness, sweetness, freshness, desirable flavors, moisture, ripeness of canned yellow baby corn.  The canned yellow baby corns are considered as a highly nutritious staple diet. Canned Baby Corn has better flavor and texture than frozen baby corn.

Shimlahills offers different packaging and specification like:

Nutritional Fact of Baby Corn:

Calories 25, Protein 2.5, Carbohydrate 3.1, Fat 0.4, Fiber 1.7, Vitamin 1.2

While preparing to cook baby corn on must keep some important points in mind like:

1) Search carefully for any bruised kernels, remove them carefully from the rest.

2) Rinse under cold water for 2-3 Minutes

3) Do not boil the corn in salt water as it tends to toughen the corn.

4) Choose a large pan to boil Baby Corn so that it can move freely in the pan when boiled

5) We at Shimlahills make sure to maintain the sweetness of baby corn, but for any reason you find it is lees than sweet add half a tsp of sugar free.

6) Keep in mind that one need to boil corn for just about 3-4 minutes

Recipes on Baby Corn

These wonderful and simple recipes will help you create an everlasting impression on your guest.

Baby Corn Salad

You Need:

1 Red pepper
1 Yellow pepper
1 sm. Red onion
4 Cucumbers
1 Carrot
2 Can Baby corn(Shimlahills)

2 Cups broccoli florets

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 c. cauliflower pieces

1/2 cup fat-free salad dressing

Procedure:

Shred, grate or slice the carrot, cucumber, pepper (yellow/red). Clean the onion and chop it in small pieces. Take a large bowl add the sliced carrot, cucumber, pepper, onion, cauliflower, broccoli, kidney beans and Baby corn. Prow over fat-free salad dressing on the mixture in the bowl. Sauté the salad evenly.

Baby Corn Carrot Rice (North Indian Delicacies)

You Need:

Basmati Rice – 1 Cup

Carrot grated – 3 Large

1 Can Baby corn (chopped in chunk)

2 Onion large (finely chopped)

1 ginger medium (paste)

4 cloves of garlic (paste)

2 tomato medium (chopped in fine chunk)

Turmeric half tsp

Salt to taste

Cloves – 3

Cinnamon stick 1 small piece.

Mustard Oil – 5 tsp

Cumin Seeds

Coriander leaves

Fried Cashew

Ghee-1tsp

Procedure: Heat the pan, pour mustard oil in it. Add cloves, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds stir it for about 2-3 minutes. Pour paste of ginger and garlic and stir it for 1 min now add finely chopped onion until the color changes to golden brown. Add tomato chunk, turmeric and mix well. Put carrots and fry them for about 7 min till water evaporates from the Carrot. Pour rice in the pan and fry them. Put 2cup of water mix it well. Sprinkle garam masala on it. Garnish with coriander and cashew, add ghee on top of rice and serve when it is hot.

Baby Corn is the one of the valuable vegetables containing essential nutrients. These are immature tiny ears of sweet corn, picked off while corn ears start developing. Baby Corn is mainly harvested from many common varieties of corn but, special varieties of baby corn are also available. Baby corn for canning is mostly grown in Asia, where the hand picking is less costly.

Baby Corn is rich source of dietary fibers, iron, vitamin A, folate (B-group vitamins). Baby corn also provides potassium and vitamin C.
Vegetables have very little amount of calories and are proved to be help in reducing weight if taken in appropriate quantity.Fibres of Baby corn provides calories that prevent weight gain. One can try out many instant and delicious baby corn recipes like baby corn delight, pasta etc. while retaining its low calorie nutrients and original taste.

Mouth Watering Recipe of Baby Corn

Baby Corn Pasta Salad

You Need:

1 pound cooked ziti

1 cup cooked asparagus

1 can baby corn, drained

1/2 cup diced oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup bottled Italian or Caesar dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add asparagus, corn, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss to coat.

I can’t believe it’s Friday already, this week has just flown by, not that I’m complaining.  I’ve been looking forward to this weekend, for many reasons, the Halloween party for one.

Breakfast wasn’t the best looking oatmeal in the world, but it tasted good.  I tried melting the peanut butter and adding it after heating up the oats.  I think I used too much milk, but never mind, you live and learn.

My work lunch was a tuna mayo and sweet corn sandwich with tomato and lettuce.

Today’s exercise  was my Yoga for beginners DVD and the snack afterwards was this delicious lara bar.

FOODIE FRIDAY – CHICKEN SALAD

You all know how much I love chicken, so what better than a chicken salad for today’s post.

I usually cook enough chicken to last the week and freeze them until ready to use.

• celery
• dried cranberries
• dijon mustard
• sun-flower seeds
• white onion, diced
• mayo
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix it altogether

And serve on a wrap with lettuce and grated carrot (or whatever you fancy)

Hope you enjoy your Halloween

I have to admit that the idea to cook this soup just came to me when I was food shopping and found a bag of pre-cut soup veggies. I felt a bit lazy this weekend and wanted to get a few things done. I needed something that could look after itself.

So, this recipe was just perfect. All I had to do was adding the soup base veggies (in this case the luxury pre-cut version) into a large pot; add 2 litres of water and 500 grams of chicken pieces. I usually use chicken drums but it really depends on what you can get. I let that cook with a bit of salt and pepper for 40 minutes on a low to medium heat. And the soup is almost done.

This gave me enough time for my favourite household task of all times: ironing. If I ever become a wealthy woman this is surely the first thing I will hire someone for. I can promise you that!

Ingredients

500 grams of chicken pieces such as drumsticks or thighs

Soup base veggies (500 grams) Leek, Carrot, Herb Celery and Parsley

2 litres of water

Small cup of cooked rice

Small cup of cooked sweet corn

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Add the soup base veggies, chicken pieces, 2 litres of water and salt and pepper into a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook on a low to medium heat for about 40 minutes.
2. After 40 minutes take the chicken pieces out of the pot and let them cool down.
3. Set the pot aside for now and cook the rice in a separate pan.
4. When the chicken has cooled down, cut the nice white meat of the bone and add it to the soup. You have to be very careful not to add any bones, fat or anything you would not like in your bowl.
5. Now, add everything (chicken, rice and a small cup of sweet corn) to the pot and reheat for 5-10 minutes.
6. Voila – hassle free chicken soup!

i’ve finally come to terms with the fact that summer is basically over. i wake up, and the air is cold and i instinctively want to huddle under my warm comforter for as long as possible. joni sidles up right next to me – under the covers and everything – and we spoon for a few blissful moments before i wake up fully and start my day. the air is sharp and clear and already has a scent of the fall harvest upon it. there’s less and less melon, berries and leafy greens at the farmers and more late summer squash and tomatoes. at a recent market i picked up a few fat ears of corn at 25 cents apiece and a quart of supple wax beans.

green bean, sweet corn and shallot saute with lemon

• 1 quart green beans, ends picked clean and rinsed
• 2 ears corn, shucked and sliced up
• 2 small-ish shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup israeli couscous
• 1 lemon, juiced
• pinch red pepper flakes
• copious salt and pepper

parboil beans in salted water for 2 minutes. set in ice bath and set aside.

heat up skillet with equal amounts olive oil and butter (about 1 tbsp ea). fry shallots, 4-5 minutes. add beans, stir. 3-4 minutes. add garlic and corn to heat through.

squeeze juice of one lemon atop the glorious tangle of vegetables and stir. the corn will likely give off liquid, as will the shallots, creating a wonderful slurry of citric acid, sweet corn sugars and the warm b bite of the shallots.

add pinch red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, to taste. cook couscous according to package directions. eat with warm and crusty farmer’s market bread and some good local cheese. preferrably a sharp cheddar.

that’s it. so easy it’s stupid. obviously, the fresher and better the ingredients, the more effective this dish becomes. you can tweak it a million ways — i love doing a slow braise with beans using roma tomatoes, garlic and white wine. i love this corn/shallot combination in brothy soups with kale. you could sub out any of these vegetables for whatever is in season. add goat cheese for decadence, nuts for texture. plop a piece of roasted salmon on top of the whole mess, or fold in some shredded chicken or a can of navy beans. cilantro would have been amazing here, or using orange zest to finish it off. you get the idea.

Day five started out with some seven grain sourdough and Stover’s Very Berry jam. What?! You mean you do not know of Stover’s?! Time out! Time to be educated.

Stover’s does not attend Green City Market. Instead, I have to visit them at either the Federal Plaza Market or Daley Plaza Market in the Loop on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively. They have so many different jams that I often just marvel in front of the huge layout. To prevent myself from drooling too much while I pick my poison, I generally just ask the advice of the friendly shop guy!

So after breakfast I left to go over to DePaul with Tim to attend a picnic. I know what you are thinking, that I immediately fell off the Locavore bandwagon! But I didn’t! Nope! Instead I brought along a homemade salad and a juicy, cold pear from Nichols Farm!

For dinner, along with not-so-local pasta, I had delicious sweet corn! Local and fabulous!

Oh! And I have had a lot of questions lately as to where my adorable apron came from that I wore to Saturday’s market!

It is from Jessie Steele who obviously excels in making the cutest aprons on the planet! As a matter of fact, I am on the hunt for a new apron that is equally sweet, so if anyone has any suggestions, just make a comment!

Also, I have another recipe idea for you guys, this time using River Valley Ranch’s Asparagus Spinach Dip. Thanks to River Valley Ranch’s shopguys for giving me this idea on Satuday!

Asparagus Spinach Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pre-prepared pizza crust (or you can make yours with whole wheat, local flour!)
• 1 jar of asparagus spinach dip from River Valley Ranch
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes (try them from Tomato Mountain!), sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 cups soft sheep’s milk or goat’s milk cheese

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread asparagus spinach dip over pizza crust then top with tomatoes. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. As soon as you pull the pizza out of the oven, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the entire surface! The cheese will lightly melt!

Enjoy and see ya tomorrow!

Dev xx
PS, only 2 more days until Green City Market Day!!!! So excited!!!

Corn is so good to have around, it’s a shame it’s only in season once a year. Now we’re mostly eating it plain or with a little butter and salt, but in the winter I rely on it as a side dish. My kids love it, it’s quick to fix, and when paired with black beans it makes a complete protein.

For all these reasons, I purchased so many bags of frozen Cascadian Farm corn last winter, I should’ve bought stock. But this winter will be different. In between birthday parties and school picnics, I carved out two hours last weekend and went through a case of sweet corn, cooking it as though we were going to eat it, then slicing it off the cob, letting it cool completely, and freezing it in dinner-sized portions in double Ziplocs. Not exactly a sexy way to spend a weekend, but we’ll be glad in the end. And so will you, if you can still get your hands on some local, organic corn!

This is a personal favorite, one that I would love to make more often except I know that the rest of them prefer their pasta with sauce – unless it is au nature, with just some olive oil, which is the way the girls love it.

But they eat this without fuss as well, though with a lot of Parmesan cheese grated on top.

When I made it a few days ago the salad looked so pretty, sitting there so full of color, that I just had to take a picture, much to Indira’s amusement.

Pasta Salad

There is enough here for 6.

Tricolor pasta, preferably the whole wheat kind – 200 gms (dry weight)

one large orange bell pepper, sliced quite fine

3 tomatoes, diced in to chunks

1 can of sweet corn (drained weight 140 grams)

some salad leaves, any kind (green as well as the ones with some  purple as they add so much color)

salt and dried basil to taste

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice for the dressing

Cook the pasta till it is done. In the meanwhile, assemble all the other ingredients except the salad leaves, season with salt and basil, pour the olive oil and lime juice evenly all over and toss everything well. When the pasta is done, drain and then cool it a little, before mixing it well with the other ingredients. Now add the salad leaves, and toss the salad a couple of times and leave it to rest for a while so that all the flavors mingle.

I love to eat this dish with a little drizzle of chilli-flavored oil and some freshly grated Parmesan.

This salad is a good picnic meal as well, like the wheat berry salad.

This salad is excellent picnic food and I make it to take with us sometimes when we go out for the day.  But I do make it quite often otherwise too. Shri likes to take it for lunch so this is what the girls and I had for lunch too, yesterday, with the steamed trout.

Wheat berry Salad

Wheat berries – 125 gms

Chickpeas – 1 can (drained weight 200 grams)

Sweet corn – 1 can (drained weight 140 grams) or a little more if you like

Frozed or fresh green beans – I do this by approximation; enough for a salad for 6

Tomatoes – 2 large or 3 small, diced (in to chunks not too small)

salt to taste

Pesto – again, approximate as per taste ; use just enough to coat the salad ingredients well, say 4 tablespoons but not too much

(I always leave the pesto out near the cooking surface for a while because most bottled varieties tend to be quite thick to begin with but actually contain a lot of oil, so they become a little more fluid this way, which makes me feel I am able to use less than I would otherwise.  I may be wrong about this but that is what I hope is happening !!)

Snap the frozen beans in to 1 inch or 1 and half inch long pieces and place these in a steaming basket/container. Bring a large quantity of water in a sauce pan to boil, add the wheat berries and cook them till they are soft enough for you. As the wheat berries cook, steam the beans till they are soft (but not so much that they are easily squashed; they will cook well before the wheat berries are done) on top of the same saucepan.

In the meanwhile put all the other ingredients except the salt in a large bowl. When the beans are done, cool them and  add them to the bowl, sprinkle some salt on top and mix everything well.

Drain the wheat berries when they are done, allow them to cool (else I tend to think the heat will soften the tomatoes too much, making the salad kind of mushy) and toss with all the other ingredients.

This is light and delicious, a great salad any time of the year.  Noor and I love it with cherry tomatoes instead of the regular kind. Grated carrots work well too.

Wow! The peaches were amazing. I sliced them and heated them over a burner and served them warm over vanilla icecream. It was divine!

This week’s share from 9 Bean Rows Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program included tons of sweet corn and lots of other goodies. The sweet corn is the best I’ve had in years.

Our tenth week share included the following:

Potatoes
Radishes
Lettuce
Green Beans
Sweet Corn
Bread
Eggs
Green Wave
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Garnet Beauty Peaches

Sweet corn brings back California for me, with barbecues and Mexican food being two of my favourite culinary categories. I really wasn’t confident about the prospect of getting cobs in Southeast England, but it has been with great pleasure that we have harvested 7 this weekend.

You know to start thinking about harvesting sweet corn when the silks (the hairy tassels at the top of the cob) start to brown. Sweet corn should be picked in the ‘milk stage’, when a milky liquid is drawn from pressing a fingernail into a kernel. If the liquid is watery, it’s too early, and if doughy, it’s too late. Be sure to pull the husk down sufficiently when testing, as the tips of the cob are most immature and can deceive you into thinking they’re not ready.

There’s not much magic to harvesting sweet corn: just hold the stalk with one hand, hold the ear at the base with the other. Twist the ear firmly downward, like turning a door handle. Sweet corn starts to lose its sweetness as soon as it’s picked so it’s best to harvest when you know you can eat it, otherwise refrigerate.

For lunch we rustled up a simple dish using corn, onions and green bell peppers from our garden with a bit of Spanish chorizo. We sweated the onions and then fried up the rest of the ingredients – it was wonderful!

Well, our bobcat was spotted this morning.  My husband yelled for me at 7 AM, because he had seen something out in the field.  After scoping it, he discovered it was my dark bobcat.  It was too far away for my camera, and it was foggy this morning.  At least I know it’s still around.  My sister Nancy and I sat out on Thursday night hoping to hear it without success.  We were having too much fun, and no bobcat would be crazy enough to get close to such foolishness.

I’ve had four days of nothing but corn, corn, corn.  The freezer is full of sweet, summer gold.  If I developed a sweet corn variety, that’s what I’d call it. 

I can’t believe it’s the last week of August already.  I’m hoping the frosts are late, because my melons are not quite ready.  The pumpkins are ripening nicely.  (Remember, last year we were attacked by sucking insects that destroyed my pumpkins.)

I plan to take a break and create something today.  My creative studio has been neglected of late, and I want to enjoy it while it is still warm.  I’m slowly introducing the idea that I need a stove in there.  My husband hasn’t said no, but hasn’t rushed out to get one, either.

See you later!  Happy creating!

No, not Christmas time. Late summer/early autumn time! The weather is mellowing out, local farms and gardens are bursting with ripe produce, Boston is experiencing the few consistent days of sunshine it gets all year, and pumpkin overload is just around the corner. Superb!

I took advantage of this golden day by going for a nice, long, leisurely run and using the small amount of sunlight that comes in our ill-placed apartment windows to photograph the cherry tomatoes I snacked on:

The beautiful weather inspired us to defrost some CSA burgers and fire up the grill:

We had another salad with more lackluster dressing. Hint: when trying a recipe for the first time, don’t make a large quantity. You’ll never know if you’ll dislike it. I never make a big batch my first time testing a recipe – I have no idea what possessed me. The veg is still pretty though!

Also pretty? Free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free local beef served with a fat, juicy, local tomato and raw onion on a grilled bun (Trent is APPALLED that I eat raw onion, but it tastes soooo good with beef!).

And last but not least, grilled sweet corn served with lime juice and cayenne pepper.

I would have taken a picture of the completed dish for you, but I was covered in lime juice and my lips were burning from my overzealous application of cayenne. Still, roasty corn with sour lime and spicy pepper = perfection.

And that was our all-American evening. What do you like to do on beautiful days? Are you an autumn person? Nothing thrills me like the first autumnal chill and the first golden leaf of fall, unless it’s the first pumpkin beer I spot on tap.

We keep talking about planting a garden, but last week we actually started!

My Dad was in town, and he figured out how to get our irrigation system functioning!  He is so SMART!! When we bought the place we were told nothing really works.  This encouraged me to get gardening!

A few weeks back we planted seed in a little greenhouse. We planted sweet corn, spinach, peppers,and basil. This picture doesn’t have the corn in the bin, because it is planted!

Thats right, planted!   Jared leveled out the space where I took out all the rocks and my Dad fixed the water, so we bought Miracle Grow dirt and planted!  There are 12 seeds growing…well actually 10 since Pickle and Pepper jumped in there once or twice.  This picture is taken from the rock pile.

speaking of the rock pile…we found a good use for the rocks!  We are using them to fill in areas around the perimeter of the yard where Pickle can escape!  The pile is about 1/2 the size we started with…thanks Pickle

The other thing I did was build an above ground planter bed thing….for the vegetable/herb garden.

Time to buy moe DIRT!!!!!

It was great to see so many people yesterday on the new streets of Uptown, chomping on sweet corn and listening to the blues.

That’s what happens when you get perfect weather.  We couldn’t have ordered it up any better. 

A perfect day for Sweet Corn and Sweet Blues drew a sweet crowd to Uptown Normal.

The College Avenue parking deck was full, the streets were full, and they could barely husk the sweet corn fast enough for long lines of attendees paying a mere $1 for three lip smackin’ fantastic ears.

We took advantage of the opportunity to stop by the Normal CornBelters’ booth and to buy baseball caps to support our new team.  Other purchases were made as well.  It’s amazing how a buck’s worth of sweet corn can end up emptying your wallet.

I recognize that construction crews need to work every available day, but I was surprised to see end loaders and semis working so close to the throng of people atttending the festival.   Hopefully, they’ll take a well deserved day off today.

The festival lasts until the corn runs out.   See you out there.

Pelden Farm Sweet Corn

In the Midwest, we are in the thick of sweet corn season.  And at Pelden Farm, we have had a magnificent crop. Perhaps it’s because Auntie had the monks to lunch here during the full moon at planting time.  Perhaps it’s because of the more than abundant rain and the cooler temperatures we’ve had. Perhaps it’s because the raccoons have decided to spend the summer at the river’s edge eating mussels instead of raiding the garden.

Or perhaps it’s because the universe is trying to teach us something.

Just yesterday I asked my husband how much sweet corn his mother (Auntie) had planted.  Apparently, this field takes up a half an acre.  That’s 21,780 square feet.  It’s also about 10,000 ears of corn. Of course, she staggered the planting so that the whole crop wouldn’t ripen at the same time.  Every week, six of us head out at dawn to pick the rows she says are ready so that the fresh ears of corn can be tucked inside the CSA tubs the grandkids deliver to Auntie’s customers.  Every week, then, we each pick about 250 ears of sweet corn. 

Which means that so far, I have picked 1000 ears all by myself. 

To someone like Auntie, this wouldn’t be a particularly special accomplishment. But I didn’t grow up at Pelden Farm—I married into the family, and while I am a regular visitor and garden helper, farm life and the kind of repetitive, seemingly mindless work it entails is still new and a little bit alien to me.  I am accustomed to measuring my achievements in deadlines met and personnel problems solved skillfully. Picking 1000 ears of sweet corn doesn’t figure in to my professional development.

Does it? 

Well, let’s see.  On corn-picking days, family and friends who are able to help gather on Auntie’s front porch just as the sun is coming up.  We have some hot tea and a muffin, grab a pair of work gloves and a few canvas bags, and trek over to the field. The sweet corn is past the sunflower field where the gold finches are already perched, eating their breakfast, past the pond where the blue heron stand still as posts, guarding their frogs.  We are first to see the newest webs the spiders spun the previous evening, first to hear the red-tailed hawk keening overhead, and first to imagine we hear the quail and pheasants quaking in their nests.  The field itself is a kind of forest of corn, well over my head, glistening with dew, trembling in the slightest breeze. And we are always so conscious of entering a sacred space that we rarely speak—we just spread out, staking claim to our rows, snapping off the ears of corn and tucking them into our bags.  When we meet again at the end of a row to set down a full bag, we smile and go back to our work. Two ears of corn on most stalks, plant by plant by plant, leaves that can cut if you don’t pay attention, silks that stick to your gloves and, when you reach up to scratch an itch, plaster themselves to your face.  Grab, support, snap, over and over and over.

And when I’m done, my mind is as empty as if I’d spent the last hour-and-a-half in the most blissful meditation.

So perhaps there is room for sweet corn picking on my resume.  What do you think:

“My skills include the ability to focus on and appreciate the task in front of me, which has helped me to develop the equanimity required to deal skillfully with more difficult situations.” 

That is, I can pick 1000 ears of sweet corn.

Where to Plant
Choose a site that gets full sun. Corn needs soil that’s simultaneously rich, moisture-retentive and well-draining; digging in plenty of compost.

How to Grow
Sow seeds 1 to 1/2 inch deep, 4 to 6 inches apart. For best results, plant in hills, with several plants to a hill and the hills grouped in clusters rather than long rows.

Tips: Corn is a big-time consumer of phosphorus and nitrogen

Once I tried a recipe for sweet corn with a cumin-lime rub. The rub was fragrant and delicious and I would’ve liked it on pork. But why would anyone put that strong of a flavor on sweet corn? I’ve tried a few such recipes over the years, but all have disappointed. It’s not that I don’t like sweet corn. It’s that I like it too much.

When local sweet corn is in, I savor it plain. No butter. No salt. Then I saw a recipe for Tomato and Corn Pie in the August issue of Gourmet. It caught my eye because I’d received 20 ears of corn in my farm share and had already eaten more than my share. I skimmed the recipe, waiting for the step where the corn’s delicate flavor would be overwhelmed by one ingredient or another. Instead, I saw a recipe that pairs the corn with the summertime flavors of tomatoes and basil, resulting in a delicious filling under a tender biscuit crust.

Before you make it, read the recipe carefully. I didn’t and almost missed the step about pureeing the corn in a food processor. I was tempted to skip the step for time’s sake, but I’m glad I didn’t. When you puree the corn, you release some of its milk, resulting in a creamier dish. Now when I have leftover ears of corn, I’ll use it as the foundation for a lovely main course. Kind of like having my cake and eating it, too.

Sunday, our neighbor came over to share some of his garden pickings with us. It was the first time since he planted his large vegetable garden two years ago that he shared his harvest with us (he also told us there was a black bear reported in the area and in the woods behind us). He gave us an armful of sweet corn and a small cantaloupe (about the size of a softball). Last night we boiled the corn for an easy meal(followed by a lot of flossing). The cantaloupe was going to be breakfast the next day, I went to grab it and it was already rotted. I blamed the heat. The simple gesture was appreciated, we don’t see too many random acts of kindness from our neighbors. It’s nice to know after four year, we’re starting to be accepted into the neighborhood.