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How To Choose Corn - How To Cook Corn - History of Corn
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Check out Linda's favorite
Corn Recipes.
How To Boil Corn On The Cob
How To Grill Corn On The Cob
In American regional cooking, corn is important in many recipes, such as corn chowder, creamed corn,
succotash, and cornbread. But no preparation can come close to the
timeless appeal of simple buttered corn on the cob. All over the
Midwest and Great Plains, small towns celebrate the harvest with
sweet corn festivals. Settlers adapted the Indian style of roasting
corn with the husks removed, and to this day, street vendors around
the world sell husked corn.
In Iowa, the heart of the Corn Belt, almost half of all cultivated land is devoted to corn, making it first in the
nation for corn production. Corn is the largest crop in the United States,
in terms of acres planted and the value of the crop produced. It is also the
most widely distributed crop in the world.
In Native American usage, the word for corn
means "our life," or "our mother," or "she who sustains us." It was the
cultivation of corn that turned Native American tribes from nomadic to
agrarian communities.
It was from the Native Americans that the first European settlers learned about corn. Native Americans had spent
hundreds of years developing what we now know as corn from seed-bearing
grass. Long before Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492, Native
Americans were cultivating this grass in North, Central, and South America.
Native American farmers in the Ohio River Valley had been growing corn for
more than 1,700 years before the first white men crossed the Appalachian
Mountains, and there is evidence that they used corn to brew beer before
Europeans arrived in the Americas.
The Pawtuxet Indian tribe in Massachusetts was cultivating corn when the first settler arrived, and corn was on the first
Thanksgiving table in 1621. If it had not been for corn, the Pilgrims of
Plymouth Colony might have starved to death during their first year in
America. The Indians taught settlers how to grown corn, pound corn into
meal, and how to cook with it. The words of Governor William Bradford, first
governor of the Plymouth Colony, now inscribed on a brass plaque at Truto
(Corn Hill) on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, reflect the settler's gratitude:
"And sure it was God's good providence that we found this corne for we know
not how else we should have done."
Fully ripe sweet corn has bright green, moist husks. The silk should be
stiff, dark and moist. You should be able to feel individual kernels
by pressing gently against the husk. As soon as corn is picked, its sugar
begins is gradual conversion to starch, which reduces the corn's natural
sweetness. Corn will lose 25% or more of its sugar within 25 hours after
harvesting it. Fresh corn, if possible, should be cooked and served the day it is picked or purchased. Between purchasing and cooking, keep the
corn moist and cool. Pack in a cooler for the trip home from farm or
market and refrigerate corn immediately after taking it home. By
refrigerating the corn it helps the corn stay sweet by not letting the
sugars turn to starch. If for some reason corn is not being used immediately or
has been purchased from the supermarket, add sugar to replace that which
has been lost. Add one teaspoon sugar for each quart of water. Use within 2 or 3 days.
One medium ear of corn = about 3/4 cup of corn kernels
Two medium ears of corn = 1 cup corn kernels One (10-ounce)
package frozen corn kernels = 1 3/4 cups corn kernels
IN WATER: Choose a pot large enough to hold the amount of corn you want to cook,
with room for water to cover the corn. Cover pot and bring water to a boil on high heat. Add husked corn ears and continue to cook on high
heat (covered or not) three to four minutes or until kernels are very hot.
Grandma Myers' Corn Tip - Put a pot of water on the stove, and while it comes to a boil, pick your corn and husk it. Drop the corn into
the boiling water, when the water starts to boil again, remove the corn. IT'S DONE!
Jeffrey Coles' Corn Tip - I learned this from an Indian man in Copper Canyon, Mexico. Leave the
husk on when you boil corn on the cob. As soon as the water boils, turn the heat off. The husk holds the flavor (vitamins and minerals) in. Not
overcooking helps, too. Serve ASAP, but you can keep the corn in warm water for a while. Remove the husk only when serving.
TIP: If you're having a party, borrow this trick from markets in Mexico. Vendors selling ears of corn for
snacks keep them ready and waiting for several hours in tubs of lukewarm
water. Instead of butter, ears are rubbed with lime wedges and sprinkled
with salt. This nonfat alternative is very good.
If you want the husk to stay snugly
against the ear, pull off one or two of the outer husk layers, tear
length wide into thin strips, and tie them around ear in several places.
Just before cooking, immerse the ears in cool water (this keeps husks
from burning). Just as soon as the husk picks up the dark silhouette of
the corn kernels underneath and begins to pull away from the tip of the
ear, the corn is ready to remove from the grill.
TO GRILL:
Check out
How To Grill Corn On The Cob:
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Corn cooked this way is steamed and does not taste very different from
boiled corn. It is handy to serve in the husk because you can season or
butter the corn before it is cooked. To prepare, pull husk back from each ear
of corn, but leave attached at base of cob. Pull off and discard silk;
trim off any insect damage, and rinse ears. If you want to butter them
pat ears dry and rub with soft butter. Pull husks back up around corn.