Corn on the Cob = Summertime
Here in the Midwest (NE Ohio to be exact) the first real day of the summer is the day you see the first local sweet corn on sale at various roadside stands. Sweet corn is one of those things that, despite the globalization of our food system, remains a local thing. Everyone knows which local farmer grows their favorite corn and each year they wait until that farmer’s corn is ready.
When I headed to the farmer’s market on Saturday, I noticed it was finally sweet corn season, so I bought a dozen ears for lunch. Everyone has their own method for cooking sweet corn, some people boil it for a few minutes, some people for 10. I happen to steam mine for 12 minutes and that’s perfect for us.
We enjoy ours with homemade butter and a little salt, it makes for a simple delicious fresh local meal.
Mr Chiots and I were discussing whether or not corn on the cob is a Midwest thing, or if people in other parts of the country enjoy sweet corn as much as us Midwesterners do.
Is sweet corn a big thing in your area of the country? What’s your preferred cooking & eating method?
Filed under Farmer's Market, Going Local | Comments (17)
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Yes! The sweet corn is just starting to come in here, and I am so glad to be eating it almost every night. I’m not sure what is the “norm” here in CT, but I eat my corn on the cob, often raw when its freshly picked within hours of making it to my hands. Another favorite way is to grill or char it on an open flame until the kernels are almost bursting with their juices and the outside is crisp and warm. My family and I were taking a drive to the library to return a stack of books, and the library adjoins a farm – one selling corn right at the entrance. Even though we didn’t plan it, we each bought 6 ears of corn apiece from the farmer…. and they will be quickly gone, I’m sure!
Mangochild´s last blog ..A Look My Front Yard
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Born and raised in the midwest, but found this recipe while living in AZ, and it’s now my favorite way to enjoy sweet corn. Though I’m still quite partial to butter and salt too!
Sherri´s last blog ..CSA
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Helps if you post the recipe!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1634809
Sherri´s last blog ..CSA
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That sounds delicious, I’ll have to give it a try next time I get some corn.
to Susy's comment
Corn grows like a weed here, so yes, it’s an integral part of summer. Except we don’t buy ours–we grow it. Our first, earlier variety just got ripe. We ate the first sweet corn last week. This week it’s going to be hot, so I’ll probably have to harvest the rest and freeze it for future use. But we still have another variety to come, so our fresh corn season isn’t done yet.
kristin´s last blog ..Breaking News
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If I had space I’d grow my own corn as well, but with limited garden space I try to grow veggies that give me a little more return.
to Susy's comment
We had the first out of our garden just last night. It was delicious! We mostly eat our own, but we do have a favorite roadside stand, too. :)
to Carol's comment
We LOVE sweet corn -and yes- have our favorite!
But more importantly…HAPPY BIRTDAY Susy! I noticed you did not mention anything in your blog about it being your special day! Hugs from Indiana!
to Kelly's comment
Thank Kelly!
to Susy's comment
nick and i were just talking about the same thing… we were headed out to see friends saturday night and noticed our favorite sweet corn place was open! as you know… we are surrounded by corn here! good ole’ central, flat indiana! happy bday by the way…. :)
to deedee's comment
We had it last night too, ha. No room to grow it here either, so I’ve been perusing different stands to find a favorite. Froze some for the last year for the first time (why o why didn’t I do that before??) and it was so good and sweet all winter long. Definitely on the list for this year.
So Happy birthday! I’ve been enjoying your site a lot and just tried out your harvest spreadsheet yesterday–thanks so much for doing that!
Cheers,
- s
s´s last blog ..a notable occasion
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Yum, that’s looks delicious! We love our corn here in Central CA and tho we TRIED to grow it this year….it’s mostly coming from farmers markets and veggie stands. Corn is just another of those wonderful summertime treats. It’s amazing when you start eating seasonally how much more you appreciate every fruit and vegetable in it’s own time!
Maureen´s last blog ..Good Answer!
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We love it here in the Northwest also…I love it done on the BBQ and then eaten simply naked…yum!
BTW, I just got done reading The Unheathy Truth and was horrified. I see it is on your list also.
inadvertent farmer´s last blog ..Lacey Lap of Luxury
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I know what you mean, I already knew a lot of the information, but it makes me very angry.
to Susy's comment
Sweet corn is big here in Southern Ontario. You always see stand of it during the summer. We just picked some up last Friday on our way home from lake erie. It was wonderful!
Dan´s last blog ..Monday’s Harvest Post
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In the UK corn is cheap and plentiful in the autumn, and we used to love it boiled briefly then spread with lots of melted butter and freshly ground black pepper.
Here in France there are cornfields aplenty, often attacked by the media for being water-hungry and yet they never get to the markets! You can sometimes find a couple of dried out cobs in styrofoam and plastic for 3/4€ at the supermarket but I have never seen freshly picked corn for sale. I think they are seen as being exclusively for animal feed.
to Syrahsuzie's comment
I live in the Midwest and it most certainly is a very popular thing. There’s actually a city in my state that has a sweet corn festival. I’ve found that you do have to be careful, though, as some stands sell non-local stuff at the very beginning (especially if it’s been a fairly cool year).
Pampered Mom´s last blog ..Cheap and Easy Herb Drying Rack
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