Recipe of the Day

The sweet corn harvest is in and it’s Labor Day weekend.  If you are grilling here’s a fun, easy and tasty recipe for a side dish that I’ve been making periodically since 2009. 

Black Bean Corn Salsa  

In a mixing bowl add: 

2 C of blanched garden sweet corn   
1 can of black beans – rinsed and drained    
1/2 C of red onion – diced    
1 small red bell pepper from the garden - cored, seeded and diced
2 ribs of celery - diced    
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)   
1 t minced garlic     
2 T chopped fresh cilantro    
1 T honey     
Juice of one lime    
4 T balsamic vinegar   
1/2 t of chili powder    
Pinch of sea salt   
Fresh cracked pepper to taste    

Stir to blend it all together and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to harmonize.  We added some sweet, yellow cherry tomatoes from the garden when served.       

Serve with grilled chicken, pork or seafood.  We voted on grilled chicken, tortilla chips and frosty cervezas from south of the border.

¡Salud

 

Successful Border Security

In case you haven't been following the saga of the 2019 sweet corn it returned this year as an experiment.  Every year I try to introduce something new to the garden  Following a devastating overnight raccoon raid years ago I brought back the sweet corn.  It has been a touch-and-go season with some close calls.  Nevertheless, the corn season has closed and I disconnected and disassembled the electric fence and picked the last remaining sweet corn from the corn patch.  

Yesterday brought an additional dozen corn on the cob along 15 additional packs of off the cob corn.  Sticky and slightly messy work but garden to freezer in hours. That corn is going to be awesome when Ma Nature is flinging snow and freezing rain at me in February.

click on images for a closer look

 

I lost count along the way but I conservatively figure 55 to 60 ears (give-or-take) have been eaten fresh or frozen for future use.  Raccoons all over the place and I lost not one single ear to the masked marauders. That electric fence really did the trick!    

Raising a toast to border security.

The Garden Chonicles

If they've made an attempt to raid my corn patch by all outward appearances the electric fence has deterred the local raccoons. 

 

 
A couple of days ago a cadged an ear, shucked it and ate it on the spot.  It was delicious.

Today a picked some of the larger ears that were within easy reach.

They were excellent.

click on images to enlarge

 

This is some sweet stuff and there's more in the pipeline. 

Raising a toast to electric fencing......

The Garden Chronicles

  Sweet corn is coming on-line and my vast harvest is nigh.  

The way I figure it the local raccoon bandits have been casing the joint too.  

Electric fence is now operational.  

And I can share from firsthand knowledge that if you stand barefoot in the garden dirt and touch a strand the jolt is just a good as I recall from childhood dares.

Stay-tuned to see if it works....

The Garden Chronicles

click on the garden for a closer look

 

As you can see from the photo above the garden has made considerable progress since the last time I reported-in.

The sweet corn was flattened by straight-line winds a few weeks ago and had to be propped-up with bamboo sticks.  It not only survived but has thrived.  It has tasseled and it is almost time to erect my electric anti-raccoon fence around it. 

The tomato plants have fruit and the avalanche is poised to begin.  If you've been following this blog you already know that the broccoli and lettuces have been spectacular.  Green beans are coming online regularly and the same with the sweet peppers.  Cukes should be ready in the next week.  The pumpkins, melons and acorn squash are taking over their respective garden locations and battling with the other produce.  The onions and taters continue to develop below ground. Same for the beets and carrots. 

That raggedy row of brown pea vines (left of center) is gone.  After a nice harvest while the kids were visiting I removed the plants on Thursday and put-away the fence until next year. 

Vive le jardin magnifique!

The Garden Chonicles

The garden took a beating with three huge storms and 2.5 inches of rain in the last 36 hours.

Following yesterday’s storms my first impression is that the sweet corn may be a total loss.

On the advice of a neighbor I gently propped the stalks back and supported them with every thin bamboo cane I had on hand.

click on the corn for a closer look

Yeah - it looks ugly but stay-tuned....

The Garden Chronicles

click on images for a closer look

As you can see from the photo above the garden has made considerable progress.

It seems that the sweet corn puts on significant height each and every day.  The tomato plants have fruit and we've already dined on some ripe cherry tomatoes.  Salad greens have found their way to the table regularly, the pepper plants have peppers, the pumpkin plants are thriving, the broccoli plants have gone free-range as their cages have been removed and the peas have set fruit.

About the peas. 

I noticed today that there is a variation in color of the blossoms.  Any variation the taste or size of the pea pod or peas should become apparent soon enough - but the interweb tells me that pea blossoms come in one of the widest color ranges in the plant kingdom. 

We'll see once the harvest comes in.

Last, but not least, Jill picked-up my electric fence kit at Tractor Supply today.  My scheme is to electrify the fence around my vast sweet corn patch.  I'm going to show those raccoons a lesson or two if I don't electrocute myself first.

Stay-tuned and Vive le jardin magnifique!

Knee High By The 4th of July

As a kid growing-up I was taught by my mom that corn had to be “knee-high by the Fourth of July” to be considered on-schedule.  Nowadays, modern agriculture has higher standards and results.  Three generations ago knee-high corn today may have indicated sufficient progress.  Modern plant genetics and improvements in plant health suggest that the old knee high measure could be a sign of trouble.  In Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma 8 feet by today is the norm.  As a consequence corn should be “as high as an elephant’s eye” by the Fourth of July.  

Here is my vast sweet corn patch.   

And It would appear I am right on schedule. 

Terrific progress considering the cold, wet start to the planting season.

More Sweet Corn!

At four bucks for thirteen fresh-picked daily ears of bi-color sweet corn you absolutely have to gorge yourself on this candy-like treat but put some away.  Not seed corn - but sweet corn in the freezer.

Peel your ears and blanch in boiling water for seven minutes.  Don't crowd your ears.

Plunk them into a sink filled with cold tap water to chill.  After the cobs sink to the bottom of the sink fish them out to drain.

On a cutting board shear the corn from the cob using an exceedingly sharp chef knife.  Transfer to a colander to drain a bit.

click on image to enlarge

 


Grab a beer and bag and shrink with a FoodSaver and freeze.

When the cold wind blows snow and sleet on my window pane I am going to be enjoying some of this summer goodness.

Sweet Corn!

The second reason I no longer grow my own sweet corn is a neighboring farmer grows it and sells it thirteen ears for four bucks.

You cannot beat that with a stick.

Freezing sweet corn today.  Gonna taste mighty tastey in February...