Sweet Corn Season!

Locally grown sweet corn is now in season!  Elizabeth joined Larry Pfarr at the St. Paul Farmer’s Market satellite location in Roseville to make some recipes using the Minnesota favorite! 

Cilantro Lime Butter

½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
½ tsp grated lime peel
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ tsp to 1 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)
½ tsp salt

Place cilantro in food processor, pulse until finely chopped.

Add all remaining ingredients.  Process until all ingredients are combined

Serve over fresh hot cooked corn on the cob.

Creamy Sweet Corn

2 cups fresh sweet corn – cut from the cob
¼ cup Half & Half
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer for 6-8 minutes until heated through.
 

Perfectly Grilled Sweet Corn
by Larry Pfarr

Soak ears of corn in water- husks and all for about an hour.
Heat grill as hot as possible.
Place corn on grill – close lid.
After five minutes turn corn.
Close lid and heat another 5 minutes.

After a total of 10 minutes (more if you like a bit of char on the corn) on the grill place corn in a cooler to steam for five minutes.   NOTE: Do not use a Styrofoam cooler as it will melt.  The cooler must be hard plastic.   Use caution when opening the cooler as the steam will be very hot.

Pull husks from corn starting at the top.  Serve with butter and salt.

Homestyle Sweet Corn Relish
Adapted from: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Makes about six pint jars

4 cups white vinegar
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons salt
8 cups corn kernels – freshly sliced from cob
4 cups diced and seeded red peppers (can use green instead or a combination of the two)
1¾ cups diced celery
1 cup onion
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons ground turmeric

Prepare canner, jars and lids.  (Click here for more information)

In a large stainless steel stockpot, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Add corn, peppers, celery and onions stirring constantly and maintaining boil.

Stir in mustard, celery seeds and turmeric.

Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace by adding more hot relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, remove jars, cool and store.

Sweet Corn Sauté

Sweet corn is the star of this recipe.  What else is added is totally up to you. This can also be done using only the farm fresh sweet corn

Olive oil
1 clove garlic - minced
1/4 cup chopped onions or scallions
½ cup chopped green or red peppers
½ cup peas in pod
½ cup chopped zucchini – chopped
3-4 cups fresh sweet corn – cut from the cob
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of ½  fresh lime

Coat sauté pan with olive oil and heat.
Add garlic, onions and peppers.
Heat for 2 minutes.
Add peas, stir and heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add zucchini, stir and heat for another minute.
Add corn, stir and heat for about 4-5 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Add cilantro and lime juice.

Serve