One ingredient many ways: Corn - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |

By Leah Koenig

Growing up in the Midwest, corn was a constant fixture of my summertime landscape – from the juicy cobs on my plate, as vibrant and yellow as the cold pats of butter softening on top of them, to the endless fields of parchment-colored stalks whirring past at 70 miles an hour on family road trips.

Back then corn was the stuff of happy suppers and of imagination.  As a kid, I watched on repeat the scene in Field of Dreams where the baseball players disappear into Kevin Costner's cornfield – delighted by what then seemed like sophisticated special effects, and wishing I could take a peak into the other side.  When my mom came home with sweet corn from the farmer's market, my dad and I would head out to the bench in our backyard to shuck it.  In the fading early evening light we would pull husk from cob, enjoying the fresh, grassy smell and allowing the discarded corn silk to gather in a pile at our feet.

But of course corn, which is indigenous to the Americas and has been cultivated for thousands of years, is a complicated crop.  Today, the yellow and white sweet corn I love makes up about 1 percent of total U.S. production (corn grown for animal feed makes up the largest percentage), which means my pastoral childhood associations are only a small part of the story.  The rest of corn's narrative is cluttered with government subsidies and high fructose corn syrup; with struggling mid-sized farms and ethanol, with industrial meat production and genetically modified seeds. And yet, while the corn industry has developed a less-than-stellar reputation over the last several decades, fresh cob corn eaten in season serves as a reminder of how deeply connected and indebted we are as a country to this domesticated grass.    

Sweet corn typically hits peak season in July and August, and should be purchased when the silk is golden and translucent, and the cobs feel firm and full.  Corn requires little more preparation than a quick dip in a pot of boiling water and a slip of salted butter to taste divine.  But the sweet, starchy kernels pair well with contrasting flavors, lending themselves to countless other preparations – both on the cob, such as the grilled corn with mayonnaise, cheese and chile, and off, like the sweet and piquant miso corn cakes. 

SWEET

East Hampton Corn Pudding 
A lovely way to show off the sweetness of corn, this dish can be easily repurposed as a dessert. Just add a dollop of fresh, not-too-sweet whipped cream.

Food 52: Buttered Corn on the Cob Ice Cream 
Buttery corn ice cream is topped with a dash of maple syrup.