Monday, July 28, 2008

Aw Shucks! It's Corn!

Today's Wonder of the World is...Corn! Of All Kinds!
(Except the kind on people's feet. That's just gross.)
Sorry to put that image in your mind.
Here, replace it with this.

Flickr picture by the trusty yak.
Mmmm.

I've had corn on the brain ever since my husband jetted off to France for a business trip WITHOUT ME (couldn't I have come in handy to hold his laptop, or eat his leftovers at those business lunches, or something?) Since I was abandoned, I took the kids to the beach to mooch off --I mean spend quality time with--their grandparents. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) The first night we were there, my mother made us sweet corn and it was HEAVENLY! (Not quite as heavenly as confit de canard, but maybe the next best thing.)

Don't think I'm a flake

but I'm crazy about corn.


Flickr photo by ms jiji
I love how the ears are tucked away like secret gifts in the cornfields, complete with fine silk tassels, just waiting to be unwrapped.

Flickr photo by disneymike

I also LOVE that they're called ears!

Flickr photo by Perry Gerenday Photography

I even love cornfields, though I probably shouldn't.

Flickr picture by walla2chick
My very first job other than babysitting was in cornfields like this. The summer before my senior year in high school, I worked for the soil science department at NCSU. My job was to assist a grad student who was doing soil moisture experiments in cornfields across North Carolina.

Wait! Don't you nod off! Read on!
It involves pain and agony and being cussed out!

I was the most nonathletic city girl you could imagine, and there I was, marching through cornfields at 4:30am (to avoid the 100 degree summer temps,) getting paper cuts on my eyelids from the corn leaves, wearing a hat full of melting ice to keep cool, and digging eighteen inch deep holes with an auger at every plot! I developed arm muscles for the first (and last) time in my life! And not only that, but it was also the first time I got cussed out for a solid 15 minutes, all because I tripped and dropped the sample box, dumping out tins full of soil from over 150 holes! Woo hoo me!
Other than being cussed out, that job was actually kind of fun.
At least I remember it that way, sitting here in the air conditioning.

Before I go on, you have to see this. I love veggies with faces. Like this alien corn spy in a trench coat.

Flickr picture by Sascha Grant
At least that's what it looks like to me.

Did you know that the French don't eat corn? Except on the salade Americaine! One of my neighbors once told me that's because they consider corn to be animal feed.
That's okay! There's more for the rest of us!

Sweet corn is just like candy.
Like candy corn!

Flickr picture by jen m stewart

When it comes to corn, it's hard not to eat too much.

Flickr picture by Gordon Iowa
Do they make NutraSystem for squirrels?

I wonder what he'd do with this?

Flickr picture by Vannah Von Terror
It's Corn-henge! In Dublin, Ohio!

And here's another corn monument! To Corn Maiden Pallatanga, in the Andes Mountains.

Flickr picture by llhuicarnina
Hey! See what she's standing on? It's a Corn-ucopia!

When it comes to monuments to corn, of course nothing compares to South Dakota's Corn Palace! We went when I was a kid.

Flickr picture by bp1101

Though I think the Marina City Towers in Chicago might compare.

Flickr picture by supernova9
Don't the two of these look like ears of corn?

I also like baby corn.


Flickr photo by elsacapuntas
No, not that kind! Though that baby is awfully cute!

I mean this!

Flickr photo by Kimke
Remember Tom Hanks in the movie Big? That was priceless.

Okay, that does it. I'm going to have to go buy some corn.
I wish we had one of these!

Flickr photo by Cunning Stunt
Have a Wonder-full Monday, y'all!
Love, Becky

24 comments:

LW said...

I too am a corn connoisseur. My dh use to grow two to three different kinds when we had a garden..
I loved looking out on the hill top garden and seeing all the wonderful sweet corn standing tall.

We would boil a pot of water and then go pick and peel it as fast as we could so it would be as fresh as
humanly possible …

So the French do not eat corn, I didn’t know that… the corn grown for animals and the sweet corn grown for us are two very different types corn…

Louise

Unknown said...

Once again, very entertaining! I didn't know the French don't eat corn.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Oh Yes! I love corn season. We have corn every day while it lasts. There is a farmers stand about 3 miles down the road and we go there every day to get corn fresh picked from the field.
Penny

willzmom said...

Oh, the first photo of the ear of corn looks SO good. We've only had good corn once so far this year. I love it with a little butter and a little sprinkle of onion salt-try it sometime.

Liz Harrell said...

Rebecca, you wont believe this, but I had cold left-over corn on the cob this morning for breakfast. Not kidding.

Thanks for the recomendation on Nathan, he's actually on my agent list. I have not queried him yet, any tips?

Suzie said...

I love corn. The sweet yellow kind on the cob dripping with butter. Mmmmm

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hi LW, not much better than just picked corn! I've never had corn in our garden, but my parents always grew it.

Sherry, it was surprising to me too. Think of all they're missing out--corn bread, corn on the cob, corn pudding...

Hi Penny, how convenient! We can get peaches real close by, but have to go a little farther for corn.

Willzmom, I will try the onion salt. That sounds really good!

Liz! You crazy woman! Actually I'd eat it too if I had it. And how different is that than corn flakes anyway?
As for tips on querying Nathan, I'd just make sure you read up on all the blog posts on his sidebar concerning querying. He's incredibly nice and quick and...I just can't say enough good things about him!

Suzie, I know I'm weird, but I don't do butter on corn. Salt yes. I don't know why I'm strange that way.

Rosemary said...

Very corny Rebecca!!
Candy corn is my favorite.
Have a great day!
Rosemary

Cindy said...

Ohmygosh...so great! They asked us in WW the other day which would we rather have corn on the cob (4 ears with butter spray) or fries? I jerked my hand up high! Corn! For me! LOVE it. A most excellent post as always.

c

ps and yes, we could put your little sleeping bag right up in the window....LOL.

May Vanderbilt said...

I love corn too! It's so American in the keenest sense of the word.

Also I am a candy corn connoisseur. I only eat Brach's and I like to make peanut butter and candy corn sandwiches. Try it! They're made of honey, you know, so it's too different than a peanut butter and honey sandwich!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Oh, corn chower! My favorite thing to do with late summer corn!

Anonymous said...

We love sweet corn, cornbread, and candy corn, which Linda's addicted to. I like your comparison to the skyscrapers in Chicago. I will never see them the same way again, but you've got to call them as you see them. Like the bird's nest comparison of the Olympic stadium in Beijing. Don't you like Indian Corn - not to eat, but its beautifully colorful for Fall decorations? My French relatives concur with what you learned while over there. They said corn is for the cows. There must be some connotation about corn that we in the US have just never been explained. I can remember shucking lots of corn as a kid, when we lived in NY State - there was a dairy and corn farm right down the road from us. Love eating it right off the cob, heavily sauced with butter!
Randy

CC said...

oooooo! I'm learning all about corn right now in the book "The Omnivore's Dillema". Did you know that almost 1/3 of items in the grocery store contain corn in some form???

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Rosemary, I love candy corn too. Have you ever had it on a peanut butter sandwich, as May recommends? And MAY, I didn't know it was made from honey! I was shocked to find tons of pics of homemade candy corn on flickr. Wow. I'm proud of myself when I make brownies from scratch. I'd never think of making candy corn!

Corn on the cob versus fries, Cindy? I'm not sure which would win on my plate. Probably cor, especially if I could eat four ears. That's a lot of corn!

Hey Debbie. I'm wondering why I don't buy corn to make for my lunch. And Pamela, corn chowder is so good. I've never made it with fresh corn. I'll have to try it.

Randy, so Linda's addicted to candy corn...has she ever made it herself? May has got me wondering how you make it, and if it is even better homemade.

Cc, I've heard about that book. One third! That's remarkable. And a little scary for some reason. I'm not sure why. I should probably read that book.

Unknown said...

ummmm....I thought your post was kind of CORN-y....
bwahhhhhh..ha ha ha h ah aha ha...(takes in a deep breath)ha h ah ah ahahahahahahahahahhaaaaaa.....
OKay, I could not resist...and I'm not even looking at how many other people already used that silly pun until AFTER I click on the "publish your comment" button.
Love your work!

Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...

LOL -- Great post!

Kat said...

I love, love, love corn on the cob, but I won't eat it canned. Blech!

Betty Carlson said...

What a corny post!

The French do eat some corn, but really only straight out of a can and in cold salads. I've seen more recipes using it lately though.

You can pick up corn on the cob now in some supermarkets, but it always looks awful, or in Picard frozen food stores, but I've never tried it there.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

I just found you and loving your blog. I did ahile back myself....Mary

Rebecca said...

No there is NOT a cornhenge! Seriously? I see a road trip in my future. :) (I knew there would be good things about going back to the US!)

Katie O'Halleran's said...

Oh how I have loved reading this post! So glad I found your blog. I love the way you described the corn as being tucked away like secret gifts in the cornfields.

Our backyard backs right up to a cornfield. We have a hammock right there on the edge of the yard and you can actually reach right out and touch the cornstalks. At night it is so relaxing to lay in the hammock and listen to the corn stalks rustle in the breeze. Ahhhh!!

Thanks for a great post, I have enjoyed your blog. Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Erin

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Tattingchic, you make me laugh.
Hey Cathy and Kathryn! And I agree on the canned corn. Unless it's in cornbread.
Hi Betty, I never saw corn on the cob in stores when we were there, but things do change with time. Interesting! I did find it in the salade Americaine, and on pizza Americaine though. Picard opened up in Clermont the last couple years we were there. French frozen food is so much better than ours! I loved the stuffed duck we bought there. Mmmm.
Welcome to the blog Mary Isabella!
Rebecca, there is! We have a wealth of weirdness here in the states! You have to love it!
Katie, what a nice image! Relaxing on a hammock, an arm's length from a cornfield. Ahhh.

Life on the Edge said...

Oh shoot, someone else already beat me in saying that this is your corniest post yet!

I do happen to love corn, especially corn on the cob rolled in butter, topped with salt. Oh my. That was great when I was growing up.

Kady

Anonymous said...

I just got back from Iowa, where the tall corn grows! My cousins farm corn. Feed corn, not people corn. It's corn, corn everywhere and not a kernel to eat.