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Main Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: Kingcreek on July 25, 2020, 03:03:16 PM

Title: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on July 25, 2020, 03:03:16 PM
Bought the years first sweet corn from a nearby roadside seller. He puts a hayrack out by the highway everyday and sells it on the “honor system” where you leave $4 per dozen in a coffee can and make change if needed from it. He collects the cash pretty regularly and he added a camera last year but he said he has only had a couple minor thefts.
I’ll be roasting it on the grill tonight alongside the beef fillet.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Andiron on July 25, 2020, 06:53:56 PM
Doing almost the same thing, several states over.  Same serve yourself/honor system, first corn of the year, and a fat ribeye from a Jr. Fair steer.

Hope yours is awesome.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: charby on July 25, 2020, 09:21:58 PM
Ours started up 3 weeks ago, $7 a dozen this year, expensive.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Silver Bullet on July 25, 2020, 09:53:31 PM
Ours started later than usual.

Quote
$7 a dozen this year, expensive.

Still a bargain compared to anything else I grill.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Jim147 on July 25, 2020, 10:34:52 PM
It's been hit and miss here with the very raining spring.

I like to soak them husk on in a big turkey fryer in like the ocean salty water. They grill great and if the smoker is going with pecan wood the kids just come by a grab it and eat no butter or anything needed. They love it that way.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on July 26, 2020, 09:25:22 AM
Soaked it in a bucket of cold well water for an hour and roasted husks on which adds a smoke flavor to the steaks. It was delicious with real butter salt and pepper.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: grampster on July 26, 2020, 10:35:25 AM
I was walking through the local Family Fare last week and notice a pile of sweet corn.  They wanted $1.00 a piece for them.  It wasn't all that long ago you got a dozen ears of corn for $1.00.  I stopped putting butter and salt on an ear of sweet corn 25 years ago.  I was so surprised back then how good an ear of sweet corn is without doctoring it up.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on July 26, 2020, 11:58:18 AM
This local grower is a farmer on the highway a couple miles north of our turnoff. He plants sweetcorn in staggered plantings and a couple varieties so he has fresh corn for a few weeks. He puts a hayrack out at the end of his drive. His $4/doz was unchanged from the last 2 years which is nice. And there is no middle profit takers between the grower and my mouth.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: charby on July 26, 2020, 12:37:30 PM
This local grower is a farmer on the highway a couple miles north of our turnoff. He plants sweetcorn in staggered plantings and a couple varieties so he has fresh corn for a few weeks. He puts a hayrack out at the end of his drive. His $4/doz was unchanged from the last 2 years which is nice. And there is no middle profit takers between the grower and my mouth.

Last year it was $5 dozen direct from the growers. Local ears seem small too due to a droughty June.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on July 26, 2020, 12:37:44 PM
I deal with at least three of the local farmers, DiTomaso Farms, Musso Farms, and Vic Mauro.  Usually I go to Gary DiTomaso because he treats me like family.  Usually, Carl Musso has the first sweet corn, and he always tries for July 4th, because people will pay insane prices to have sweet corn for the 4th.  He uses an early variety that only gets about 2 1/2 feet tall before it produces, and frankly, it's not very good.

This year is different.  We were fueling up at the local Loaf 'n Jug on July 2nd and Gary DiTomaso was there.  He called me over and said "Come by tomorrow, I'll have a sack of corn for you".  He wasn't opening until the following week, so he was giving it away to friends, and probably selling a bunch to Musso Farms.  I went by the next day and he took a sack (five dozen) right off the truck and threw it in my truck.  We had some that night and it was incredible!  We had a gathering on Saturday and we cooked the rest of it.  What was left Sandy cut off the cobs and froze.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on July 26, 2020, 12:39:36 PM
Last year it was $5 dozen direct from the growers. Local ears seem small too due to a droughty June.

I can usually get it for about $12/five dozen, but I'm personal friends with several area farmers.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Silver Bullet on July 26, 2020, 01:08:07 PM
I can usually get it for about $12/five dozen, but I'm personal friends with several area farmers.

Wow, only 20 cents each.  Way cheaper than I pay at the grocery store.

I have several good corn grilling recipes, in fact I'm grilling corn today.

So are you storing 60 ears of corn in your refrigerator, or do you just leave them in a box at room temperature?
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on July 26, 2020, 02:15:38 PM
Quote
So are you storing 60 ears of corn in your refrigerator, or do you just leave them in a box at room temperature?

Just leave them in the sack in a cool place for a couple of days.  When we put corn up, I'll buy about three sacks and process them as soon as I get them home.  Steam, cut off the cob, and freeze.

I haven't grown sweet corn for several years, because I really don't care for it more than once or twice a summer.  But since there are seven of us living together now, and everybody else likes it, I think I'll put a few rows in next summer.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on July 27, 2020, 06:54:03 AM
Alton Brown did a show on sweet corn years ago in which he gave a process (from U Michigan?) that will halt corn's conversion of sugar to starch once it's picked.

Basically soaking it in an ice water bath for 15 minutes with 1 drop of lemon juice and 2 drops of bleach (per gallon) of water.

Discussion here: https://allisoncooksgoodeats.com/2015/01/09/episode-27-ear-apparent/
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on July 27, 2020, 01:55:35 PM
Alton Brown did a show on sweet corn years ago in which he gave a process (from U Michigan?) that will halt corn's conversion of sugar to starch once it's picked.

Basically soaking it in an ice water bath for 15 minutes with 1 drop of lemon juice and 2 drops of bleach (per gallon) of water.

Discussion here: https://allisoncooksgoodeats.com/2015/01/09/episode-27-ear-apparent/

If Alton Brown said it, I'll tend to believe it.  I'll have to file this one away for future use.  I thought I had seen most of the reruns of "Good Eats", but I missed that one.

Went to DiTomaso's this morning and ordered three bags of peaches and cream (just picked this morning).  It was $45, but when Gary brought it out, he gave us four bags (240 ears), and a large bunch of kohlrabi.  We just finished husking the corn and are starting to steam it.  We'll cut it off the cobs and freeze it.  Kind of a shame we don't have any cows in the pasture this year, corn cobs make a fine feed.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on July 27, 2020, 02:54:03 PM
I've never tried the Alton Brown thing. Being single I normally only buy a few ears of corn at a time. But, now that I have friends living in a fairly rural area with a really good farmer's market, I may give it a try.

Hang on to the cobs.

Dry them (or freeze them) and then throw them on the smoker. Add a REALLY nice flavor.

And, of course, dried corn cobs burn long, hot, and clean in a stove.

Growing up friends of mine had a small wood stove in their garage/workshop and they normally burned cobs in it. Throw about a dozen into the bottom of the stove, dip two or three in kerosene and throw those on top and light it off.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on July 27, 2020, 03:18:35 PM
Just got curious and looked it up...

Dried corn cobs have around 8,000 BTU per pound, which is about what the pellets I use in my pellet stove have.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Larry Ashcraft on July 27, 2020, 04:06:00 PM
Good ideas.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Jim147 on July 27, 2020, 05:26:41 PM
And there's always the outhouse.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Silver Bullet on July 28, 2020, 02:01:44 PM
I've got three terrific recipes for grilled corn on the cob, and this is my favorite, a Mexican street corn recipe.  I have to go to a Mexican grocery store to find the Mexican crema (sour cream) and cotija cheese.  I suppose you can substitute for those two items, as suggested in the recipe, but it wasn't that hard to find a Mexican grocery.  Au-then-ti-ci-ty!

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_mexican_street_corn_elotes/ (https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_mexican_street_corn_elotes/)
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on July 28, 2020, 04:01:07 PM
Make your own crema...

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/crema-recipe-1921080
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: charby on July 28, 2020, 05:32:42 PM
Other local farmers are selling, cheapest back out pickup truck parking lot price is $6 for 15 ears. Might have boil up some bologna and corn.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on July 29, 2020, 11:39:46 AM
I've got three terrific recipes for grilled corn on the cob, and this is my favorite, a Mexican street corn recipe.  I have to go to a Mexican grocery store to find the Mexican crema (sour cream) and cotija cheese.  I suppose you can substitute for those two items, as suggested in the recipe, but it wasn't that hard to find a Mexican grocery.  Au-then-ti-ci-ty!

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_mexican_street_corn_elotes/ (https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_mexican_street_corn_elotes/)
That looks awesome and there are a couple mex markets here.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on July 29, 2020, 01:42:38 PM
I shared that Mexican corn recipe with a friend of mine who's a foodie... He's going nuts over the thought of making it this weekend (he lives in an apartment and uses his parent's grill on the weekends.)
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on August 05, 2020, 09:59:56 AM
I did the Mexican grilled corn last night. It was drool worthy.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on August 05, 2020, 10:34:07 AM
Did you make your own crema or did you buy it?
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on August 05, 2020, 02:25:19 PM
Did you make your own crema or did you buy it?
Bought it this time at the local Mexican market.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Jim147 on August 05, 2020, 04:35:02 PM
I didn't have time to go to the Amish market when I got mower fuel the other day so went next door to he grocery store.

Corn looked great but taste sucked. They should have left in the field a little longer and made it into feed.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on August 06, 2020, 05:10:03 PM
At Costco today with the wife and I see “Mexican street corn” in the freezer section. Roasted and off the cob with cheese sauce and seasoning etc. 4x14oz packets for 10.69
I said hey honey look at that! She just shrugged and said, “probably not as good as yours.”
I didn’t buy any but it looked interesting.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Silver Bullet on August 06, 2020, 07:05:54 PM
My local grocer has corn on the cob five for $2.00, which comes to 40 cents apiece.  Much cheaper than I remembered.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: K Frame on August 07, 2020, 07:02:33 AM
Local grocery store here had it on sale last week for 5 ears for $1.

Problem is, it's rarely very good by the time it's picked and goes through processing and finally reaches the store.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Ben on August 07, 2020, 08:38:46 AM
I'm being inundated with sweet corn right now from neighbors dropping it off. So much better than the store, but I can't eat eat fast enough. I need to look at some of the freezing recipes before it all goes bad.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Jim147 on August 07, 2020, 09:29:06 AM
I'll ask my wife at lunch I can't remember if she blanches or what but we have some pretty good corn in the winter. Most years we have a lot but I haven't had a good ear yet this year.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Ben on August 07, 2020, 10:13:51 AM
I'll ask my wife at lunch I can't remember if she blanches or what but we have some pretty good corn in the winter. Most years we have a lot but I haven't had a good ear yet this year.

Thanks. My own corn is not looking too good. This is my first year with an Idaho garden and some stuff that I grew well in CA is not doing as well here as I adjust to growing in the climate. Corn is one of them. Also, somewhat comically as it IS Idaho, my potatoes are dinky. Onions did great, and one shining star is that my German Queen tomatoes are doing really well. I was lucky to get a few good ones off the plant in CA, even as other varieties did great, but the one I have now is going gangbusters.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Kingcreek on August 09, 2020, 01:20:00 PM
Silver Bullet, you’re a hero sir (or madam or nonbinary or whatever)
I shared your elote recipe with my sister who is a genuine foodie and frequent dinner hostess. Everyone declares it most awesome sweet corn ever.
I’m hosting a small gathering next weekend and am planning to do carne asada in the pit barrel and some elote. I think margaritas and some good Mellon and ice cream will round things out nicely.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: Silver Bullet on August 09, 2020, 01:29:36 PM
Kingcreek,

Thanks for the kind words.  I hope to prepare this same recipe next weekend.

I'm a "sir", not a "madam", as you can tell by my profile picture, where I'm standing outside my red rocket ship.   :lol:

And the real hero ("shero"? =D) is the Ms. Keno identified in the web link.  I presume from the text that this recipe is her creation.  My part in this was only the humble messenger.
Title: Re: Sweetcorn, first of the season
Post by: grampster on August 09, 2020, 05:10:48 PM
I noticed corn today at 50 cents an ear.  We've been getting some from a local farmer that has been delicious.  I don't know what he charges as our grandson has been bringing us a couple ears now and than.