Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Kernels of Truth

Yummy fire-roasted sweet corn (Maryjane Butters / The Spokesman-Review)
Mary Jane Butters United Features Syndicate
Who among the farm-hearted doesn’t love a good ear of corn? Anyone who has ever held a fresh ear in her hands knows what I’m talking about. Oh, the rows of pearly kernels tightly nested in neat rows, still warm from the summer sun! Once I’ve snapped an ear from the stalk and peeked through the silky husk, it’s almost impossible to wait for a pot of water to boil. My mouth waters at the thought of those lovely little juice-packed jewels. Few gifts from the garden are as sweet. Fortunately, my adoration of corn is still untainted by the veritable crisis that plagues our country today. Genetic engineering, overproduction, pesticides and processed corn-based products threaten our health, the environment and global food security on a daily basis. But, having harvested a bushel of information, I’m prepared to decipher the “good” corn from the “bad.” And, by golly, I still welcome “good” corn to my table with the same gratitude that the Native Americans must have felt centuries ago, when corn was held sacred. Certain tribes actually revered corn as the first mother of their people. One story tells of a desperate mother who had nothing to feed her children and so sacrificed her body to the land, promising her family that she would return in seven months bearing food. When her family visited the place of her death seven months later, they found a crop of bountiful corn plants with tassels like their mother’s own silken hair. It’s hard to imagine that such a gorgeous and gracious crop could become so maligned. But human ingenuity has indeed created a monster. More than 76 million acres of corn are cultivated annually in the United States, meaning our nation’s acres (not to mention its small farms) are being gobbled up by industrial, genetically modified corn. This mega-crop is used inexpensively for livestock, gasoline and low-quality processed foods. The repercussions range far and wide, including antibiotic-laden meat from animals with grain-induced illnesses, millions of pounds of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and a food supply riddled with high-fructose corn syrup. Not to mention all of the petroleum required to fuel this screwy system. But you know what? Big problems can be pecked into bite-sized solutions. You and I can start nibbling away at the corn crisis today with these simple steps: — Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. It’s in practically everything, so you have to be diligent, but there are plenty of affordable alternatives. Watch out for products claiming “corn syrup” on their labels, because it can actually contain high-fructose content on the sly. — Buy 100 percent organic corn, whether it’s on the cob, in the can or included in another product’s ingredients. Organic corn products are grown without pesticides, and they’re not genetically modified (unlike 85 percent of the rest of the corn on the market). Check labels carefully to make sure all corn components are organic. — Buy meat, dairy and eggs from animals that were raised on pasture grass, not corn. The organic label guarantees that livestock were not fed pesticides, but it doesn’t guarantee they were grass-fed. Look for “organic, grass-fed,” on the labels and you’ll be getting the best possible product. — Avoid buying gasoline that contains ethanol, a corn-based fuel additive. — Don’t waste your good, green intentions on buying corn-based “plastic” products, which most likely come from GMO (genetically modified organisms). — If you feed wild birds or your own chicken flock, look for organic or corn-free feeds. — Get informed. Learning about the dangers of genetic modification and other issues affecting our food supply can help us make better choices. A few straightforward sources of information are:  Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org), including Barbara Kingsolver’s essay “A Fist in the Eye of God” (www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/SmallWonders.cfm) “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” by Michael Pollan “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver Eatwild: Grass-Fed Food and Facts (www.eatwild.com) Perhaps the sweetest solutions of all are to grow your own little backyard corn crop, or to stop by your local farmers’ market to pick up an armload of ears grown by your neighbors. Recipe Idea: Fire-Roasted Sweet Corn Fresh fire-roasted sweet corn enjoyed on a cool summer night is a toothsome summertime treat. It takes only a couple of easy steps to make this great-tasting sweet corn, and it won’t distract you from enjoying the company of friends and family who have gathered by the fire. First, place un-husked ears in a large pan of water to soak for about an hour. While the corn soaks, light a fire so there’s time for hot coals to develop. After about an hour (or whenever you get to it, there’s really no hurry), remove the corn from the water. Stack the ears on a grill balanced on rocks at one end of the fire ring. Sweep some of the coals from the fire beneath the grill. Don’t set the corn directly above the flames, or it will cook too quickly and the husks will burn. The idea is to slow-steam them over smoke-flavored coals. Set a pan of butter by the fire and place a bouquet of rosemary stalks tied with twine with one end steeping in the butter and the other resting against the edge of the pan. Let the heat of the fire melt and flavor the butter as the corn cooks. Just be sure it doesn’t get too hot and burn the butter. Rotate the stack of corn every five or 10 minutes, depending on the strength of the coals, so they’ll cook evenly. Don’t worry if some of the corn becomes a little blackened or browned — it is quite tasty a little charred, too. After about a half hour, check for done-ness by pulling back the husk a bit on one of the ears. If it’s done, the kernels will be bright yellow and steaming. Brush on the butter with the rosemary bouquet.