Some people wait for strawberries or cider or tomatoes, but  there has been a general longing for local sweet corn in the air for a couple of weeks.

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field,” said Dwight Eisenhower; and while that’s true of every sort of farming, it’s particularly so in growing corn.

Sweet corn is as natural a creation of human imagination as a poodle dog; nothing like it exists in the wild. From seed to butter rolled cob, there are a dozen diseases competing for your favorite treat and another dozen bad boy bugs.  If the farmer has done everything right…planted at the correct soil temperature, managed the weeds, the bugs, the diseases, the varmints, if the rain has come timely–just so much; no more…a sudden fierce wind can lay the entire field flat in seconds despite all that good effort.

Several vendors began the sweet corn season last Saturday, and this week we welcome Vree Farm back to the Market, so supply should be good.  The Statz’ s return with their legendary all-yellow corn and early apples: Lodi and Yellow Transparent.

The beans in the photo are called Dragon Langerie–”Dragon underwear!” giggled an eight year old friend of mine on hearing the name pronounced. I don’t find much recorded history on this variety of snap bean, but at the Evanston, Illinois market every last bean went home with shoppers of Central European descent: Hungarians, Czechoslovakians, Bosnians.    I asked for a recipe and got the one you already know…beans, onions, potatoes and bacon cooked to comfort food texture– sometimes– a dollop of sour cream on top.  Real Foods have these and most of the veggie vendors have heaps of beautiful purple, yellow and green snap beans.  Here’s a recipe for making leather britches–preserved snap beans–that might have  you considering  how easy it is to blanch ‘em and freeze ‘em. (Here’s another using those beautiful shallots from Green’s Pleasant Springs Orchard.)

When you stop by Potter’s Crackers, ask Nancy about the opal basil lemonade recipe that she got from Blue Moon Community Farm where they have baskets of fragrant purple basil.  (Visit Potter’s Crackers’ new website–it’s gorgeous, and you can order online when you can’t get to the market or need to surprise a faraway friend.)

This is the week to fill up that fabulous fruit bowl…Door County Fruit has amazing apricots and cherries, Vivian Green is bringing melons and the Flyte Family Farm’s blueberries are still available.  Here’s a Choose-a-Fruit crisp recipe with microwave directions in case you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.  (B’s Honey and Bonde Bee both have local honey for drizzling if you prefer your fruit naked.)

If your spring containers are looking tired, there is still plenty of summery plant stock available to refresh them and lots of hot growing weather coming.  These beautiful mini-cannas are at Country Bloomers.

Ask the  experts at Edelweiss and Schroeders which cheeses to pair with your summer fruit selections–perhaps add one of those mini lemon pound cakes from Ethel Ann’s Savories and Sweets–and lure everybody out to the deck while you grill something delicious from Jordandal, Jen Ehr, Hawk’s Hill Ranch or Pecatonica Valley. (Don’t forget the garlic bread!  The fresh garlic crop is in, and the bread is superb at Madison Sourdough, Stella’s and Honey Bee Bakery.)

Making a Meal of the Issues?  Guess which city is second on the list for most fast food consumption?  Check out this story from Science Friday while you’re enjoying local fruit and this episode will thrill a certain type of kid.  (There’s a prize winning science project in the last link.)

Recipes!

You probably know every corn recipe there is; think outside the box and make ice cream!  This version is from Rick Bayliss (Mexico One Plate at a Time).

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Nieve de Elote

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Recipe from Season 6 of Mexico – One Plate at a Time

Ingredients

2 to 3 ears fresh sweet corn
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup evaporated milk
A scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican cinnamon
2 tablespoon orange liqueur, preferably Gran Torres
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions

1.   Set up a double boiler. Set up a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which you can nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl.  Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat while you’re preparing the custard base.

2.   Cook the base. Husk the corn and pull off all the silk.  Cut the kernels from the ears and measure 2 cups.  Scoop into a blender and add the half-and-half.  Blend until smooth.  In the 3-quart stainless steel bowl, stir together the egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the corn mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly. Reduce the temperature under the pot of boiling water to maintain a gentle simmer.  Set the bowl of custard base over the simmering water and whisk frequently, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 20 minutes.  The custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.  (You can also test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the custard, then running your finger through the custard:  if the line holds clearly, the custard has thickened sufficiently.)  Pour the base through a medium-mesh strainer into another bowl (preferably stainless steel for quick cooling).

3.   Cool the base. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Nestle the custard into the ice and whisk regularly until completely cool.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.

4.   Finish the base, freeze the ice cream. Stir the heavy cream, evaporated milk, cinnamon, orange liqueur and lime juice into the base.  Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions. Scrape into a freezer container and freeze for several hours to firm.

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Here is that famous vodka pie crust recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. This really works for even the pastry–cursed like me.  Don’t use the good vodka because there’s absolutely no alcohol left after the dough is cooked.  Super easy to work with and bakes up as flaky as my grandmother’s notorious lard recipe.  (Sometimes, I make a triple batch and freeze.)

Foolproof Pie Dough

- makes one 9-inch double-crust pie -

The trick to this pie crust is the inclusion of vodka. Eighty-proof vodka, which is 60 percent water and 40 percent alcohol, adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation since gluten doesn’t form in ethanol. Although the recipe includes 8 tablespoons of liquid, the alcohol vaporizes during baking, resulting in a tender crust that only contains 6 1/2 tablespoons of water. Because of the extra liquid, the dough will be moister than most standard pie doughs and will require up to 1/4 cup more flour.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Procedure

1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Web Extras!

One market fan has noticed that sometimes artichokes need a lesson plan.  Here’s a beginner’s guide to one of the most delicious veggies ever.  (When they’re small, put on a movie and clean several.  They freeze quite well.)

Can’t make that sweet corn ice cream recipe until you find an ice cream freezer at the thrift store?  Here’s a soft tech method using a couple of zip lock bags.  (Print the page, hand the kids the ingredients and send them outside. Lock the door.)

This link is to Tastespotting, a blog that links many other cooking blogs….it’s like an entire library of cool cookbooks to bookmark and browse.  I’ve started your journey on the ice cream page–there are some vegan recipes too!–and you’ll know where to go after that.  Find something wonderful?  Share it via email and I’ll post here.  (Maybe you’ll be inspired to start your own blog.)