Hayley Swinney with Gypsy Rows Co. farm serves hot buttered corn at area farmers markets when it’s in season. Here’s her method:
“I use two pots, one at boiling and one just under boiling. The second pot is just to hold it and keep it warm until it’s time to eat. If the corn is chewy or gross to begin with, salting or sugaring the water won’t change that.
Boil the corn for two to six minutes; three is perfect. You don’t want to cook it, necessarily, just heat it up. They’ll float normally, sink when they’re overdone. Yellows should brighten when it’s just right; whites gets shiny; both look dull when overcooked. Salt, spice and butter to taste.”
Microwaved corn two ways
Ma’s microwaved sweet corn
“Microwaved corn is the best,” said Yvonne Wright, Darren Wright’s mother and a regular volunteer for Gypsy Rows Co. farm of Silvana. “Why waste time and energy heating a big pot of water just so you can cook the living daylights out of the perfect ear of corn? My way is easier and the corn tastes the way the Lord made it.”
Directions: Buy or swipe corn from Gypsy Rows. Remove husks, feed to neighbor’s sheep. Wrap corn in plastic wrap. Microwave corn on high — one ear for 3 minutes, two ears for 4 minutes, three ears for 7 minutes.
Let stand five minutes after microwave cooking (corn continues to cook); wrap it in a dish towel if you’re trying to keep it hot for a longer period. Remove plastic wrap, insert big nails into the ends and roll hot corn over a cube of butter. Enjoy!
Notes: Butter is essential, no margarine. Salt is optional. Keep your butter in a small, shallow bowl. Refrigerate after use to harden it, then use it again for tomorrow’s corn. Don’t waste your money on fancy corn holders; big nails work the best.
This recipe is courtesy of “Mom’s Guide to No-Sweat Cooking” by Yvonne Rux-Wright, who said: “That would be me, the farmers’ mother. No rights reserved; copy and distribute at will.”
Sister Kerry’s rebuttal
My version of microwaved corn-on-the-cob: Forget shucking ahead of time. It saves you from the leaching of the chemicals from the plastic wrap. Although I used to do it the way Mamma does, I have converted.
I like my corn crunchy, so I’d only microwave it for a maximum of 3 minutes. It has to rest, because the husks are too hot to take off immediately. Important note: When veggies are boiled, a lot of the vitamins and other goodness are boiled out into the water. Unless you plan to drink the water, nuke or steam. Steaming is best for all of us because it retains the vitamins and reduces the waiting time for “eats.”
If you don’t have neighbors nearby who own sheep, put the husks in your compost bin.
As for butter, Gypsy Rows corn needs no sweetener or other additives. Forget salt, pepper, or butter. It is perfect just the way it is. I have been seen people at the markets eating it off the raw cob. Yes, I said raw. It is so good that it doesn’t need to be cooked or seasoned. I encourage everyone to try it raw with no additives. You will become a big fan, and your body will love you for it. Truly. Just keep dental floss handy. I do.
If you’re having a barbecue, soak the corn in the husks for 5 to 10 minutes before putting them on the barbie to avoid husk fires. Grill for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning while grilling.
Deb’s famous basil butter
1cube butter
1/4teaspoon of pesto
Melt butter in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add pesto and stir. Brush onto cooked sweet corn. It’s also good on fish, oysters and grilled vegetables.
This is a favorite corn recipe from Keith Stocker at Stocker Farms in Snohomish.
“It’s a simple way to freeze corn and enjoy it throughout the year,” Stocker said. “When I want corn for dinner I tell my teenagers to go to the basement and get a vegetable from the freezer. This is what they bring up every time.”
Freezer corn
36 ears of corn
4cups half-and-half
1pound butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut corn off ears and spread it into a large roasting pan. Pour cream over corn and set the cubes of butter on top. Cover with a roaster lid. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir well. Bake another 30 minutes.
Let it cool until you can safely spoon it into quart-size plastic zipper-close bags. Freeze.
When you’re ready to eat some, take a package from the freezer, run some warm water over it, remove the corn mixture from the bag and heat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Each bag should serve a family of four.
This recipe comes from Culinary Communion, a Seattle-based cooking school. We found it on Puget Sound Fresh, an online guide to locally produced farm products at www.pugetsoundfresh.com.
Corn, goat cheese and arugula risotto
8cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper
3tablespoons butter
1/2cup minced shallot
5cloves garlic, minced
2cups Carnaroli rice
4sprigs thyme, leaves only, minced
10 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced
1/2cup corn kernels, fresh or defrosted
2tablespoons white wine
1/2cup goat cheese
1cup arugula, minced
1teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
In a medium saucepot, heat the stock to a boil. Season aggressively with salt and pepper.
In a large saucepot, heat the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallot and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and saute for three minutes (parching).
Increase the heat to high on the rice pot and add 2 cups hot stock. Stir constantly until liquid is absorbed and you can see the bottom of the pot with every stir. Add the thyme.
Add another 2 cups hot stock along with the shitakes and corn. Cook as above until the liquid is gone.
Add another 2 cups hot stock and the wine, and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. When the liquid is gone, taste the risotto. The rice should be fully cooked but still have some texture. If it is underdone, add a little more hot stock until the rice is cooked. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and arugula. Drizzle with truffle oil.
Serves 6.
This recipe, a hit at children’s dinner parties in October, comes from Bonnie Remlinger of Remlinger Farms in Carnation.
Find this and more recipes at www.pugetsoundfresh.com.
Summer in a pumpkin
1pumpkin, 10-12 inches in diameter
1teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon pepper
1/4teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2pounds pork or beef sausage
1onion, chopped
1/2teaspoon rosemary
1cup raw rice
210.5-ounce cans chicken broth
110-ounce package frozen lima beans or frozen peas
110-ounce package frozen corn
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off the pumpkin; scoop out seeds and season the pulp with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Brown sausage. Drain. Add onion and rosemary and saute.
Cook rice in chicken broth according to directions. Combine all the ingredients, including the lima beans and corn, and stuff the mixture into the pumpkin.
Replace the pumpkin top and place it on rack in a roasting pan with an inch of water. Cover and let steam for 1 hours.
Spoon out cooked walls of the pumpkin as you serve the stew.
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