Our Second Annual Corn Roast Recipes: Grilled Corn by Dennis Fisher and Joe Fisher Sweet corn is as much a part of a Maine summer as lobster and blueberries. Every farm stand and farmer's market has its boxes of swollen ears of Butter and Sugar or Silver Queen. It can be had so inexpensively in July and August that many of us, even those with ample space in our gardens, don't bother to grow it. We would rather pay our few dollars a dozen and let someone else shoo away the crows and raccoons. And besides, there is something about a paper grocery bag full of fresh corn, purchased straight from the farmer, that puts us in touch once again with the agricultural roots that we all share.
Shartner's has been supplying sweet corn to the Belfast Farmer's Market for years, and Herb was good enough to share his growing methods with us. He has five fields of corn, which he starts planting in April, seeding fresh plots every ten days to insure a continuous harvest. He starts with his driest, highest fields, since corn needs warm, dry conditions to grow well. His late corn, planted to be ready in August and even later, is seeded in the lowest fields that he can't even get to early in the spring. They are just too wet to support farm machinery. But these same fields will still hold enough water in summer to support the thirsty stalks of his late corn.
Herb says that corn needs plenty of water to fill out the ears, so there won't be bare spots around the tip. When his customers peel back the husk, they want to see a full ear of corn. Good pollination is also important to fill out the kernels. He grows two varieties of Sugar and Gold, a "sugary enhanced" one and a supersweet. Herb is a third generation corn grower, his father and grandfather also grew corn.
Chase Farm has been growing corn since they started doing farmer's markets about ten years ago. They grow a variety of Sugar and Gold called "Trinity", which stays sweet a long time after picking. Penny Chase says that sometimes they start corn as transplants and grow it on black plastic mulch (which heats up the ground and controls weeds), but this year they direct seeded. "People are always happy to get it when it comes in," she says.
Scott Bowden of Ewe and ME told us that corn is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the Western Hemisphere and that it can't reproduce itself without human help. (Corn doesn't exist in a wild state, though some wild corn ancestors still grow in Central America). Scott plants just before the last frost in May, traditionally "when oak leaves are the size of a mouse's ear." He says that corn is a heavy feeder that needs lots of nitrogen at first and then lots of phosphorus. Varieties should be separated by 1/4 mile to prevent cross-pollination, which can especially effect the sugary enhanced varieties and make them tough.
Scott says that racoons tend to avoid "Burgundy Delight", but that "Quickie" brings them running.
Beth Haines and Seth Hanover are in charge of the rejuvenated Peacemeal Farm, a MOFGA certified organic farm in Dixmont. Organic corn can be a tricky proposition, especially early corn, because untreated corn kernels germinate poorly in cold, wet soil and can easily rot in the ground. This year they planted the last week in May.
Beth told us she uses a Native American growing method called "Three Sisters". Corn is grown in the middle of a field with squash plants all around. The spiky squash leaves tend to discourage racoons and birds from eating the corn. Pole beans can be trained up the corn stalks. This is an elegant and interesting growing technique that could be useful to the small backyard grower as well. Timing is important when using this method because the rampant squash vines can overwhelm the corn before it's ready for harvest. Picking can also be a little awkward because you have to wade through the vines to get to the corn patch.
At Fisher Farm we use a variation on this method to grow our organic flour and popcorns. We grow "Mandan Bride", a Native American corn that is very soft and starchy and easily grinds to an excellent flour.
Racoons tend not to bother the multicolored "Indian corns". But ravens and crows love to pull up seedlings to get at the corn kernels. To get around this problem and also the difficulty with spotty germination, we devised a simple planting method that also might benefit home growers.
We soak the untreated seed overnight and then let it sprout in a plastic bag in a warm, dark place. The sprouted kernels are then planted in plastic plug trays. This seems to work best if you use the kind of tray with small, conical plugs- about 200 per tray. Set this in the greenhouse or on a sunny window and water well.
In about three weeks the plants will have passed the seedling stage and no longer smell tasty to the ravens. We plant in blocks about four hills wide (three plants per hill) to insure good pollination. Hills should be closely spaced- just far enough apart so that you can get between them and hoe.
Plant in well manured and composted soil, and side dress with compost a few weeks later. The ears are ready when the silks "die", turning dark brown. This technique works well for sweet corn too, and yields early and bountiful crops.
In our humble opinion, the best way to cook sweet corn is to roast it. Boiling just doesn't bring out the flavors as well as roasting, and microwaving, while highly convenient, is just not as much fun. Grilling corn is embarrassingly simple, but the results are amazing. Light a gas or charcoal grill (let the fire burn down until the coals are evenly white). Put the unshucked corn on the rack and roast it until the husks are lightly marked on each side, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with sweet butter, salt, pepper and dried hot chili peppers.
The Belfast Farmer's Market would like to invite everyone to come and enjoy our 2nd Annual Corn Roast, happening Tuesday, August 31 (2:30-5:30), and Friday and Saturday, September 3 and 4 (9-1) at Reny's Plaza. In appreciation of our customers' commitment to the market this season, we will be handing out steaming ears of free roasted corn on all three days.