a-MAIZE-ing

Sweet Fresh Corn off the Cobb – All year long

Flash-freeze all through winter the tender corn, that you easily cut off the cob, like so: When you can get your hand on fresh, local or nearest farmers market corn on the cob, if it’s not in your own garden, buy a bunch at peak season! Always use decorum when checking the tip to see that the kernels are small, fresh, bright, and juicy. Just check a bit, without violating the plant. Try touching only the plants that you plan to buy.

method yield 1 ear = 1 serving cut Boil corn for 5 minutes and remove from water. Clear your space and elbow room.

Use a large cutting board and sharp heavy handled knife. Prepare the corn by holding it straight up on it’s (root) end until it’s steady, then gently but deftly - and always with a sense of authority – SLIDE the knife down in columns, straight from the top to the bottom without stopping. The knife will, after the first few tries, “find” its place at the root of the kernels. Once you get the hang of it you realize the corn easily falls out in complete kernels. It’s like a pro golf swing, just like holding a little bird, I was once taught by Pete Hatfield at the Augusta CC.

Don’t touch these sweet little buds! Gently slide them into ½ filled, flattened zip loc bags of various sizes. Seal tightly. Lay flat in the freezer. “Fuhgeddaboudit it!”

Later, when the glorious, golden harvest afternoons bow down to the encroaching cold nights, retrieve a bag or two and you’ll never know the difference! Do not microwave – a general rule - just take them out to room temperature (1-3hours) before warming up gently and briefly with some butter, salt and pepper on the stove in a small pan on low to medium-low heat.

Or use as a healthy addition to your chunky chowders, spicy soups and luscious stews on those long, chilly nights.

Recipe by Pat Friedman

Editor’s Note:

Untangling the Maze Myth –What’s more alluring than wandering through carved, wild patterns among earthen ears of corn that rise on phantom-like stalks and crackle high overhead … while trying to find your way out before dark?

Only perhaps an ancient Greek labyrinth, the birthchild of these fascinating creations.

In the UK, these have evolved into 1700’s “hedge mazes” to incorporate corn fields, thus, “maize mazes.” In the U.S., debate remains whether the first complete corn maze was developed in 1993 in Annville, Pennsylvania, or by others documented 10 years earlier. But the mystique is a fantastic way to explore the roots of an ancient food and culture, at the fleeting end of harvesttime’s warmer days.

For fascinating photos and folklore, Link (HERE)

Healthy Hint:

Butter, in small amounts, actually benefits cooked vegetables’ enzymes for better absorption. A nutritionist told me this years ago, and more research proves that by eating veggies without any fat, your body will absorb too few of the plants’ vitamins and micronutrients.

Scandalously GF Corn Muffins

These corn muffins are THE most perfectly tender and insanely delicious kind I’ve had anywhere – even in places where it’s a local staple. (Oh – they happen to be gluten- free. The absence of glutenous flour will only be noticeable on your shrinking waistline, not your mouthwatering palate.)

Whenever working with GF ingredients, always look at moisture content. Err on the side of a little more moisture.

Dry Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free cornmeal

2 cups gluten-free flour mix

2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Dash salt

Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or any milk replacement)

8 tablespoons melted butter, or combined butter/oil

3 tablespoons honey for the recipe

1-2 tablespoons honey for drizzling onto warm muffins, if desired.

Link To Easy Conversion Chart

Editor’s Note:

All of the following flours have gluten:

• Enriched flour with added vitamins and minerals.

• Farina, milled wheat usually used in hot cereals.

• Graham flour, a course whole-wheat flour.

• Self-rising flour, also called phosphate flour.

• Semolina, the part of milled wheat used in pasta and couscous. (Source: Mayo Clinic) method

1. Preheat oven to 425° yield 6-8 muffins

2. Mix dry ingredients well in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.

4. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients just until batter is well-blended.

5. Pour 2 ⁄ 3 full into medium sized, lightly-oiled (I use coconut spray) muffin pan.

6. For less crispy edges, line with paper.

7. Bake for 9-10 minutes; or a few minutes longer, just until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting pan onto a clean board; tap the back of the pan with a spoon; don’t force them out. Serve with butter, jam, or simply as is. Or, use it to mop up the vintage Croatian fish dish in this Issue, for which the recipe was designed.

Store in the freezer for 2 weeks. Do not microwave. Defrost on the countertop when time allows. Wrap them in foil and warm in a low oven, for the full monte.