Summertime Favorite: Corn on the Cob
By Jonathan Berohn
When it comes to summertime food, the first thing I always think of is corn. Corn on the cob—mind you—none of that frozen or canned stuff. That doesn’t really count.
Sure, you can get corn on the cob pretty much year around now in the grocery store, too, but I’m talking real, fresh, just-picked, sweet-enough-to-make-you-cry corn. That’s not to say you need to grow your own to eat a good ear of corn—in fact, given the need for cross-pollination, corn doesn’t make a very good garden crop unless you have lots of room.
Location, Location, Location
If you live in the Midwest, I’m sure you already know the wonders of the roadside stand. If there are no stands near you, farmers’ markets are also good sources of top quality corn. If you don’t have that either, you might consider moving—this is serious. Picking the right stand is somewhat of an art—different varieties appeal to different people, but don’t short-change yourself—try them all.
Timing
More important than which stand you pick, however, is what time you buy. Corn is an odd food in that it is great right off the stalk and tremendous for a few hours. My father-in-law stands by his rule that if you have to stop and open the door while you are sprinting from the field to your already boiling pot then your corn is too old, but we’ll be realistic. If it’s been there overnight, though—forget it. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, find out when your stand picks their corn, and plan your meal accordingly. This may mean corn for lunch, but—hey—it’s corn for lunch!
Cooking
The final key to enjoying your corn is to avoid overcooking it all costs. When you overcook corn it not only turns mushy, but it also loses the flavor you’ve gone through all this trouble for. For optimum corn, 5-7 minutes in boiling water (3 if you’re a purist, and it’s straight from the field). You can also wrap it back in the husk (after you’ve removed the silk) and toss it on the grill until the husk turns black, or steam it in the microwave for about 5 minutes (this seems like cheating, but it’s actually quite effective). Then get ready to enjoy—but, I’m sorry to say, you’ll ever be able to look at supermarket corn the same way again.
For More Information:
You can buy Corn Cookbooks and more from the Preferred Consumer Store:
