More. I always want more. More sea glass, more fireworks, more Menemsha sunsets, more fair food, more summer. I know I sound like a small child with a bad case of the “I wants,” but at least I am honest about my hedonism. There’s a reason I live on Martha’s Vineyard after all; simple pleasures are never far beyond the grasp of my sticky fingers.
If I want to sit on my back step with a hot cup of coffee and watch the sun rise through the fog over a rosy hedge of scrappy locusts and rangy wildflowers until everything turns the shiny bright silver of daylight, I can. If I want to walk on the beach at dusk with a dripping soft-serve ice cream, dipping my toes into the now-warm salt water, dodging the discomfort of the sharpest rocks on the soles of my feet, waltzing toward the spectacular night-sky star-show revving up on the indigo horizon, I will.
And if I want to have sweet corn every night for dinner (and maybe for breakfast), you bet I will. It’s Indian summer on the Vineyard after all, and the corn season stretches long into the
fall. Sure, maybe we’ve (almost) had our fill of corn on the cob, but there’s still corn sautés, corn fritters, corn chowders, corn tacos, corn salsa…and so much more. Corn off the cob offers endless possibilities.
So if you’re like me, not wanting to let go of the best of summer, eat fresh sweet corn until you grow tassels out of the top of your head. (Then you can freeze some.)
Below are some ideas to help you through the sweet-corn-every-day challenge. If you think I’m kidding about this, I’m not, because at our house this is reality, not fantasy. Since we sell Morning Glory Farm corn at our farm stand, sometimes until the first week of November, one or two ears wander into the house almost every day. I don’t know how that happens, but I’m not complaining.
Corn pancakes. Take your favorite pancake batter, substitute half cornmeal for the flour, and add lots of fresh corn, fresh herbs, and scallions. Serve with crème fraiche and honey.
Fresh corn sautés. Sauté diced onions and bell pepper in butter, add fresh garlic and corn kernels; sauté until just glistening. Finish with lots of pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and torn fresh herbs. Serve as a side for steak or a bed for fish.
Vineyard chowder. Any way you like it, but simmer your corn cobs (scraped for extra juice) in milk for extra flavor.
Farm egg and fresh corn sandwich. Add the corn kernels and some herbs to your scramble. Serve on a griddled English muffin with cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeños. Or put it all in a taco.
Fresh corn ice cream. Yes.
Grilled corn, onion, and late tomato salsa. Be generous with lime juice and cilantro or mint and basil.
Silky corn and squash soup. Simmer corn and summer squash with softened onions, puree with a bit of cream or yogurt, add tarragon or dill.
Tomato-corn bread salad. Grilled ciabatta, fresh basil, red wine vinaigrette, lots of juicy beefsteaks, fresh corn kernels….
Butternut, fresh corn, and black bean quesadilla. Previously featured in this magazine; get the recipe here.
Indian summer harvest gratin. Corn loves potatoes. Potatoes love corn. See recipe below.
Check out the recipe for Indian Summer Corn and Potato Gratin.
