Remembering Shishka

Photo by Laura Binks

My uncle was recently telling me a story about a dog he had while growing up on the farm. Every year around this time, Shishka would go out into the sweet corn, pick an ear, bring it back to the yard, pull the husk back, and proceed to nibble away. I was thinking I could have used her help the past two weekends while I was surrounded by freshly picked sweet corn. Unfortunately, Shishka is no longer around to show everyone how it is done.

So in honor of a Labor Day staple and Shishka, I scrounged up a few recipes for corn on the cob. Also, if you are interested in finding a place to pick your own sweet corn or strawberries or even pumpkins check out pickyourown.org or pickyourownfood.com.

Chile Lime Corn
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp lime zest
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients and set aside. Cook corn and spread butter mixture on corn.

Parmesan Corn
½ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
½ tsp salt

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until tender. Remove skillet from heat and cool. Combine Parmesan cheese, garlic mixture, parsley, and salt. Brush cheese mixture over hot corn and serve.

Jalapeño-Lime Corn
1 stick butter
1 lime juiced and zested
1 small jalapeño, seeded
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sweet paprika

Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth. Place on waxed paper and roll. Place in freezer until ready to serve or spread over hot corn.