Sunday, July 8, 2007

The good, the bad, and the ecstasy

One of my greatest joys about living in the US in the summer is corn. I absolutely love the stuff. Freshly picked, on the cob, husks soaked for a few minutes, then grilled until the kernels are just picking up a little colour under the husks. Peel, butter, season and it can be an amazing experience.

The good: generally, corn has changed over the past few decades. I fear some of it may be genetic modification, but some of it is good old fashioned mendelian-style cross-till-you-get-the-features-you-want breeding. It used to be that corn had to be eaten the minute you picked it, or the sugars immediately became starch and the corn became inedible. These days, there are new varietals which hold their sugar longer, and hence can be sold in the grocery store, and you can still have a good, if not stellar, food experience.

The bad: yesterday, LOML picked up four ears for dinner: as usual, I cooked them as above, and LOML, Boo and Skibo loved it. I took one bite. It was "the bad". "The ugly". "The inedible". Pure starch, nothing more. I went without.

The ecstasy: on Friday, by contrast, LOML bought some corn from a local pick-your-own fruit place (the corn was already picked), and that evening we had the most transformative corn-experience ever! It was transcendent!

And we have corn growing in the raised beds in the garden, so in a few weeks we are going to be able to experience the picked-straight-to-grill version as well.

Yours in mouth-watering anticipation,
N.

4 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Sounds utterly yummy...! Especially that you will have your own Corb, soon! Nothing like it!

It is scary and worrisome, ALL this genetically engeneered food...and that we don;'t know what is and what isn't....The long term results of these foods are really not known...I guess the only answer is, Hrow Your Own, if you can!

Here from Michele this morning and Happy to Meet & Greet you!

BreadBox said...

Even with grow-your-own there are Monsanto-worries to come: for example, how do you buy your seeds? How do you enjure that you don't get cross-contamination from (i.e. fertilization by) GM crops?
Happy to meet and greet you too!

N.

carmilevy said...

I'm suddenly very hungry, and hankering for some corn. They used to grow it in a field not five minutes from my house....right beside a major intersection! I fear that tract is about to become a strip mall, so I'll have to find corn elsewhere.

Thankfully, southwestern Ontario is farm country, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find fresh produce beside the road. Thanks for the inspiration!

I'm so glad I've e-met you through Michele's. You and your blog have such a wonderful vibe. This, after all, is how life should be lived: simply and fully.

BreadBox said...

Carmi,
Good to have met you too! I remember Southern Ontario with immense fondness --- I loved the K-W farmers markets in the mid 80's when I lived there. Best of luck finding a farmer who's just picked corn this afternoon!

N.