Chapter 12 Fruits and Vegetables

OK, you may have figured out that my love of vegetables is limited. Nevertheless there are a few that I do like, and in the future I may add some that I don’t. But the following are tasty, even if not the most nutritious.

12.1 Fruits

12.1.1 Applesauce

Alice makes wonderful applesauce, cooked on the stove top and canned for future use. However, she does it in the fall, and by spring it is gone. Thus I’ve decided to try making small batches in the Instant Pot® to tide me over the summer months - it is absolutely delicious with pork (like carnitas). The link above gives some tips (such as what kinds of apples work best), but the actual recipe is absurdly simple.

12.2 Vegetables

12.2.1 Corn on the cob

I am fortunate enough to have grown up in sweet corn country. Indeed, one of my fondest childhood memories is, when we were visiting family friends on a farm in Macedon NY, the children (including me) were sent out in the field to pick fresh corn for the day’s dinner. From the field to the pot in 10 minutes - absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, I then spent a big chunk of my life in Florida, and corn there simply doesn’t measure up to what I grew up with. Thus, it was absolutely wonder to discover, when I moved to Ohio in July of 2007 (peak corn season) that the corn here measures up to what I remember as a child.

So the first secret about corn on the cob is freshness. Ideally, it should be cooked the day it is picked; with storage, even refrigerated, the sugar in the corn rapidly turns to starch. I have eaten second day corn, which is satisfactory, but fresher is better.

So here’s my method for cooking corn on the grill. I’m not sure where I got the original recipe, but it’s pretty basic and ubiquitous.

Ingredients

2-6 ears of fresh sweet corn, in husks
melted butter
fresh ground pepper
grated parmesan (optional)
butcher twine

  1. Peel the husks back (do NOT remove them) and discard silks.
  2. Place corn into a large kettle of water and let soak for at least an hour.
  3. Remove the corn from the water, baste with melted butter, and sprinkle with pepper, Parmesan (if desired) and any other flavors you might like (dill is a popular one). A half a stick of butter is sufficient for four ears.
  4. Cut one ~8 inch piece of twine for each ear. Wet them in water to make them easier to tie.
  5. Fold the husks up over the corn and tie together with twine.
  6. Place the corn on your grill preheated to 450o and roast a total of 10 minutes, rotating the ears every 2.5 minutes.
  7. Remove ears from grill. With neoprene mitts on, grasp the ear with one hand and the stem with the other. Snap vigorously and separate the stem and attached husk from the ear of corn (you may want to cut the twine with scissors first).
  8. Serve with just about anything.

Four ears of corn soaking with the husks pulled back and the silks removed.

Corn prepared as described and half way through grilling

Grilling is complete

Ready to eat

Ready for the compost pile.