Hello again and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook. It’s corn week!
If cherries are the first sign of summer, then the appearance of corn at the farmer’s market heralds the height of summer. Cue backyard cookouts, 4th of July parades and beach parties!
Our corn farmer is from Brentwood, which around here is the undisputed corn capital. He is indeed a popular man during the short few months he graces us with his presence. So popular, in fact, that you do actually have to get to his stand before he sells out, which is usually sometime before noon. But there are those at the market who will start the rumor that the corn guy is sold out before he actually is, just to put you off the scent so they can make sure to get more for themselves–I’m serious–this actually happened several years ago. Who knew the farmer’s market could be so cut-throat and competitive!!
I love corn–really, who doesn’t? But I have long been conflicted about its health benefits because of its high starch content. I did a little looking into this time-honored vegetable and here some things I learned:
Corn is both a vegetable and a grain. Fresh off the cob, it’s a vegetable. But once the kernels are dried and ground, the resulting polenta and cornmeal are grains.
Corn is high in carbs, but mostly consists of insoluble fiber which digests slowly, releasing sugar from the carbs into the blood stream slowly instead of all at once. Still, because of all the carbs, corn may not be a great choice for a low-sugar diet.
Corn is high in manganese, potassium, phosphorus, B-vitamins and is naturally gluten-free. It also actually has a lot of protein, though of the “incomplete” kind. This means that it’s missing some of the essential amino acids to make it a “complete protein.” However, when eaten with the right combination of legumes, or other foods, can become a complete protein.
So, unless you’re observing a low-carb/sugar diet, enjoy your corn in moderation this summer 🙂
This week, I’ll be featuring both the vegetable version of corn and the grain version of it. For the most part with a vegetable as delicious as corn, I feel that the less you mess with it, the better, although I do have a couple of recipes this week that will feature corn in harmony with other in-season favorites.
For today, though–I’m sharing the simplest of preparations: grilled corn on the cob.
Enjoy and I’ll be back to share more corn recipes on Wednesday.
Until then,
Peace, love and good food!
Keri
