Enjoy that sweet corn

Sweet corn pictured above, showing the vital germ* close to the cob.
The most nutritious part of the ear is the germ, so eat or cut your corn close to the cob. I’ve seen the leftovers from mouse banquets in the winter woods, where corn from an adjacent field was feasted upon. It was always interesting to see that the little rodents didn’t eat the starchy part but deftly plucked out the germ from each kernel!

While I don’t eat a lot of corn, I really do enjoy fresh (“green”) sweet corn this time of year! I go easy though, because it’s highly allergenic and fattening. Cornmeal is made from mature, dried corn and is even more calorie-dense than green corn.

The most cooling form of corn is raw. When we used to grow our own corn, I used to enjoy husking and eating an ear right in the garden, just like the raccoons! Other wildlife like corn too, including skunks, and they always know when the sugar is at its peak. In fact, they’d always beat me to it, if I weren’t paying attention! If you’d like to try it raw, choose tender ears in the milky stage and serve them freshly picked, at room temperature.

For cooked corn, I like to experiment with different toppings. Instead of butter try olive, flaxseed or hempseed oil, for a change. My Latin friends enjoy cayenne pepper on top. It’s also not bad with salsa, kind of like corn chutney. I like it best with cilantro pesto, though recently I enjoyed it slathered with mashed avocado that I seasoned with a little curry powder, lemon juice and salt.

*Though the germ represents only 12% of the total corn kernel–higher than wheat (2.5%) or other grains–it has 22% of the protein (comparable in quality to casein or soy), whereas the whole kernel has only 9-10%. While corn is low in lysine, the key amino acid, the germ is not. From Maize Biotechnology in agriculture and forestry, by Y. P. S. Bajaj Compared to wheat germ, corn germ has 10 times the zinc, 33% more vitamin E, more iron and twice the fiber. Other nutrients include: 50-60% essential fatty acids, minerals and B-complex vitamins.

Ann Miller-Cohen A.K.A. Organic Annie
www.OrganicAnnie.com
www.SensualSavvy.com
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