What's In Season: Sweet Corn

When I was a kid, my father always served corn to the family because he loved it! Most of the time, we ate frozen corn, but in the summer we enjoyed fresh corn on the cob. Now that I live in Indiana, my husband and family buy fresh sweet corn from the Amish kids that bring their wagon down to the lake house community where my in-laws live. The sweet corn is always the best in August and coming from a local garden from the Amish or friends, seems to make it taste that much sweeter!

This weekend, I was cooking lunch with my friend, Betsy. She has an amazing garden that her family enjoys and helps tend all summer. Betsy brought some lettuce and corn from her garden and veggies from her Farmer's Market that we made into a fresh green salad, corn, and edamame lunch feast! She shucked the corn and started to prepare as she does at home and I thought I'd share some of these tips with you.

As I write this post, I just received my weekly organic produce delivery and I got 4 MORE ears of sweet corn so it looks like I will be cooking them in the next few days!

Betsy's tips for cooking fresh corn:

• Start with cold water, tall enough to cover the corn. Place cleaned ears of corn in the water and bring to a boil in a covered large pot.
• Add a bit of sugar to the water as it warms.
  
• Gently place 2 table knives across the top of the ears of corn to keep the corn submerged in the water.
  
• Reduce the water to a high-simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Drain the corn in a colander.
  
• Lightly coat the corn with a bit of butter and sprinkle a small amount of salt.
• Enjoy right away or cut off the cob and freeze for another time of the year.
  

Here's a couple of my favorite healthy corn recipes:

• Roasted Fresh Corn, Poblano, and Cheese Pizza (vegetarian) - I made this a couple summers ago and we really liked it! You can serve it up with light sour cream and a green salad on the side.
• Sweet Pea Risotto with Corn Broth - I made this earlier this spring when I got fresh peas and I used frozen corn at the time. It's really tasty. You can serve as a side dish or main course. It would be fantastic with fresh peas.