am i the only one disappointed in this year’s local corn. i got some several weeks ago drumlin farm (at the union square farmers market), which was great. but once drumlin’s was gone, i’ve been disappointed at what i got from kimball’s (usually very reliable. but this year the kernels were undeveloped and flavorless).
same for what i got at the west newton trader joe’s. market basket’s, on the other hand, was chewy and very starchy.
Effects of this summer’s drought have been noticeable. Though I have had better luck overall, I agree that it’s not a banner year for corn here in Massachusetts. Smaller ears and smaller kernels. On the other hand, the corn I have gotten has been adequately sweet and tender.
FYI, the corn I received from my CSA was sourced from New Hampshire. I have been supplementing that with ears I buy from a farmstand down the road. That corn mostly comes from Western Massachusetts.
Corn from Wilson Farm has been sweet and juicy. I’ve mainly had it raw in salads!
I purchase corn locally from a veggie stand.
Many years ago my sister said to fill a pot with water, add about 1/2 cup or more of sugar, bring it to a boil, add the corn, then bring to a boil again. Then shut off the burner and time it for 10 minutes.
I don’t know whether the sugar helps, but the corn sure tastes good.
Then I have a midnight snack of cold corn with a little salt. I have a hunch some of the sugared water seeps around the corn and into the cob, but I’ve never had a bad batch since.
Corn from Farmer Dave’s stand on East Street in Tewksbury was very good when I bought it about a month ago. Decent size, sweet kernels of corn. Haven’t been back since then, so no idea if it’s still available (I’m assuming not).
We were just talking about corn tonight. We have been out of town for August, so missed the local corn peak season and were talking about going to Wilsons to see what they still had. Good to know it was as good as can be expected this year!
my mother always added a pinch of sugar and splash of milk, a tradition i’ve followed. but, 1/2+ cup sugar seems a bit excessive — particularly since i live alone and rarely cook more than 2 ears at a time. — although i’m sure it would taste great.
I assumed that the corn crop wasn’t as good since usually corn is 4-5/$1 at peak, and the best I’ve seen is 2/$1.
While boiling or microwaving are the quickest, I’m still a fan of wetting unshucked corn (open it up by the tassels and run some water in there), wrapping it in aluminum foil (I can usually get 2 ears in one piece of foil), and sticking it in the oven at 400°F for an hour (along side what else I’m cooking – I don’t fire up the oven for an ear or two of corn). The corn comes out more complex with a caramelized note that you just don’t get from boiling.
I know a similar effect (even more pronounced) can be done on a grill but I don’t currently have one.
Yeah, it hasn’t been an amazing year, but the corn I’ve gotten at Wagon Wheel Farm in Lexington, from Cucubrit Farm and Busa Farm, has definitely been worth eating. I haven’t had any end-of-season ears yet, though.
We had some corn from Wilson’s farm earlier in the season that was nice. I’ve been using a technique I saw a chef do online. Trim the hanging pieces of leaves on the outside, roast in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. No water, nothing. The silk comes off easier, and, since my wife loves fresh corn, but not on the cob as much, I trim it off into a bowl, add butter, salt, and pepper, and we’re ready to go. It doesn’t get the caramelization you’d get from 400 for an hour, but it has a much more pronounced corn flavor than boiling. I don’t like microwaves, and don’t own one. I think roasting and grilling corn are superior methods, since boiling it sucks so much flavor out into the water.
interesting. this is the thing about shucking corn that I hate the most!
the corn water does make a nice stock for other uses, though!
thanks for sharing. look forward to trying this.
Just cut the cob off an inch or so on the silk end and then husk. It’s so much easier to husk this way, and you’ll need to cut the end off anyway if you use those corn holders, so this solves two problems.
The best corn we’ve had all season was from Wegmans. Not very good luck at farm stands.
CocoDan
Thank you, this is life-changing for me. Did this with two cobs of late-season corn and it was both unbelievably easy (it was as though the silk wasn’t there) and completely delicious. I will never go back to the old method.
Yeah, I don’t ever see myself boiling water for corn again either. Glad to have helped!
just tried this and it is a game changer. no more shucking and boiling for me!