Most edible things that are to be cooked taste better when they’re somewhat caramelised. Meat, onions, garlic, they’re all improved once the sugars inside have been slightly toasted, and sweetcorn is no exception. Ah, sweetcorn, where have you been all my life? Silly question really because the answer is obviously “in the freezer” but that answer is the WRONG answer! This was the first year I’ve ever successfully grown sweetcorn and my goodness, it was a triumph. Not in terms of yield (as it turns out sweetcorn requires an awful lot of space and I only grew one raised bed of the stuff) but in terms of flavour.
I am a dedicated carnivore but every so often I taste something so pure and perfect that gives me a glimpse of why someone might give up eating meat. This sweetcorn fell into that camp. How do I describe the taste of sweetcorn picked minutes before it is grilled to a slightly toasty finish on the BBQ and finished with some salty butter? My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Absolute perfection. Away with your sausages, remove the burgers from my sight, the only thing to eat on a BBQ is freshly picked corn cobs. They’re also marvellously dramatic to eat with your hands which delighted our eldest.
I honestly didn’t think they’d germinate even though I was careful to plant them in a grid but a bit of judicious shaking of the stems every time I went past may have helped. Next year I’ll be branching out and finding some new varieties and dedicating more raised beds to this marvellous stuff because like asparagus, I think I could eat it daily for weeks on end. And next year, hopefully, we shall!
London to Land Girl 