Corn

Corn is Nature's way of making up for some of the other vegetables. But then corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain, it just looks and eats like a vegetable. All of the corn we have today is a mutation of the Indian corn that has been grown in the Americas for perhaps thousands of years.

The best corn is available in May and June, but I have seen it in the produce section of the supermarkets in late summer and fall. I only buy it in the early summer. If you want to enjoy the best corn buy a lot and freeze it. See "How To Freeze Fresh Corn" below on this page.

Corn is canned and frozen so is available in some form year round.

When buying fresh corn look for husks that are a healthy green, the kernels plump but not too big, the corn silk should be moist and a light golden color and lots of it. Take your thumb nail and press into one of the kernels, it should pop and the liquid should be a milky white. Your grocer will not like this practice but it does tell you how long this corn has been away from the field. I've read you should eat corn two days after picking. The fresher the corn the better. But for those of us who live in the city getting freshly picked corn takes some doing, like a trip to the country, with gas prices this could be a very pricey meal. Just do the above and you should get some pretty tasty corn.

Preparation: Refrigerate unhusked corn until ready to use. Keep in refrigerator up to 2 days or freeze it. To husk corn lay out a newspaper on the floor or table. Grab the tips of the husks and pull down toward the stem, do this until no husk is left on the corn. Remove the silk, just start pulling it off the ear until you have all or almost all of it. You can use a vegetable brush, just be easy and don't damage the kernels. Wrap up the husks and silk in the newspaper, easy cleanup. The silk is sticky and hard to get off of hard surfaces so the newspaper fixes that little mess.

To Cook: Place the cleaned corn in a very large kettle then cover with cold, filtered water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice for each gallon of water. Heat to boiling then boil for about 2 minutes, uncovered. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Serve with butter and salt.

To Freeze Fresh Corn: This is for freezing whole cobs, Remove husks and silk. In a very large kettle bring water to a boil. Place the corn in the boiling water and when the water returns to a boil blanch the small ears for 4 minutes, medium ears for 6 minutes and large ears for about 8 minutes. Remove from kettle and place in ice water for the same length of time for blanching. Drain well and place in freezer bags.

To cook frozen corn: Thaw corn before heating. Place corn in boiling water, return to a boil. Cover, cook over very low heat and simmer until tender, should be for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Do not overcook or ears will become tough.