Corn corn corn. The best kept food secret in the world.
What's the best way to cook corn?
1. Fill pot with water.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Go out and pick the corn.
4. Husk it.
5. Put it in the pot.
6. When water returns to boil, wait one minute.
7. Remove from pot.
8. Count to ten slowly, observe the steam and begin salivation.
9. Ok, you can eat it now.
In Vermont corn is practically a cult. Each variety has a name -- silver queen, montauk, providence, honey select -- with a distinctive taste and look, each savored by afficionados. Everyone has their own perfect way of cooking it, which all vary by several seconds but basically follow the recipe above. There are treatises on how to store it after picking: shade, sun, room temperature, refrigerated - unwrapped or wrapped in paper or plastic? OMG... Freshness is everything. Never buy corn that wasn't picked the day you buy it. There are dozens of studies and theories as to how much sugar (ie, flavor)is lost overnight, with the consensus being about 50%. Which is irrelevant since CORN IS ALWAYS EATEN THE DAY IT IS PICKED. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Day-old corn is no longer considered corn because IT HAS NO TASTE.
In central Vermont, in the Lake Dunmore region near Middlebury, even though everyone and their brother sells corn, there is only one grower who consistently has perfect corn every time: Wayne Kingsley on Route 53, just north of the junction with Route 73 in Forest Dale. What sets Wayne apart is that he loves the food he grows and sells. He farms like a craftsman, using just the right fertilizer, just the right plot, planting on just the right days to sequence the different varieties so that every 3 or 4 days another type comes in, so you are always getting to taste different ones. His Providence corn had so much flavor that it made my mouth hurt.
He also grows tomatoes, cukes, squash, beets, beans, all the rest, and his chosen blueberry supplier is also the best. As are his peaches.
I have learned about the orgasmic joy of the natural taste of perfectly grown food from Kingsley's Farm Stand. Long may it reign. Who needs friends when there's corn? read more