Corn

If anyone were to ask me what food reminds me of summer, my answer would not be ice cream. It also wouldn’t be snow cones from the sno shack. Nor would it be the delectable watermelon…because I don’t like watermelon. No, it would be that yellow pillar of deliciousness. That multi-purpose kernel of everything that we love about food. We use a body part to describe it because why not? Everyone has ears and everyone loves corn. Well not everyone, but we can’t all be perfect, can we?

Corn is available all year round, I know this, you know this, the guy riding his bike and honking his horn down the street knows this. But summer is when this amazing swiss army knife of a crop is grown and eventually harvested. Living in Central California where we have one and a half seasons, sometimes everything just gets blurred together while you’re dealing with the day-to-day of life. Wake up, go to work, pay bills, and stop the children from killing each other. You know, living the Dream. One thing that makes me realize summer is fast approaching is when you are sweating in your house and have to turn the AC on in the middle of March. Another good summer indicator is driving down the road and that field that had been lying empty for the past couple of months is suddenly inundated with a swarm of green.

The first time you drive by you don’t really notice, then a couple of weeks later it catches your eye again because the plants are a bit taller. Then a month goes by and they are taller than your eight-year-old and that’s when it hits you. Holy crap the corn is growing again! Suddenly you’re reminded about all the amazing things this superfood gives us. Without corn, there would be no corn pops, cornbread, or polenta. Movies would be less fun, crunchy tacos would pretty much be out the window and Gram Gram’s pecan pie just wouldn’t taste the same.

We want corn, we need corn, I need corn. I think a summer without corn would bring the U.S.A to its knees. There would be full-scale panic down south without being able to indulge in a decadent bowl of shrimp and grits. Pozole would be a bowl of red, well-seasoned soup but it wouldn’t be as special. Children would riot without their Frosted Flakes and what on Earth are you going to use to hush those puppies? I mean we grind up the corn for masa and use the dried husks to make tamales. There would be no tamales without corn! Think for a second about that horrible world, that terrifying tamale-less world. It makes my spine shudder. Corn gives us so much and asks so little in return. Just a few acres, a lot of sun, and a bunch of water, that’s it.

Hands down though, between you and me, the best way to enjoy corn is in its purest form. Canned corn is fine in a pinch, and as a father, I understand the benefit of a quick and easy dinner. Tear the lid off the tin, throw it in a pot, fire, butter, a pinch of salt, and you have a side. Frozen bagged corn? Essentially the same thing but it takes a little longer, so it’s passable. Boiling some frozen corn on the cob simply turns it into a vessel for more butter and salt which is not something you will hear me complain about. Corn is basically the lobster or crab of the produce aisle. But that man riding his bike and honking that horn has it pretty close to perfect.

For a measly two dollars, inflation is wild, you get a large ear of boiled corn. Covered in mayo, dusted with crumbled cotija cheese, sprinkled with a slightly spicy chili powder, and finished with a squeeze of lime. Heaven. When I hear that horn my head instantly turns in the direction of the front door and I look around for my wallet. Elote, or corn on a stick as my children have so eloquently dubbed it, is hands down one of the best things about living in Central Cali. It almost makes up for the eight months of ninety-degree weather we get…almost.

If you’ve never had elote or don’t like mayonnaise, fear not dear reader. Grilling the corn and seasoning it with everything mentioned above is also great. And when is grilling season? Summer! So next time you throw those hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill while the kids throw the dog in the pool and you yell at them not to because Sparky has an ear infection but they don’t listen cause they’re kids, just remember to toss a couple of ears of corn on the fire as well. You won’t be disappointed and you can enjoy another variation of the almighty summer super fruit.