Golden Cornucopia
One of life’s truisms—and in these crazy times truisms are as scarce as unicorns—is that you don’t miss something until it’s no longer available. I’ve lived outside of New Jersey before and was mostly prepared for the food deprivations I would face. Good bagels in the universe only exist between Toms River and just north of New York City. Pizza exists outside this area, but like the bagels, it mostly sucks. Pork roll/Taylor ham or scrapple is as rare as ethics in government. What really surprised me, though, is how bad the corn is outside the Garden State.
Those states in the corn belt must be putting it into ethanol and high fructose corn syrup because most of it doesn’t have that desirable sweetness that Jersey corn is known for. When we are talking about Jersey corn, we are mainly referring to Silver Queen hybrids and its offshoots.
The plump white kernels burst with sugar that is resistant to converting into starches after harvesting. This is what makes silver queen a great eating corn, and a favorite of chefs and hungry people everywhere.
Corn has literally evolved over the millennia. Its ancestry.com report dates its oldest known relative back 9,000 years to a Mexican wild grass varietal know as teosinte. This ancient grass was transformed through selective breeding concentrating on larger kernels and cob sizes until it slowly became the husky cobs we know and love today.
Corn has become a worldwide crop grown on every continent save Antarctica, and the penguins don’t know what they are missing. Corn has many uses besides being a culinary delicacy. Most varieties grown are destined for end uses that don’t involve butter and the dinner table. Different varieties are better for some uses than others. I’ve always wondered if scientists tried exploding other foods or did their experiments begin and end with popcorn? Corn uses include oil, starches, fiber, and we can’t forget whiskey. Its high concentration of sugars makes it the cornerstone of the American Bourbon industry.
Native American tribes consider corn foundational to their diet and survival. Corn along with beans and squash are called the Three Sisters by many indigenous peoples because the trio of plants share a symbiotic cultivation relationship. Without the aid of these tribes and their knowledge of how to raise corn, most British colonies would have become historical footnotes rather than the foundation of our nation.
Corn’s value to early colonists was enhanced by the early Industrial Revolution as grist mills sprung up wherever there was a stream or river. Corn in British parlance refers to any grain including wheat and barley. Cornmeal and hominy were the major uses as well as feed for livestock, as well as in cornbread, cornmeal mush (essentially polenta without the Italian accent) and grits. Corn bread and muffins are still staples in New England and southern cuisines.
Most of us in the modern age consume corn in kernel form or savagely straight off the cob. There are multiple ways to cook corn. On the cob I actually prefer roasting to boiling. Roasting can be done without initially shucking the corn. Much of my childhood was consumed as unpaid labor, shucking corn in the hot sun for my parents, relatives and friends. Roasting also yields a sweeter end product.
One of my favorite Jersey foods combos is ironically not that popular in New Jersey: the blueberry corn muffin: sweet berries blended with corn’s savory earthiness, yielding a breakfast muffin that should be more popular. In the summer both items dominate Jersey farm stands.
Another favorite creative outlet for corn is as a soup sauce. Here the corn, usually a supporting player, takes a more starring role. Sweet corn puréed with cream and butter is a great accompaniment to local seafood, especially scallops and tile fish.
This month hunt down Jersey corn products for these delicious recipes. Blueberry corn muffins, corn bisque, scallops with sweet corn purée, corn bruschetta, and sweet corn pudding—an excellent side dish for grilled steaks. Have fun stalking the markets for corn.
Recipes from this issue
