Thursday, August 27, 2009

Corn On The Cob

Tuesday was corn day at the Ken and Walt household. We planted sweet corn in our garden for the first time this past spring, and we actually got some corn. Edible corn. And I'm tellin' ya... It was some kinda good!

The raw ears before I finished shucking them.

The seeds came from the US -- Ken brought them back from his trip last February. There was one packet of white corn and one packet of yellow corn. About two thirds of the seeds actually came up and I was happy about that.

Raw corn on the cob, ready for boiling!

This week I decided that it was time to harvest a couple of the biggest ears. Last week, I pulled back the husk on one and tested a kernel. I read that if you pierce a kernel, and the liquid is milky, the cob is ready to harvest. Last week it wasn't ready. But this week things looked good.

The cooked corn, ready for butter, salt, and pepper.

I picked the two biggest ears. I shucked them and they looked wonderful. So we cooked them in boiling water and had them as an appetizer before lunch on Tuesday. Man, were they delicious! I'm hoping that the remaining ears will be as good!

And here's what's left. It was delicious!

There are a few more large ears waiting to be picked. Unfortunately, we have a bunch of smaller ears out there. We will see whether they get bigger or not. Even if they don't get bigger, there may be some good corn on them. We shall see.

All in all, I'm encouraged and will get some more seeds for next year. There's nothing like fresh-from-the-stalk corn-on-the-cob in August!

19 comments:

  1. Walt, that corn is making my mouth water! I've been able to get corn at the market this year, so I'm not desperate.
    Ellen

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  2. We've had as much as we could eat for a few weeks now...after reading this, I won't take it so much for granted.

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  3. I miss the good sweet corn we could get in the U.S. It was part of so many summer barbeques. Here in Aberdeen the stuff that comes shrink wrapped is old and starchy and terrible, not even suitable for the pigs in my opinion.

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  4. I have been waiting for these photos and I am not disappointed.
    I am so happy for you!

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  5. COTB is on of my all time favorite foods, next to mashed potatoes and stuffing. AND, it's not fattening (unless you smear it in butter, which I do...sigh)

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  6. i am impressed....corn from seed that actually worked! U can microwave corn instead of having to boil big pot of water & it tastes much fresher....just cut a little off both ends & take off some husk....micro about a minute or 2/ear

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  7. I am impressed that you grew such beautiful corn. enjoy!

    We walked into a restaurant in France and asked what was that great smell coming from the kitchen. Corn, said the waiter. So we ordered it, and what we got was a 2" section of corn on the cob that had been boiled for a looong time.

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  8. When I was a child we lived in the country. We would take off on horseback and stay gone all day. If we got hungry we would eat whatever we could find such as grapes, almonds, pomegranites, and corn raw right off the stalks.

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  9. I just found some internet connection!
    Home grown sweet corn is one of life's greatest pleasures, like home grown tomatoes.
    I suppose there is not much call for corn in France?

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  10. Nice plate.

    I've taken to grilling mine on the BBQ...just until it's a bit browned. Oh boy......

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  11. I love corn on the cob, but absolutely MUST brush my teeth and floss IMMEDIATELY afterward. :-)

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  12. Épluchette de blé dinde! And ever since I had it with mayo and fresh parmesan, I can't go back to butter and salt.

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  13. In my lifetime...
    I want to soend an afternoon with youn & your guy!

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  14. Finally, the corn! Like Nadege, I've been waiting!

    Now... are you of the salted-water or sugared-water way of thinking? And... quickly cooked, or...? I like sugar in the water, and 3 minutes of cooking. Some people do 10, but I think it's totally unnecessary :)) What about you!?

    I liked the plate, too!

    Judy

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  15. ellen, we're not going to have much, but we've already enjoyed corn with two meals.

    bill, fresh corn is something we miss in summer. There's a lot of feed corn grown here, but very little sweet.

    keir, I know what you mean. The shrink-wrapped corn we sometimes see here doesn't look all that appetizing.

    nadege, we're happy, too!

    sean, try it with olive oil, yum.

    melinda, I've done that!

    carolyn, sometimes it's better just to stick to the local stuff, eh? ;)

    kendall, that sounds fun.

    urspo, they eat it in salads a little. And you can buy it in cans (which we do). But on the cob is rare.

    alewis, I used to do that, too. Very tasty that way.

    mark, oh yes, me too!

    tornwordo, I've never heard of eating it that way. Sounds like it's worth a try!

    stephen, c'mon over! :)

    judy, I do salted water for about 8 to 10 minutes. I like my vegetables cooked! Except for fresh tomatoes...

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  16. How impressive! Isn't it funny how the use of corn differs in France and the USA? I think about the only place I've ever seen it served here (other than in my own cooking) is tossed into summer salads. (Canned corn, of course.)

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  17. tornwordo intrigues me... corn on the cob with mayo and parmesan? Gotta try it.

    Have had a lot of COTC lately from local produce market. Nothing yummier!

    My mom used to add milk to the boiling water when cooking corn. Iam now a microwave convert. Fast and easy.

    Bonnes vacances!

    VW: tingsai --sounds like a kind of tea!

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  18. betty, exactly!

    cheryl, why milk? We used the micro sometimes, too, back in SF, when we didn't grill the corn.

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  19. w... why milk? je ne sais pas. I will ask her on Sunday.

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