It’s late August and although the local populace is sensing a change in the air, the produce tables haven’t lost a beat. The melons are at their thumping best, the beans are snappy and the corn is piled high.
In fact, this year’s corn crop is as sweet as I’ve ever remembered…whether all white or bi-colored. Don’t know why…in this year when the weather gods have seemed a bit out of sorts, maybe corn was their way of making it up to us.
Speaking of corn colors…I’m old enough to remember when all the corn we ate was yellow…just yellow. And maybe a bit chewier. Silver Queen was still just a rumor. But corn actually didn’t start out that way. The local stuff the pilgrims ate was most likely the multicolored variety that we modern folk call “décor.” Turns out, that decor kept those pilgrims from starvation!…and all those colors likely had something to do with that. Fact is that the color in those kernels has less to do with sweetness, and more with nutrition. Without getting too nerdy, all those colors may indicate the level of specific vitamins and nutrients available in that particular kernel. And it just may turn out that blue and purple beat out yellow and white in a food value competition. Could it be that those purple taco chips are actually good for us???
Anyway…after all these millennia, scientists are still trying to figure it all out, so I’ll let them do what they do, and just post this link in case you want to dive deeper. Read all you want…they’ll make more.
Fact for free: The yellow color comes from beta-carotene, giving it a slight nutritional edge over white.
The corn we eat in 2022 has come a far piece from where it began…in fact, there’s evidence that it first appeared as a tall grass, and gleaned as a grain, much like today’s wheat or oats. Some argue that its beginnings were in Turkey, or Africa. Others that it was born in the Caribbean and those savvy Spanish explorers did the work of spreading the goods around the globe. However it worked, as farmers began tinkering, as farmers are wont to do, it began evolving and, in the blink of an eon, morphed into what we recognize today as Corn on the Cob. Hit the link and see for yourself.
But back to the great 21st century debate…white or yellow? Aww…shucks! (see what I did there?), we’ll never all agree, so can we just admit that both are delicious? The trick is getting that ear picked, shucked and to the table in as little time as possible…because every minute between dirt and dinner means more of that sweet bursting sugar is turning to chewy starch. For an easy-to-read lesson on what makes corn sweet and what’s with all that messy corn silk, go here. That’s what I did.
Here’s the real debate: Does one chomp that cob lengthwise back and forth, in typewriter fashion? Or round and round top to bottom? How ‘bout you?
BTW: As full disclosure, yours truly did try to freeze corn still on the cob. It was not a success. If anyone has the secret formula, there’s a market buck waiting for you at the manager’s tent. I’m all ears! Get it? Somebody stop me!
In the Artist’s Tent: Designs by Nature
Let there be music! This week only…Lansdowne’s own Mansfield Brass.
Don’t forget…this week is Community Day! Come see what your entrepreneurial neighbors are up to. They need your interest and input to keep them motivated.
If you’ve read this far, thank you!, but don’t go before reading the rest of the LEDC newsletter, the LANSDOWNE LINK, for a full list of this week’s vendors, and updates on events and opportunities in Lansdowne. Also a good idea to check our FB page for any last minute updates.
Come find me in my …wait for it…corn-er!!!!
Terry Baraldi