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Post by hondobrode on Jul 16, 2019 1:37:24 GMT -5
Being a proud Iowan and Midwesterner, I love me some sweet corn !
Summer just wouldn't be summer without it.
This is the latest I ever remember it coming in, what with the crazy wet springs and xtra hot summer.
Had some last week. Not so great but not bad.
Picking some up tomorrow on the way home.
I've microwaved it before but still prefer traditional boiling and serving with real butter (practically the only time I use the stuff) and some cold pilsner swill like Busch or Keystone.
Sometime I'm going to try grilling it too.
Anyone else partake ?
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Post by Phil Maurice on Jul 16, 2019 7:00:37 GMT -5
Yes! One branch of my wife's family were Illinois farmers. When our kids were little, they spent part of their summers there and always brought home a grocery bag full of sweet corn. The difference from what you get in the supermarket was astonishing, like someone had pressed "unmute" on my taste buds. It was so intensely sweet and vibrant, it nearly ruined ordinary corn for me.
One of the ways I like to prepare it is by slathering it in butter and a bit of Bone Suckin'® Seasoning and Rub, wrapping it in foil and tossing it on the grill.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 16, 2019 7:33:59 GMT -5
INDEED! Growing up it was a summer standard with my dad's grandparents. They owned a big black iron cauldron my granddad brought with him from his Ohio farm. Every summer without fail, whether it was on their White Tanks home in the desert in the 60's or when they retired to Payson up north in the mountains during the 70's and 80's there was going to be sweet corn cooking. There was a big corn farm a few miles north in a little town called Strawberry where you could go out and pick your own ears right out in the corn field. Take home bags and bags of them. Get a big fire going, heat up that big ol' cauldron full of boiling water and then toss the corn in to bubble and boil and simmer up their sweet juice.
As I got older and the fresh corn was more difficult in town here in south Phoenix the joys of soaking the corn over night in a plastic swimming pull and then shucking the corn and roasting them on the barbecue grill became a tasty delight. Mince up some garlic and mix into the butter container for a few days before hand in giving the corn an extra kick. AND none of that wussie foil wrapping here! Season and cook it all in the hust to get full flavor and dripping in butter running down your chin and arms while eating!
Also 4th of July was always spent at home with my mother's grandparents who lived 3 blocks from us. We would grill up burgers and hot dogs, 2 or 3 fresh watermelon (there was a farm south of us just before you hit the Indian reservation) again soaking in a plastic swimming pool filled with water and ice and we HAD to make grandpa's favorite: homemade vanilla ice cream in the hand crank mixer. MMMMMMemories!
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,201 
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Post by Confessor on Jul 16, 2019 7:59:39 GMT -5
This is the single best thread we've ever had at the CCF!  I love sweet corn too. I've only ever had it from the supermarket though....mostly on the corn cob, but sometimes out of a can (or on a pizza). |
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Post by hondobrode on Jul 16, 2019 8:23:51 GMT -5
INDEED! Growing up it was a summer standard with my dad's grandparents. They owned a big black iron cauldron my granddad brought with him from his Ohio farm. Every summer without fail, whether it was on their White Tanks home in the desert in the 60's or when they retired to Payson up north in the mountains during the 70's and 80's there was going to be sweet corn cooking. There was a big corn farm a few miles north in a little town called Strawberry where you could go out and pick your own ears right out in the corn field. Take home bags and bags of them. Get a big fire going, heat up that big ol' cauldron full of boiling water and then toss the corn in to bubble and boil and simmer up their sweet juice. As I got older and the fresh corn was more difficult in town here in south Phoenix the joys of soaking the corn over night in a plastic swimming pull and then shucking the corn and roasting them on the barbecue grill became a tasty delight. Mince up some garlic and mix into the butter container for a few days before hand in giving the corn an extra kick. AND none of that wussie foil wrapping here! Season and cook it all in the hust to get full flavor and dripping in butter running down your chin and arms while eating! Also 4th of July was always spent at home with my mother's grandparents who lived 3 blocks from us. We would grill up burgers and hot dogs, 2 or 3 fresh watermelon (there was a farm south of us just before you hit the Indian reservation) again soaking in a plastic swimming pool filled with water and ice and we HAD to make grandpa's favorite: homemade vanilla ice cream in the hand crank mixer. MMMMMMemories!
Bonus points for the hand-cranked vanilla !
We would go to my aunt and uncle's who had 6 kids. They would pass the unit around to each kid who eagerly put their muscles to work.
Honestly, that's still to this day the best ice cream I ever had and I used to sell some of the best (Schwan's).
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Post by hondobrode on Jul 16, 2019 8:29:10 GMT -5
This is the single best thread we've ever had at the CCF! I love sweet corn too. I've only ever had it from the supermarket though....mostly on the corn cob, but sometimes out of a can (or on a pizza).
As Phil said, there's no comparison.
It's like the difference between canned tamales and fresh : 180 degrees of difference.
The secret is the time from picking to eating and the sugars in the corn.
I'm the oldest of 7, and every year the whole family would take a Saturday and can corn.
We'd go to the field with Dad's pick up and fill the bed with the ears.
Then a couple of us would shuck it, getting rid of as much hair and tassle as we could.
Pop would then cut the corn off the ears and take it to Mom.
Mom would boil it and then put it into freezer bags for the non-summer months. We had 2 big chest freezers, and half of one was for the sweet corn.
It would take all day, and Mom would usually put away around 100 quarts. She had an old gas burning stove in the garage she used this for, keeping the mess out of the kitchen. It was also handy a few times if we lost power.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Jul 16, 2019 8:31:48 GMT -5
AND none of that wussie foil wrapping here! Hey, I'm willing to evolve! What you describe sounds delicious, if rather arduous. If nothing else, I'll try ditching the foil. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 8:50:22 GMT -5
I go to a Public Co-Op Store and they have the best Cornbread there and I always buy 2-3 of them to go with Soups that I microwave now and then. I love Corn Fritters, Corn on the Cob, Corn Chowder, and for a special treat ... Corn Muffins with Honey Laced Toppings also at the Public Co-Op Store. Pretty much every week I have something that has Corn in it. Usually for breakfasts and lunches; and occasionally for Dinner and my Family always have a traditional August BBQ ... and we served Corn on the Cob and we make it plenty so that everyone can have 2 or more. I love Corn ...  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 9:11:07 GMT -5
Living in rural PA there are road side stands everywhere selling sweet corn in July and August. I could eat fresh corn on the cob every day. Love it!
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Post by brutalis on Jul 16, 2019 9:52:56 GMT -5
AND none of that wussie foil wrapping here! Hey, I'm willing to evolve! What you describe sounds delicious, if rather arduous. If nothing else, I'll try ditching the foil. Foil is actually a good choice for quick cooking. You don't have to stand and constantly rotate the corn as you are able to walk away and let it cook within it's foil embrace. Growing up the oldest child the grilling was my responsibility and when you have 8-20 hungry people wanting their cob hot off the grill, foil just got in the way. OHHHH the smell and memories of roasting corn on the cob over the bbq grill. Can smell those husks browning away... Dagnabbit all, now I 'm going to have to hit the store after work Friday night to grab me some corn! It is so cruel to have us folks at work walking about salivating looking like drooling idiots to the visitors... |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 16, 2019 9:56:22 GMT -5
Shucking corn takes me back to when I was a kid. We'd shuck it over the fence for the horses to eat. You had to be careful they didn't try to reach over the fence and eat the corn.
My wife's grandpa owned a dairy farm before he passed away. He always planted four or five rows of sweet corn at the end of the field of feed corn. So there was always fresh corn whenever we wanted it.
Now we have to wait for the roadside sellers or the farmers markets. I'll usually soak the corn for 20 minutes or so in the husk then hit the grill with it for about 10 minutes or so before I pull the husks back and grill it directly for another 10 minutes without the husk rotating periodically.
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Post by hondobrode on Jul 16, 2019 11:07:48 GMT -5
I go to a Public Co-Op Store and they have the best Cornbread there and I always buy 2-3 of them to go with Soups that I microwave now and then. I love Corn Fritters, Corn on the Cob, Corn Chowder, and for a special treat ... Corn Muffins with Honey Laced Toppings also at the Public Co-Op Store. Pretty much every week I have something that has Corn in it. Usually for breakfasts and lunches; and occasionally for Dinner and my Family always have a traditional August BBQ ... and we served Corn on the Cob and we make it plenty so that everyone can have 2 or more. I love Corn ...
No one in my immediate family farms, and only a few of my 60+ cousins farm, but of course farming is huge in Iowa; no surprise there.
With this being the fifth year in a row farmers have taken it on the chin (Trump tariffs, bad weather), it's amazing how resilient they are.
They have my eternal respect.
We listened to Paul Harvey every morning with breakfast growing up (eggs, bacon, toast, coffee or milk).
Our politics wouldn't perfectly align, but I respect the man because he truly believed what he felt was right.
His "God Made a Farmer" chokes me up anytime I see or hear it.
It perfectly describes my maternal grandfather and uncle, both of em salt of the earth fellas I'd bet my life on.
An Iowa farmer feeds 550 - 600 people per year.
I'm proud of that.
The farmers of America, and Iowa, appreciate your support.
BTW, FWIW, the Trump multi-billion $ pay outs to farmers amounted to $ .01 / bushel to Iowa corn farmers. Thanks for your votes farmers !
Some of the checks were for less than $ 20. Thanks for lunch / the bail out !
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Post by The Captain on Jul 16, 2019 11:28:23 GMT -5
Love corn! My current method of cooking it is shucked on the grill, getting a little char on it, then putting lime juice, chili powder, and a tiny amount of cheese (prefer cotija, but parmesan will do in a pinch). And really, Confessor, I know you foreigners are different, but corn on pizza? That's just wrong on so many levels. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jul 16, 2019 14:40:23 GMT -5
And really, Confessor , I know you foreigners are different, but corn on pizza? That's just wrong on so many levels. No, it's not, it's actually quite good - and I'm saying that as a transplanted American. In fact, there are a number of other toppings on pizza I've only seen, or first saw, in Europe which I've come to appreciate, like sour cream (actually not that different from dipping slices of pizza in Ranch dressing, which we always did in college), sliced zucchini, prosciutto and, believe it or not, a sunny-side up egg.
As to the main topic, yep, farm-fresh corn is quite delicious. Since I grew up out in the country, and my immigrant parents were both from farming families, we always had a gigantic vegetable garden - used to love it when we would pick the corn and roast it over a fire. We also roasted/baked potatoes in the coals.
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Post by Rob Allen on Jul 16, 2019 15:41:16 GMT -5
My Japanese neighbors used to shuck corn and baste it with soy sauce while grilling it. Sweet and salty go together well!
What about the eternal question - white corn or yellow corn? I prefer white; my wife likes yellow.
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