Sweet Corn
Like the biblical paradise of its namesake, the town of Eden grows “all the vegetables you can think of,” says resident Jeff Winter. In fact, townspeople have even nicknamed it “The Garden Spot of New York State.” Situated about 20 minutes south of Buffalo, the rural community of 8,500 boasts 40 square miles of prime farmland, and its harvests are as diverse as they are delicious. But among all of Eden’s crops, one stands above the rest: the sweet corn.
“Sweet corn is one of the largest crops in the Eden Valley,” says Winter, who oversees the annual Eden Corn Festival, a four-day celebration complete with singing, dancing, tug of war, a parade and — of course — sweet corn. Lots of sweet corn.
“We eat about 50,000 to 60,000 ears at the festival,” says Winter. “We have corn on the cob, corn chowder, corn bread, kettle corn,” not to mention contests for corn eating, corn husking, corn chowder and corn-bread baking.
So why does Eden, along with so many other Lake Erie coastal towns, grow sweet corn so well? Half of the answer lies in the region’s warm summers, but the other half lies in the cold legacy of the last Ice Age. “The glaciers affected the soil,” says Winter.
He’s right. When the last Ice Age came to an end in North America, less than 10,000 years ago, the vast Laurentide Ice Sheet — which once stretched from the American Midwest to the Arctic Ocean — slowly melted away. In its place remained the Great Lakes, rivers and valleys of our modern landscape. But that is not all that the ice left behind. Vast layers of windblown silt, or loess, were deposited in the valley uplands. This fertile soil, along with a temperate climate, created prime corn-growing conditions along the Erie shoreline.
This fact was not lost on the founders of Eden. Following the Iroquois and, later, the Dutch, a small band of Connecticut pioneers moved into the area in the early 1800s and established a tiny farming and mill community, which would later become Eden. The Dutch found that the soil was highly fertile, and were soon followed by an influx of immigrants from New England, who, like so many other settlers along the Great Lakes, made their living on corn. It has been part of the Eden lifestyle ever since.
“It’s been grown here as long as I can remember,” says Winter, who has seen his share of corn stalks. “I come from a family of farmers, and I’ve spent many, many days on the farm.” Now he, as chief organizer for the Eden Corn Festival, is using his experience to help his community and appreciate the harvest that it is built on.
“It’s a great time of year for people to gather and celebrate the crop,” says Winter.
Nutrition Note:
Corn is a good source of
many nutrients, including thiamin, pantothenic acid, folate, fiber, vitamin C, phosoporous and manganese.
Sweet Corn Recipes
It’s hard to improve on the classic way to eat corn — on the cob. But if anyone knows how to do so, it’s the residents of Eden. The following recipes were collected by the town’s festival organizers.
Eden Corn Au Gratin
(Makes 6 servings)
Ingredients:
6 ears fresh corn
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded
and finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Melt butter or margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender; stir in flour and then add milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened and is smooth. Remove from heat; add corn, cheddar cheese, eggs, sugar, salt and pepper.
Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Set into a shallow pan of hot water and bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Avocado-Corn Salsa
(Yields 1½ cups)
Ingredients:
2 small or medium ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced hot green
chile peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, gently combine avocado, corn kernels, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, chile peppers and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to be served.
Corn Festivals
• Eden Corn Festival, Aug. 5-8, New York, 716-992-9141, edencornfest.com
• North Ridgeville Corn Festival, Ohio, Aug. 13-15, 440-218-9802, nrcornfest.org
• Tecumseh Corn Festival, Aug. 26-29, Ontario, 519-735-2184, tecumseh.ca
• Youngsville Corn Festival, Aug. 20-22, Pennsylvania, 814-563-4604, youngsvillepa.org/festival
“Sweet corn is one of the largest crops in the Eden Valley,” says Winter, who oversees the annual Eden Corn Festival, a four-day celebration complete with singing, dancing, tug of war, a parade and — of course — sweet corn. Lots of sweet corn.
“We eat about 50,000 to 60,000 ears at the festival,” says Winter. “We have corn on the cob, corn chowder, corn bread, kettle corn,” not to mention contests for corn eating, corn husking, corn chowder and corn-bread baking.
So why does Eden, along with so many other Lake Erie coastal towns, grow sweet corn so well? Half of the answer lies in the region’s warm summers, but the other half lies in the cold legacy of the last Ice Age. “The glaciers affected the soil,” says Winter.
He’s right. When the last Ice Age came to an end in North America, less than 10,000 years ago, the vast Laurentide Ice Sheet — which once stretched from the American Midwest to the Arctic Ocean — slowly melted away. In its place remained the Great Lakes, rivers and valleys of our modern landscape. But that is not all that the ice left behind. Vast layers of windblown silt, or loess, were deposited in the valley uplands. This fertile soil, along with a temperate climate, created prime corn-growing conditions along the Erie shoreline.
This fact was not lost on the founders of Eden. Following the Iroquois and, later, the Dutch, a small band of Connecticut pioneers moved into the area in the early 1800s and established a tiny farming and mill community, which would later become Eden. The Dutch found that the soil was highly fertile, and were soon followed by an influx of immigrants from New England, who, like so many other settlers along the Great Lakes, made their living on corn. It has been part of the Eden lifestyle ever since.
“It’s been grown here as long as I can remember,” says Winter, who has seen his share of corn stalks. “I come from a family of farmers, and I’ve spent many, many days on the farm.” Now he, as chief organizer for the Eden Corn Festival, is using his experience to help his community and appreciate the harvest that it is built on.
“It’s a great time of year for people to gather and celebrate the crop,” says Winter.
Nutrition Note:
Corn is a good source of
many nutrients, including thiamin, pantothenic acid, folate, fiber, vitamin C, phosoporous and manganese.
Sweet Corn Recipes
It’s hard to improve on the classic way to eat corn — on the cob. But if anyone knows how to do so, it’s the residents of Eden. The following recipes were collected by the town’s festival organizers.
Eden Corn Au Gratin
(Makes 6 servings)
Ingredients:
6 ears fresh corn
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded
and finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Melt butter or margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender; stir in flour and then add milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened and is smooth. Remove from heat; add corn, cheddar cheese, eggs, sugar, salt and pepper.
Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Set into a shallow pan of hot water and bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Avocado-Corn Salsa
(Yields 1½ cups)
Ingredients:
2 small or medium ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced hot green
chile peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, gently combine avocado, corn kernels, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, chile peppers and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to be served.
Corn Festivals
• Eden Corn Festival, Aug. 5-8, New York, 716-992-9141, edencornfest.com
• North Ridgeville Corn Festival, Ohio, Aug. 13-15, 440-218-9802, nrcornfest.org
• Tecumseh Corn Festival, Aug. 26-29, Ontario, 519-735-2184, tecumseh.ca
• Youngsville Corn Festival, Aug. 20-22, Pennsylvania, 814-563-4604, youngsvillepa.org/festival