Powell: There's something about sweet corn

What is there about home grown sweet corn that we relish?

Is it the sweetness of the plump kernels or the memory of the butter dripping down our chins? Then, there are some people who say picking an ear of corn in the field, stripping it of the leaves and silk and chomping the raw kernels is a seasonal treat they look forward to.

No matter how you cook it or enjoy it, sweet corn is plentiful this season. Even though we grumbled about the erratic local weather, the sweet corn crop was ready on time for picking and for consumers to head for the roadside stands and the farmers’ markets.

Rain or shine, hot or chilly, going to a roadside market is more than filling a bag with corn and other produce. Many of the farms represent several family generations who are dedicated to sustaining reputations for quality produce their forbearers established.

Eric Sadowski of Sadowski’s Produce on Airport Highway is among the farmers who report it’s a good year for sweet corn and other local produce. The Sadowski farm has been in the same family four generations. Eric explains that early corn usually means smaller ears and that the largest ears are in August.

Eric enjoys eating the corn as well as selling it. His favorite method is to bring the water to a boil before adding the corn and letting it cook for seven minutes.

Sandy Strain at Tom Strain and Sons and Daughter Too, describes the sweet corn she sells at the market on Hill Avenue as “very sweet, crunchy, and long ears.”

With these high qualities, she says, skip cooking the early corn and eat it raw off the cob. Five generations of the Strain family have been in the farm produce business.

Keil’s Produce and Greenhouse on Airport, like most local produce outlets, is open through October with a variety of vegetables.

In my family, my mother’s corn relish was often on the table and was one of the canned goods she enjoyed giving to friends. In my research for a recipe similar to hers and for other ways to prepare this season’s corn, I leafed through several cookbooks.

Native American Cooking , by Lois Ellen Frank, reminds the reader of how valuable corn is to Native Americans.

One way Native Americans prepare corn is overnight in an underground pit.

Here’s how. Dig a hole three feet deep and four feet wide. Line the pit with rocks. Add dry wood, usually cottonwood because it gives the most heat. Burn wood until it is down to burning embers. Place a layer of green corn husks on the embers, then a layer of fresh corn ears still in their husk. Top with another layer of green husks. The pit will hold about 30 ears of corn. Pour two buckets of water into the pit and cover with burlap and then cover with canvas. Cover the canvas with a layer of dirt.

Bake overnight. The corn is then ready to eat, shuck, and freeze or dry.

Or you can save time, materials, and the mess by putting it in the microwave and cooking the corn in the husk.

Here is how. Place the ear of corn (do not remove the husk) in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes. Add 2 minutes for each additional ear of corn. Carefully remove the corn from the microwave (it’s hot). Cut the stem end off and pull out the cooked corn, free of husk and silk. It is like magic.