Sweet Corn

The Raccoons and I have something in common. I absolutely love Sweet Corn. Considering that Raccoons seem to appear out of nowhere and the Great Lengths they manage to go to on a stand of Sweet Corn which is perfectly ripe, surely they must feel the Same.

I do not believe that it can be Summer without Sweet Corn. It surely is one of my most favored Summer Delights. I would go to just about any reasonable length to have it. The Reality that Sweet Corn was raised here on the Place that I call Home and by our own Hands is just about the Frosting on the Cake.

At this Season when the Corn is newly ripe and it rests between my 2 Hands, I often reflect on what it means to me. These Days are no exception to that Rule.

When I was growing up, I loved Sweet Corn too. I remember practicing different ways to eat it. I seemed intent on discovering the best way. I would sit among my Friends or Family and we would do our best to achieve that end.

I would carefully take 2 or 3 or 4 rows at a time and go methodically from one end to the other. When I arrived at the end, I would make a bell like sound: "Ding!" That was to simulate a Typewriter reaching the end. Then I would swing back to the other side. These days, most would not know that Typewriter Simulation, which seems to me a great loss in the Corn Experiment of Eating.

My 2nd most favored experiment was to go completely around the Cob. Round and round I would go. Sometimes, I was so eager, I would almost forget to stop.

Which did I like best? Over the years, I have stayed with the "going from one end to the other". Subconsciously, I think I still sing out the "Ding!" I guess that approach won favor in my Life.

I love Corn with Butter Dripping. I put the Butter on with a Table Knife. I do like to roll the Ear of Corn in the melted Butter on my plate. I add to that moderate Sprinklings of Salt and Pepper. I am all set.

Mother used to have those little Plastic Corns which poked their sharp ends into the Cob. That approach allowed delicate Folks to eat their Corn without touching the Cob. That seemed to me an approach that City People might use. While I liked those little Gadgets, I found no need to have them. I liked the experience of just holding the Cob.

These days, I usually have 2-3 Ears at a sitting. I surely must have eaten more than that before. At the end of the Meal, I sit back with some satisfaction thinking about what I have just experienced. Usually, I feel a warm coating of Butter around my mouth and on my chin. Sometimes I look across the Table at Dear One, and I see that he has a dot or 2 of a Corn Kernel on his face. I know that I surely have the same. You could call it the Blessing of the Corn, I suppose, as if we have entered some kind of Special Society.

In all those years in the City, we would occasionally buy Sweet Corn from the Grocery Store. If it was in Season, it was sometimes local. Other times, it had been shipped in from some remote site. Always, the delay from picking from the patch to the appearance on our table was delayed. I have tried Sweet Corn out of Season. I have had it Frozen. These are not at all the same. I choose none of these things these days.

I can understand the Great Lengths that my Companions the Raccoons go to in finding Corn. So far, our Little Experiment of Providing them with Corn in the Big Field is working. We have provided them with Corn, which fills their need too. They haven't yet found the Corn in the Main Garden or maybe they know what it means to us, and they are just leaving it alone. I cannot be for sure. I would ask your confidence in the sharing of these things. Shhhhh....