Corny Times

by Jennifer Bowles

August is upon us and our bountiful crops of juicy local corn are at their peak of sweetness and ready for your table! With each and every bite, soft kernels burst and pop into your mouth delivering that quintessential taste of pure summer.  Like a typewriter, you move from one side of the cob to the other and then back, savouring the rich, creamy, buttery taste that drips into your palm and down your wrist. You nearly forget about that steak on your plate and instead continue to relish the experience until your cob resembles an empty honey comb. Nothing says perfection better than that!

If you’re not already familiar with a publication called Island Farm Fresh, I would get familiar with it. It’s available at most local farmers markets. Island Farm Fresh is a publication that promotes and supports our incredible, hard working island farmers. This little magazine is a wealth of information about what’s in season, where to go, our local farmers, tips and guides, maps to the farms and so much more!

Visit www.islandfarmfresh.com and you will find a product list and list of farms that sell that product (i.e. farms that sell blueberries). Go to 
islandfarmfresh.com/product_front.htm and then click on your product of choice – that will take you to a list of farms that sell that product.

Island Farm Fresh also has a list of seasonal products available so you can plan ahead. Now, there is no excuse not to buy local and eat local: it’s so simple, and the product blows the imported goods out of the water!

Here are a few Tips and Tricks about our friend corn that everyone should follow to ensure they get the maximum flavour and most succulent, delectable cob yet! Now, lend me your ear; (I know, corny ... forgive me, I couldn’t resist).

1) DO NOT peel your corn until you are ready to eat it. This actually greatly reduces the sweetness of the kernel. You always see people in the grocery store whipping the husks off the cobs to check and see if the corn is ripe. You don’t have to do that. Simply puncture one of the kernels with your finger and look for a milky white sap that will ooze out … if it does that, you’re good to go. Imagine the husk to be like a long coat. Now imagine the corn to be your 15-year-old daughter on a date. The coat stays on … AT ALL TIMES.

2) If you’re boiling corn, DO NOT add salt to the water. You may think you are imparting flavour but unfortunately with corn, you are also essentially toughening the kernel. Tough corn ends up tasting like rubber and salt robs it of its moisture.

3) Corn should be stored in your fridge for no more than a couple of days. It’s one of those veggies that puts on its best show as soon as you bring it home. As each day passes, picked corn starts to lose its crispness and juicy texture. So, best to buy it the day of.

4) Grilling corn is much easier than you think. Just peel the husk back, do not remove completely, and soak the corn in water for 15 minutes. Then pull the husk back on and tie them back up at the top with some wire or a metal twist tie. Now grill them for about 15 minutes on a hot grill. The water from the corn will mull around inside the husk and steam the corn to pure perfection!

5) Corn packs a serious punch in the nutritional world too, with fibre, niacin, folate and some vitamin A. One average ear runs about 85 calories (without butter).

So there you have it! A few tips and tricks for a fabulous corn on the cob every time!

Any questions? Recipe ideas? E-mail me at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .