Sweet Summer Corn

By Andrew Hunter

Growing up in Michigan, sweet corn was as much a part of summer as swimming and humidity. I remember going to our local farm market called Leverett’s for corn so sweet that it satisfied my candy cravings.

Mrs. Leverett, who was also our source for pumpkins, Christmas trees and all things seasonal, taught me the quicker you go from stalk to pot, the sweeter the corn will be. I learned as a chef that the natural sugars change to starch after corn is picked, so while she probably didn’t understand the science, Mrs. Leverett knew enough to put a burner and pot of water in the field she was picking to capture that sugar before it escaped.

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Being Decisive About Corn

By Katie Barreira

Among cooks, when it comes to grilling corn, there are many ways and little consensus. In the past, I’ve been of no help, tossing ears onto the grill any which way, with the only goal being to produce a platter of relatively cooked corn on the cob to be done at the same time as the main event meat. It’s an insult to maize everywhere.

So today, with fresh native corn and a charcoal grill at my disposal, I decided it was time to be decisive about my corn.

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