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Kernels of Truth: Corn at Redman Farms
Of Corn, Silver
Queen, Redman's Farmstand and a visit to Restaurant Local. Cars whizz by, but a lot — a surprising number, actually — stop at the Redman produce stand on Rt. 20
on a broiling Sunday morning. Some are weekenders headed home from the Eastern Shore. Some are locals headed home from church.
Cathy Redman carries on about three conversations at a time.
“Hey, Mary Ellen!”
Starting the first of July, and on through the fall, the corn is in. Right now, white corn dominates. later
in the year, we’ll see the addition of supersweet bi-color.corn, which happens to be Cathy Redman’s favorite,
While Silver Queen is the name most people conjure up for corn, it is pretty much a thing of the past. But people still ask for it. “I think people remember it for the romantic name,” says Cathy. “Actually, the new corn is much better.” Today, much of the sweet corn grown here is an SU or SE variety of seed, meaning ‘supersweet.’ It starts out sweeter and holds its sugar much longer. This year, Tim Redman planted several Bi-Color & White Sweet Corn varieties, which are "triple" sweets, and are identified by numbers. They’re planted in stages; if all goes well, there should be corn available almost through October. “You pick me out some, hon.” It’s interesting to watch people approach the mountain of corn to score their dozen. Some don’t hesitate, throwing ears into bags with abandon. Others peer at the green, praying that they’ve developed x-ray vision overnight. Others just get Cathy to choose. Whether it’s trust or a dereliction of duty, it takes the heat off the decision. Because there’s one sacred commandment when it comes to choosing corn:
Don’t strip it. Stripping ruins an ear. First, it exposes the kernels to the air, and they start losing freshness. Second, let’s say it’s not to your taste; the kernels are too young or too packed. Regardless, you’ve pretty much guaranteed that ear will never be sold; no one will buy it. So how do you choose without stripping? Cathy suggests these tips: 1. Check the husk. Look for wormholes in the husk; don’t buy those that have them. Does the husk look fresh and not dry? The corn at the Redman stand is picked daily, sometimes twice a day. 2. Feel the husk. You can tell by feel if the husk is fresh or if the kernels are too grown together. 3. Check the tip. You can open up the tip a little bit and look down inside. Look for kernels on the end that are developed; not too small, but not too big, and not dry. Sometimes you’ll find a worm there. Some people care about that, others just snap the end off.
Redman Farms Home Grown Vegetables and Plants Rt. 20, Chestertown, MD Open 10 to 5:30, 7 days a week through the season. Chestertown Farmer's Market Saturdays, 8:00 to 12:00 through the season (Corn: $5/dozen, $3/6)
Now -- About Cookin’ the Corn.
Whenever I ask farming people their favorite cooking methods of cooking corn, they get a sheepish look. Most times, they just throw it in boiling water for a few minutes. And let’s be honest. There is simply nothing wrong with that. One farmer lady confessed that she stuck unhusked corn in the microwave — 2 minutes an ear — “when you do, the silk sticks to the husk and not the ear.” I have yet to try this. Cooks, on the other hand, are singing the praises of grilling corn, either in the husk with the silks removed or shucked and on the grill. Putting the shucked ear directly on the grill gives you a carmelized color, but dries the kernels. Russ Parsons, author of “How to Pick a Peach,” a fresh fruit and vegetable tour de force, recommends soaking the whole, unhusked cobs in water for 20 minutes, and putting them on the grill. Grilled corn will take about 25 to 30 minutes. Leftover grilled corn is also a terrific addition to salads; the sweetness goes well with tart vinaigrettes. Try This at Home Recently, we attended a chefs’ crab cookoff in St. Michaels. The savory flavors of crab go especially well with sweet corn — which is why so many of the recipes also featured corn. Michael Quattrucci, Executive Chef at Restaurant Local in Easton shared this recipe that took second in an enjoyably competitive field:
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