“Why am I happy

that I was born?

The reason (in season)

Sweet Corn!”

(poem by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Fried Wallyeye and Cherry Pie)

When July meets August, wherever I am standing on the planet, I hunger for fresh Nebraska sweet corn.  Fresh holds a bushel of meaning for a Nebraska sweet corn connoisseur.  Fresh sweet corn is picked by hand at sunrise and carted to a vegetable stand in a nearby town where a grower sells hundreds of ears by noon of the same day.

Nebraska farmers grow 1,016 acres of sweet corn, and nearly every kernel is eaten by the 1.9 million of us, the residents.   Corn grower’s research estimate that every Nebraskan eats 20 ears of sweet corn during the short season.

We plant in late April or May as soon as soil temperatures are warm, 55 Degrees, and harvest at peak quality when kernels are in the milk stage and the silks are brown and dry beyond the end of the husk.  The plump kernels drip a thick milky juice when pressed by the thumb.

Nebraska’s long sunny days, warm nights,and correct amount of water grow prize-winning corn.  The top varieties grow in this corn state and mature into a sweet, tender, burst-in-your-mouth flavor.

Growers select Sweet Corn varieties according to their growing days, and we are grilling and eating fresh corn  between July and September.

One more advantage to life and living in a town under 10,000 in Nebraska – we all live within 20 miles of a grower selling their fresh-picked corn under the umbrella of their sweet corn stand.

Buzz Savories is featuring sweet corn in the July edition because the first and last sweet corn of the season is good reason to celebrate summer!

 

 

 

To cook a luscious food memory for any number of guests, I roast the sweet corn on the grill.

• Prepare a hot grill, clean the grate
• oil the grate
• drench the sweet corn ears in olive oil
• roast until charred, turning the cobs as the kernels char
• the charring requires time, maybe 3-4 minutes on each turn of the cob
• brush the corn with a mixture of Spicy Beer Mustard, garlic, olive oil and salt, return to the grill briefly and serve

Roast plenty since the leftover corn turns into a favorite black bean salsa dressed simply with fresh lime juice and garden herbs.

 

I thank www.Maille.com for my adaptation of the recipe below:  Check out this website for their many varieties of mustard and always delicious recipes.

 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. Spicy Beer Mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. of dried minced garlic
• 6 fresh ears corn on the cob, husks and silk removed – leave the stem for easy of turning the cob
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tb. olive oil to prepare corn for the grilling process

Preparation

1. Preheat grill on medium heat. Combine mustard, garlic, salt and olive oil. Set aside.
2. Brush corn with oil and grill for 8 to 10 min. or until tender. Turn the corn occasionally and brush with the Spicy Beer Mustard mixture.

 

 

With leftover Spicy Beer Mustard Grilled Sweet Corn, make the following recipe:

 Salsa Dressing

3 Tb. olive oil

2 Tb. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

 

Ingredients of the Salsa

1 cup (more if you have it) grilled and charred Spicy Beer Mustard corn cut from the cob

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup red or green or mixed peppers, diced

½ cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro or parsley or basil or oregano, or all together chopped fine

Directions

Blend all ingredients together and chill.

 

The following photo may inspire you to follow your taste buds to  your local meat market to buy pork spareribs to serve with the charred corn

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The flavor of Spicy Beer Mustard Sweet Corn from the grill is worth bringing cooking into your life and friends to your table.