Sweet Corn

One of the most labor-intensive crops to grow organically is corn.  Corn ear worms (those little worms that you occasionally find on the top of an ear) are preventable if you treat every single ear individually.  I recall going to our local organic farmers' market and finding a sign on the pile of corn that stated "Not Organic".  When I questioned the farmer, he explained that customers were so turned off by the worms (which are actually moth larvae) that he stopped growing it because no one would buy it.  He purchased his corn from a conventional farmer and sold it at his stand.

We have gotten lots of corn from Fort Hill Farm this year; a real treat for us.  The boys especially love sweet corn.  The first few ears were perfect...not a worm on them.  As the season continued, we found more critters crawling on our corn.  There was a little bit of revulsion from the troops, but my way of thinking is this:  Evidence of worms is proof that Monsanto and other bullying chemical giants did not have their tentacles on my dinner.

As for cooking corn, my favorite method is from the Joy of Cooking:  Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil.  Add the corn, put a tight fitting lid on top, and remove it from the heat.  Time for 5 minutes and serve.  If the corn is young and fresh, you can't beat it!