corn-23-6-10

Hi,
I'm sorry this translation is so late. My translator forgot to screw her head on this morning. Or yesterday. Actually, in the last week or so.
A few weeks ago our corn was not filled with kernals and I even got some questions about it. I don't know why I haven't written about it before, sorry.
Corn is a grass from the grain family, and looks almost like a huge weed or wild grass. However, it's flower column is larger and different from other plants in its family. From within its leaves grows the female flower, our corn to be. At the upper end of the flower you can see lots of "hair", also called corn silk. Each hair that is fertilized will develop one edible kernel at its lower end.
How are they fertilized? At the top of the corn plant is the male part, which is covered in pollen. It releases its pollen by use of the wind and trepassing insects. Each corn plant can self pollinate and it can also pollinate its neighbors. Because of this pollination method it is important to plant corn in a block and not as a single bed. If it is sown in a long line there will be little chance that all of the flowers on all of the plants will be fertilized.
We have all heard children ask us to say "tiras" 3 times very fast. When you do that, it comes out "stira, stira, stira " meaning slap in the face, which they then give you. That is what we got the other week when we were not so lucky with the corn. I'm not sure why, but the fertilization was very partial. Last week, however, was amazing - sweet, fully fertilized and very clean of pests. But the week before that was not so good - sweet, but full of insects (hope you didn't come across too many, it went through rigorous sorting) and only partially fertilized
Corn is planted by hand, one by one, at a distance of about 10 cm apart. After sprouting comes the thinning stage, if necessary. Corn grows quickly if it gets enough water. At some point we remove the "pigs" - the small sideshoots. If you leave them the plant will have more stems, but they will all be weak and thin and produce smaller ears of corn. Better to keep one central stem that will be big and strong with 2-3 full size cobs.
The corn is ready when the tips of the hair dry out, - you can see this by the color. You have to be alert and vigilant and check corn every day. If the day is missed, it will be eaten by our competitors, the birds and the ants.
Picking corn is different from other veggies and is a great pleasure - it is done standing up for a change. Picking is usually done bending down to get under the low leafy plants like most of the summer fruits like squash, eggplant, tomatoes. Corn is also big enough to be seen easily, you just reach out and pick it, not like beans and cherry tomatoes that need to be searched for. However, all types of harvesting are similar in one important respect - you can munch while you work..
This corn is so sweet I hope you give it a bite or two before it is cooked in order to experience it. Of course, this fact also attracts other sugar lovers. The mother of the pests are very protective of their offspring and lay their eggs on the corn leaves or in between the hair. When the larva hatches, it naturally knows what to do with all this sweet stuff around and it starts to eat, usually at the top of the ear. I check each ear of corn before I put in the boxes, but our larval friends are sometimes cagey and not always apparent, so I hope you will remember that what's good for them is also good for us, and that this is just more evidence that it is fresh, sweet and super organic.
Also, after corn is harvested, you should hurry and eat it quickly because the sugars begin converting to starch immediately. This natural process causes corn to become less sweet and softer, not crispy and crunchy like fresh corn. Corn is one vegetable in which the difference between fresh and not fresh is very great. And also, if you don't eat it, ants and other small creatures will try to eat it.
Two tips:
1. Do not cook corn for more than about five minutes - the sweetness will be reduced.
2. Cook corn along with the leaves and silk and then drink the water or add it to bread if you bake. It is really healthy and tasty!
Corn doesn't really need a recipe ... but now that we have the three American sisters, I present you with original recipes of the Native Americans, who were notorious for being "strong, the tigers of humanity..." and who "looked like deer ...."
To your health!
Have a sweet week that is not too hot,
Maggie
Changes and additions by Tuesday at 11:00 am. I'm not at the computer after that until Thursday usually! You can ignore this, this week only.
It is so hot that it is hard for me to anticipate the rate of ripening. Accordingly, our expectation list for this week is a little iffy:
Regular boxes:
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Lettuce
Pumpkin or butternut squash
Onion
Purple cabbage or purple kohlrabi
Eggplant - it's just the beginning, so if there is not enough it will be replaced with something (maybe potatoes maybe celery...)
Basil
Maybe peppers
In the large boxes also:
Cherry tomatoes
Maybe corn
Celery
In the fruit boxes:
probably melons and either nectarines or oranges
MAGS, THE FOLLOWING RECIPES HAVE CANNED AND FROZEN VEGS.
Succotash (Traditional Corn and Bean Stew)

Ingredients
• 1 butternut squash, washed
• 2 cans of corn
• 1 package (10-ounce) frozen lima beans
• Salt and pepper
• Butter
Procedure
1. Scoop out the seeds from the squash and cut into small pieces. Trim the peel away from the pieces and place them into a heavy kettle.
2. Add enough cold water to cover the squash.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Add the corn to the squash.
5. Stir in the lima beans and continue simmering until the corn and beans are tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Drain the vegetables. Toss them with salt, pepper, and butter.
Serves 4.

Pumpkin-Corn Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 can (15-ounce) plain pumpkin, without spices
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained well
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons honey
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350° F .
2. Grease a baking sheet with a small amount of oil.
3. Put the corn on the greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Mix the corn, pumpkin, salt, and honey in a medium-size pot.
5. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts to bubble.
6. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
7. Serve with grilled chicken.
Serves 4.