Conscious Choice: Fresh Corn: How Sweet It Is

July 2003 | Cooking with the Seasons

Fresh Corn: How Sweet It Is

by Terra Brockman

At this time of year, there is nothing better than fresh corn on the cob. The freshest and tastiest corn on earth is whatever you grow in your own backyard. Many Midwesterners have memories of picking the ears just before sundown, running (literally) back to the kitchen to drop them into boiling water, then joining in as eager fingers snatched at steaming ears, ready to experience the first sensual split of pure gold on the tongue.

Corn lovers who do not grow their own should shop early and often, looking for grassy green husks that are silky, with a slight dampness. The tip-off for old corn is the stem, which will be brown and rusty looking. If possible, seek out organic corn. It is actually quite easy to grow corn without chemicals, but not very many growers do it because of the public’s worm phobia. Worms start at the tip of the ear and seldom advance more than a half-inch or so. If you happen to get an ear that a worm is dining upon, simply break off the tip.

Corn is perhaps the most studied, and altered, new world vegetable. It began as native grasses (teosente), then bred by Native Americans into thousands of varieties more than 3,000 years ago. But over the past 300 years, corn has devolved from a Native American food of deeply sacred character into a chemical-guzzling, genetically-modified, industrial crop that provides high-fructose corn syrup for just about everything on the shelves of most grocery stores.

The irony is that this food, an ancient benefactor of the Indians and living embodiment of their close relationship to the natural world, has become one of the world’s most environmentally damaging cash crops — a living embodiment of our close relationship to the world of money. With the burgeoning biotech industry, corn is becoming evermore enmeshed in corporate greed, political corruption, and rapacious environmental destruction.

But even before the gene jockeys got a hold of corn, post-war industrialization and commodification had produced new varieties completely unlike the diverse and robust corns of the past. We have lost forever thousands, probably tens of thousands, of varieties. Other varieties are near extinction, but may still be found in farmer’s markets. Look for black Mexican corn, trucker’s favorite white, sweet scarlet, and others. Corn is uncommonly healthful — high in vitamin A, low in calories, and full of potassium, phosphorus, and calcium.

Yellow Summer Squash and Corn Soup

1 pound yellow summer squash

2 ears corn

3 large shallots or 1 medium onion

2 large garlic cloves

1 fresh jalapeño chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 1/2 cups water

1. Cut squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Halve cobs. Chop jalapeno and shallots. Mince garlic.

2. In a 5-quart heavy kettle, combine all ingredients except water. Cook over moderate heat, stirring three minutes. Stir in water and simmer until squash is very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard cobs.

3. In a blender, puree mixture in batches until smooth, transferring to another bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves two.

Fresh Corn Pudding

6 ears corn, shucked

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 large eggs, beaten lightly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter eight 1/2-cup ramekins (baking dishes)

2. Grate corn off the cobs. With back of a knife, gently scrape each cob and add pulp and liquid to bowl. (There should be about two cups grated corn with liquid.)

3. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and stir into corn until combined well. Ladle mixture evenly into ramekins.

4. Put ramekins in a baking pan just large enough to hold them and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

5. Bake corn puddings in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until tops are slightly puffed and golden and firm to the touch. Remove ramekins from water and cool slightly on rack. Run a knife around edges of ramekins and invert each pudding onto a serving plate. Serves eight.

Southwest Corn Frittata

4 large eggs

1 cup corn kernels (about two ears)

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, cut into small wedges

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1. Preheat broiler. Whisk eggs in bowl to blend. Mix in corn, cheese, and two Tablespoons cilantro. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in tortillas.

3. Heat oil in heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about five minutes.

4. Pour egg mixture into skillet and stir to blend. Cover skillet. Cook frittata over low heat until eggs are almost set, about eight minutes.

5. Uncover skillet; broil frittata until top is set and starting to brown, about 1 minute. Slide frittata onto plate. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Cut into wedges and serve with chunky salsa or a fresh tomato and onion salad. Serves two.

Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.

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