2003-06-21 - 9:39 p.m.
Sunshine came streaming into the bedroom this morning to wake me up. I couldn't of asked for a prettier sight to start the day. Just the sight of it after so many days of clouds and rain gave me a boost of energy. The corn is still standing and the early planting is only about a week away from being ready. I love sweet corn. Growing up in the city I thought sweet corn was supposed to be chewy and starchy. I didn't know sweet corn could be so good till I started growing it myself. Lots of folks don't know that sweet corn begins a process of changing sugar to starch just a few hours after it is pulled. Corn in most chain supermarkets is 4 or 5 days old by the time it is sold. By that time it is not near as good as it was when it was first pulled. The development of higher sugar corns has helped, but they still are a far cry from really fresh corn. Fresh sweet corn should be crunchy and tender without a hint of starchiness. I pull corn throughout the day so it is usually never more than an hour or two old. That's the way I like it myself so that's the way I try to sell it. Just writing this is making my mouth water and I can hardly wait for that first ear of corn to be plucked out of the pot of boiling water, then smothered with butter and liberally sprinkled with salt. You just can't beat it!
