Can I just say I love corn? Oh, I know it really has minimal nutritional value. And, let’s not talk about how “well” it’s digested! Ugh… I’ve recently branched into some pretty amazing tasting corn dishes and, quite frankly, I could eat it every day. No “plain old corn” for me again!
Growing up and living near Wisconsin farmland (I’m a city kid, by the way), the first sign of summer is always a corn stand on the side of the road. Wisconsinites, and Iowans, and Illinoisians (or whatever you call them), pretty much live and die by the old saying, “Knee high by the Fourth of July”, which translated means there will be a good crop if it’s at least as tall as an adult’s knee by July 4th. Reality is, with today’s crops it’s often much taller than that by July and already showing up at farm markets.
While I’m not a farmer, I do watch the cornfields for my own eventual consumption. But, reality is there are a lot of farm animals that rely on corn and corn products for their feed. This year (2019), we had a terrible spring here in Wisconsin with an exceptional amount of rain and flooding. So many fields were delayed in planting, or worse, didn’t get planted at all. It’s been devastating to many farmers as they struggle with sky high feed prices, thanks to Mother Nature. So sad.
Anyway, I’m not like some folks…I don’t buy corn by the case (or silo!!). I do, however, buy it by the dozen or two at a crack. It’s cut off the cob not only because it freezes easily that way without special treatment, but because I currently have braces. I think you can imagine what that would be like…eating corn on the cob with braces…not pretty and pretty much impossible!
Stocking the Freezer
Never one to let a season of fresh veg go by, I’m currently in freezer stock-up mode to take us well through winter. Freezing is the easiest method. I simply slice the kernels off the cob, and put them into quart-sized freezer zip bags. Flatten the bag while pressing the air out, zip shut and lay flat in the freezer. That’s it; super simple. Then, when we want a fresh batch of corn I pull it from the freezer and prepare it like it’s fresh off the cob.
Here’s a favorite we just love. A gal I work with told me a bit about this method, so I thought I’d give it a shot. So simple and yet so flavorful. It really enhances, doesn’t disguise, the delicious delight of fresh sweet corn. Enjoy!
Corn Saute
Ingredients
- 2 C fresh sweet corn cut from the cob
- 4 T butter
- 1/4 C milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn. Saute' 1-2 minutes, then spread out on bottom of skillet. Reduce heat to medium, and let corn cook slowly for 2-3 minutes or until the corn starts to brown a bit. Reduce heat to low. Add milk and sugar, and stir. Let corn simmer until milk is absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
