Thursday, August 4, 2016

Our Wildlife Feeding Program


We always plant more corn than we really need because something usually gets a lot of it -- worms, crows, cows . . .

This year John put an electric fence around the two tiers of corn it to discourage deer and to keep the dogs from romping through it.


It did not, however, deter the raccoons who, in the past few nights, ate about half of it. 


Still, I was able to harvest  several bushels -- enough to keep me busy shucking. . . and taking pictures.


Corn's (or maize, for you others) has a fascinating history as it evolved, aided by selective breeding  from a wild grass called teosinte by early Americans in what is now Mexico about ten thousand years ago. There's an excellent article on the subject HERE.


I'm happy with what we got -- considering that we still have quite a bit in the freezer from last year, we'll be enjoying corn pudding and corn cakes and lots of other good things in the coming year, in spite of the coons inroads.


I can't resist adding that when we were in England a few years ago, I was amazed (see what I did there, Martin?) that the Brits put sweet corn kernels into sandwiches. I remember a prawn and sweet corn sandwich that was really good but I haven't tried to recreate it. I love raw sweet corn in salads -- a sandwich shouldn't be much of a leap.


10 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

Raw corn? Sandwiches? Simply amaizeing! Perhaps this is why my forebears emigrated.

Ms. A said...

I miss having fresh corn out of my grandparent's and my dad's garden.

Martin said...

I see what you did, Vicki. You just had "pop" one in there!

Brian Miller said...

nice. we had corn many ways in nepal. roasted. pop corn, but not like our pop corn. let them dry and we stripped them by hand to get all the kernels. i def think i bruised my fingers doing that.

Frances said...

Isn't it grand that corn was allowed to cross the Mexican border?

My Mom used to make delicious corn fritters. Yummy!

xo

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

I had to laugh at Frances's comment. I used to love corn on the cob. Haven't had any for years. We have raccoons here in Sacramento, and those rascals steal our grapes.

jennyfreckles said...

Tinned corn in tuna sandwiches is a favourite here. But I love to eat fresh from the cobs despite the bits getting stuck in my teeth!

Vicki Lane said...

Tonight I'm making a cold dish -- orzo, grilled shrimp, tomatoes, basil, red onion, feta, and fresh corn with a lemony-garlicky vinaigrette. Will have to try the corn in tuna.

Mary Maupin said...

GB just put a havaheart trap in our corn to catch our rascally racoon.

Jime said...

I love hominy grits. Oh! Give me grits with sharp cheddar jalapeƱos mixed in with some crumbled bacon and Butter on top. I love corn grated off the cob and fried in bacon fat. Salty and sweet. I could go on, but it would get corny.