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It’snnot quite summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, but here in SouthernnCalifornia, we’re already enjoying fresh corn on the cob.
It’snnot quite summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, but here in SouthernnCalifornia, we’re already enjoying fresh corn on the cob.n
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n(Inguess it’s a sign of the times—in many places all over the world,nwe can and do expect to get yummy fruits and vegetables all yearnlong. If they’re not harvesting apples two towns away, the localngrocery stores are still stocking apples brought in from Chile ornWashington state. If it’s too early for tomatoes in my garden, I cannstill get hothouse tomatoes at Trader Joe’s.)
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Lastnweekend I had some of the best corn on the cob of my wholenlife—rubbed with rosemary olive oil and grilled! In honor of thenday, grill some corn, or of course you can also boil corn on the cobnin a pot or “nuke” it in the microwave.
Lastnweekend I had some of the best corn on the cob of my wholenlife—rubbed with rosemary olive oil and grilled! In honor of thenday, grill some corn, or of course you can also boil corn on the cobnin a pot or “nuke” it in the microwave. n
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nHere are some yummynrecipes for corn on the cob. (Recipes are divided into categories:ndelicious, spicy, cheesy, and sweeeeet.)
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nAnbrief history of corn
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Thisnimportant grain didn’t look anything like the corn we enjoy today,nback when Native Americans living in Southern Mexico first discoverednit around 7,000 years ago. It looked like (and was!) a sort of wildngrass. The Indians called it teosinte, and they cultivated itncarefully, “crossing” plants that had the largest seeds ornkernels with each other, until they finally developed a plantnresembling a small version of modern corn. n
Thisnimportant grain didn’t look anything like the corn we enjoy today,nback when Native Americans living in Southern Mexico first discoverednit around 7,000 years ago. It looked like (and was!) a sort of wildngrass. The Indians called it teosinte, and they cultivated itncarefully, “crossing” plants that had the largest seeds ornkernels with each other, until they finally developed a plantnresembling a small version of modern corn. nn
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ThenMexican Indians called the new plant that they had created maize.nIt was a huge hit—people began to trade maize, and to carry thenknowledge of how to grow maize as they migrated. Indians began tongrow maize as far south as Peru, in South America, all the way upnMexico, into the North American southwest and even to the easternnwoodlands of what is now New England. This grain became a staple ofnmany native diets (that is, the main source of calories andnnutrients). n
ThenMexican Indians called the new plant that they had created maize.nIt was a huge hit—people began to trade maize, and to carry thenknowledge of how to grow maize as they migrated. Indians began tongrow maize as far south as Peru, in South America, all the way upnMexico, into the North American southwest and even to the easternnwoodlands of what is now New England. This grain became a staple ofnmany native diets (that is, the main source of calories andnnutrients). nn
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WhennColumbus “discovered” America, he also discovered corn. People innAsia and Africa and Europe had never seen or heard of corn beforenColumbus!
WhennColumbus “discovered” America, he also discovered corn. People innAsia and Africa and Europe had never seen or heard of corn beforenColumbus!n
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nOncenthe “New World” and “Old World” were in contact, there was angreat exchange of foods, including plants and seeds to grow on farmsnand animals to raise for milk or eggs or meat. Part of the exchangenwas corn. Now not only is corn part of people’s diets all over thenworld, corn is often used to feed farm animals. Fabrics arenstrenthened by cornstarch, glues and inks contain corn oil or otherncorn products, ethanol (made from corn) fuels some vehicles, and cornnhas found its way into medicines, shoe polish, and cosmetics. n
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nCornnis a good food that can be part of a healthy diet, but somewherenalong the way, people discovered that high fructose corn syrup, madenfrom corn, is a cheap way of sweetening food, and now there is farntoo much corn in most Americans’ diets. You should eat most of yourncorn as fresh, delicious corn—and skip the processed foodsnthat have “high fructose corn syrup” high on their lists ofningredients.
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nForna longer history of corn, check out History Detective.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nKamehameha Day in Hawaii
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nAnniversary of the premiere of the movie E.T.
