When I was down on the farm last Friday, Ben took me on a tour around the fields – it’s one of my favorite things about visiting. The corn was tall but weren’t showing any ears yet. Ben explained about where the ears start to form and we also talked about the difference between field corn and sweet corn. He commented that sweet corn is a bit ahead of field corn and in Iowa, there might be sweet corn already. I’m such a city girl – I love earning about farm stuff.
He was proved incredibly on the mark. As I was driving home, YA texted me that our former neighbors had dropped off some sweet corn for us; they had been visiting the grandparents in southern Iowa!
YA and I both love corn but for some reason the first sweet corn of the season is really special. We dragged the grill out of the garage on Saturday and roasted all the corn along with some veggie brats. Ate on our little patio in the backyard – it was perfect weather for the first corn lunch.
Yesterday, I used up the last of the ears. I was too impatient to drag out cookbooks and look for recipes so I just kind of made it up as I went along. This is what I made:
Corn Salsa
2 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 hot pepper, finely chopped (I used a pepper from our garden called “salsa pepper” – it was hotter than I anticipated, but not too hot to eat. A less hot pepper would be fine.)
3 T. chopped cilantro (also from garden)
Juice of one lime
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix it all together. Eat.ll
Elote Off the Cob
2 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob
¾ c. cotijo cheese, crumbled
1 roma tomato, finely chopped
About 1/3 c. mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip because YA doesn’t like it)
2 T. cilantro, chopped (from garden)
2 T. chives chopped (from garden)
¼ tsp. tajin (if you don’t have tajin, you can use chili pepper & cumin)
Juice of half a lime
Salt & pepper to taste
Again, mix it all together!
Neither of these were big recipes, so I don’t expect the corn will last long. We’ll do plenty more corn this summer, but these first six ears were the best!
Favorite summer foods?
Trail Baboon 
The raspberries from the bumper crop we have this year. The bushes (they aren’t really bushes – __________? ) happen to be right outside the front door, and there are so many we can’t keep up – have invited the neighbors to have what they like…
And fresh kohlrabi, sliced and eaten raw…
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Canes
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… and if someone else is making it, potato salad.
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Our raspberries are in need of picking this week. The peach man arrived with the first of the Washington peaches last week. They are the cling, not the Freestone variety, but they taste wonderful. Love sweetcorn, summer salads, cherries, and fruit crisps and crumbles.
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Rise and Revel in Wonderful Food, Baboons,
Lynn Rosetto Kasper’s Charred Corn salad is a big favorite. I think I have brought that to book group. Maybe? Wilted lettuce with bacon dressing, fresh carrots, pesto from fresh basil, Cherry Pie, Fresh Peach Pie.
Summer eating pleasures comprise a long list.
The Primo summer meal: Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches with fresh sweet corn.
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The dishes that comprise our cool weather menu—the casseroles and stews and elaborate pastas and hearty soups—suddenly seem inappropriate. We’ve switched to salads—Caesar and other green salads, pasta salads both vegetarian and otherwise, potato salads, both German style and mayo-based and when our tomatoes finally ripen, caprese. We’ve been through several watermelons so far and cantaloupes as well. Sweet corn, though not local yet, has been quite good.
My grill had rusted internally to the point that I needed to get a new one. The new grill has gotten a workout. In a typical week I’ll chicken, either as a course in itself or as a component in a salad, or fish, or burgers, or skewers both vegetarian or alternating veggies and meat.
Generally speaking, meal prep is simpler and quicker in summer.
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That is to say, I’ll GRILL chicken…
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The mayo kind of potato salad is typical in Northern Germany. The other kind is from southern Germany.
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Neither group would likely find my versions acceptable. I like them, though.
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I can’t stand cold soup, though.
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Strawberries, corn, tomatoes. All must be Minnesota grown. Tried some corn on the cob a few weeks ago from godknowswhere and it was NOT good. Wife only took two bites.
Hit Lorence’s berry farm near Northfield a few weeks ago and stocked up on strawberries for the year (maybe). Ate a quart of fresh berries, then froze the rest to be brought out as desired. Heaven on Earth.
Looking forward to my first BLT in a few weeks, and hopefully MN corn shortly after.
Chris in Owatonna
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Yes to Minnesota grown produce.
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Lorences is where I go as well for strawberries and then in August for raspberries
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Eating cold soup like gazpacho is like drinking cups of salad dressing.
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Homemade basil pesto is a perennial favorite. I also love all the fruits, especially strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. And homegrown tomatoes… https://youtu.be/9tj4wIKMqEE?si=1hcp06L7lIilaV_s
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How come I can’t get these videos to post the way everyone else does?
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It plays with no problem, so don’t worry about it
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What Jacque said. Perfect for today.
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Did you open it in Youtube, and then copy what’s in the Share box?
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I just open it and then copy the url at the top and then paste it right into my comment….
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Yes.
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Thanks for the tribute to LJB yesterday. What struck me most about Edith was her humility, kindness, and sense of humor. She was a special person, for sure!
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Watermelon.
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Can the birds have melon?
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When I get really nice ripe tomatoes I like to buy cottage cheese. You can just quarter the tomato and put a scoop of cottage cheese in the center. Or you can get a little fancier, if you like, and follow a recipe, like this one: https://oldhomefoods.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-stuffed-tomato/
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Old Home makes the best cottage cheese – if I ever buy a different brand, I am always disappointed in it.
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This was a summertime staple when I was growing up. Either egg salad or tuna salad or more often cottage cheese in the quartered tomato; my mother always put it on top of a little lettuce leaf to make it fancier. And we only had tuna salad in tomatoes if my dad was out of town. He didn’t like tuna.
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strawberries, from one of our local places are the absolute best! But they don’t have many and everyone says this year wasn’t a good one for strawberries… today I saw three signs saying ‘Open’ for a strawberry place. Until I got there, then the sign in the driveway said “closed”. Bah.
Yes to kohlrabi, fresh radishes, wild black raspberry’s, and soon, corn.
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VS, we make an almost identical salsa, except we add mango and Roma tomatoes.
Hard to narrow down the summer food list. Husband does more smoking in the summer. Yesterday we had his smoked ribs with my homemade potato salad. Bruschetta made with local tomatoes and our basil. BLTs. Zucchini pancakes. Colorado peaches, especially in clafoutis. Summer veggies cooked in a grill basket and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. When we’re feeling ambitious, we make our own canned salsa and pickles using ingredients from the farmers market. Just wish the season lasted longer.
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I’ve made an Asparagus Pasta Salad that I keep altering – can add chicken or tuna to it, too…
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Hey Barbara how are you ?
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vichyssoise and gazpacho are favorites. corn watermelon all other melons all berries asperagus
chives and basil to go with tomato and cukes. iced tea and arnie palmers. i dont miss beer at all. corn beans tomatos tend to end up in breakfast tater dishes ummmm
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Looks delicious 😋. I love corn 🌽!
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