Growing, Cooking and Preserving Sweetcorn for the home

Growing, Cooking and Preserving Sweet-corn

Of course, sweet-corn is not a native of the UK and we are doubtless well behind the methods of cooking and preserving of the American continents. However, over time, different varieties have been developed to cope with our cooler, shorter summers and the tastes of the European connoisseur.

This year I grew two different varieties I was looking to extend the season and to give me a crop introduced to me by my friend Phillip who sat me down beside his very sweet, sweet-corn crop and introduced me to the delights of eating the vegetable raw, picked freshly from the plant. He then shared his crop with me and I had to come up with a variety of cooking and preserving methods to cope with such an abundant crop.

For a couple of years I have had some difficulty ensuring the pollination of the cobs. Although they looked good on the plant while still growing, when I harvested them there were few swollen kernels. As they are pollinated by the pollen from the male flowers at the tops of the plants falling successfully onto the female flowers [ the ‘silk’ catching the pollen as it falls], it is important for the plants to be close enough together for this to succeed. For this reason, it is always recommended that sweet-corn is planted in blocks rather than in rows. Even so, in previous years I had obviously planted each young plant too far from its neighbour. This year, I planted them 10 inches [25cm] apart and have achieved a much better crop. Of course, this has been a notoriously cold wet season in the UK and not much suited to growing what is really an exotic plant for our country.

On 10^th April, I sowed F1 Earlibird [from Dobies] in small pots in my propagator – not too hot. Of course, my propagator does not have enough light for the plants to grow on well so they were then moved to my polytunnel with fingers crossed for no heavy frosts [ my polytunnel is not heated]. I did the same for my next crop of Rising Sun F1 [also from Dobies]  starting them in the propagator on 2^nd May.

As each of these seedlings started to grow through their pots into the compost of the tunnel I had to plant them out – probably earlier than would have been advised. We were hit by damaging storms shortly afterwards and I surrounded each area with canes to attempt to break the wind. For the most part this strategy worked quite well. I have been harvesting sweet-corn since early August – sweet, delicious cobs which have been well filled. That said, it has been a miserable cold, wet year and I have been lucky to have harvested only one, and occasionally two cobs from each plant when I would normally have expected at least two.

Now, what to do with them!

Of course, they can always be cooked in a deep pan of boiling, salted water for five minutes and served with cracked, black pepper and butter – excellent!

Try sweetcorn fritters:

Sweet-Corn Fritters

2 – 3 fresh corn cobs – cut the kernels from the cobs

4 oz [100gm] plain flour                                Pinch salt

2 tsp baking powder                                     Milk to mix

¼ tsp chilli powder                                       freshly cracked black pepper

Method

·         Sieve the flour, salt, pepper, chilli and baking powder into a bowl.

·         Add enough milk to give a creamy batter. Beat well until smooth.

·         Add the corn kernels and mix well.

·         Drop the mixture from a large spoon onto a hot, greased griddle or heavy flat pan.

·         When brown on one side turn and brown on the other.

·         Keep warm on a clean cloth/ teatowel.

·         Serve with fried or roast chicken and fried bananas.

Sweetcorn Relish

6 corncobs – remove the kernels                 1 sweet red pepper – finely chopped

1 large onion – finely chopped                      3 large garlic cloves – finely chopped

1 – 2 fresh hot chilli peppers(keep the seeds in if you like it very hot)

500ml (1pint)white vinegar

250g (9oz) white sugar                                     1 –2 tsp salt ( to taste)

1 dsp. yellow mustard seed                             1 tsp mustard powder

½ tsp ground black pepper                              ½ tsp turmeric

1 Tblsp cornflour – blended with a little water or a little extra vinegar

Method

·         Put the sugar and vinegar into a large pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

·         Add the onion, sweetcorn kernels, red pepper, chopped chilli and garlic and simmer gently until the vegetables are ‘transparent’ and cooked 10 minutes or so.

·         Add the mustard seed and powder, turmeric, pepper and salt and cook for 10 -15mins.

·         Add the blended cornflour and stir in well.

·         Bring to the boil and boil for 4 – 5 minutes until the mixture stares to thicken.

·         Pot up in hot, sterilised jars. Cover and label.

Try also:

Sweetcorn, Apple and Cucumber Relish

10 – 12 corn cobs to give 2 lb [1kg] kernels

1 red pepper                                                2 large cooking apples    

2 red chillies [ I like Joe’s Long] – preferably fresh but dried will do

2 large cucumbers or 4 – 5 small [ I am using Greenfingers F1 which are a small variety]

2 tsp salt                                           2 tsp yellow mustard seed + 1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp turmeric                                    2 tsp ground allspice

1 ½ pts [900ml] white vinegar             1lb 8oz [700gm] white sugar

4-5 cloves garlic – finely chopped

Method

·         Cut the kernels carefully from the cobs, try to avoid including any of the parts closest to the core as they are quite hard and tough.

·         Chop the red pepper.

·         Peel, core and chop the apple.

·         Finely chop the cucumbers – leave some of the skin on to improve the colour of the relish.

·         Put the chopped vegetables, apples and garlic into a preserving pan with the vinegar.

·         Add the spices and salt and bring to the boil.

·         Simmer gently until all of the fruit/vegetables are soft.

·         Add the sugar and simmer until thick, being careful the relish doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

·         Check the seasoning.

·         Pot up into hot, sterilised jars. Seal and label.

Of course, don’t forget about freezing this wonderful vegetable for the winter:

Cut the kernels carefully from the cob. Pack loosely into freezer containers – allow a little air space to allow for expansion when frozen. Seal, label and rapid freeze.

If you freeze in freezer-bags or small containers it will allow you to use only as much as you wish.