The Pioneer Women of Gatwick – Learning to Make the Best Corn on the Planet

I recently spent the day learning how to make the best corn off the cob EVER from my husband’s Aunt and Mom.

No, no, no, People. This is not narsty creamed corn. This is the corn Aunt Charlotte makes. The kind that family members circle like sharks when it appears as part of the offering at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I’ve even fantasized about having a fake coughing fit into it on my way through the food line, in the hopes everyone would no longer want it so it could be mine….ALL MINE!!! Muah haa haa haaa!

It’s that good.

Aunt Charlotte learned how to make it from her mother and we presume she learned it from her mother.

Frankly, I was stoked to get the the call to come learn how to make it and wondered as I got ready to head over to Gatwick Place if we would also be having some kind of YaYa Sisterhood-like candle-lit ritual as part of the process. But there were no headdresses or candle-lit chants over a pot of golden corn.

Fortunately for you, it’s not a secret, so I have been cleared to tell it to the world through TheMommyhood.com. We made a ton with the intention to freeze it, hence the large quantities that follow. Adjust according to your own quantity.

Step 1. Buy corn. From a farmer or farmer’s market. Naturally, different kinds of corn are available at different times of year. I learned the preference for the Pioneer Women of Gatwick is a white corn called Silver Queen. But that wasn’t available, so Aunt Charlotte got 12 dozen ears of Peaches and Cream (yellow and white corn) from a local farmer for $48.

peaches and cream corn

She said there were a lot of people scurrying around to get the corn. In my mind it was kind of like the running of the brides. The running of the corn, who knew!?!?

Step 2. Shuck the corn. The kids helped.

Step 3. Wash the corn. The kids helped with that, too.

Step 4. Cut the corn off the cob. Took me a while to get the hang of it, but basically you set the tip of the corn in a shallow dish and use a paring knife to make shallow cuts off the corn, cutting all sides about three times. Then you take the knife and rake it across the cob in a downward motion scraping all the “milk” off of it into the bowl. With three of us working on 144 ears of corn, it took a couple of hours to do. We had a good time cutting up the corn and cutting up with each other in Aunt Charlotte’s kitchen. Tips: Wear an apron, the corn “milk” splatters. For easier clean up, consider taping newspaper to the backsplash near the place you are cutting corn.

Step 5. Melt a stick of butter in a wok. Add the a large mound of cut corn, two tablespoons of sugar and a 1/2 cup of water. You adjust the sugar and water ingredients based on the amount of corn you have. (It’s not an exact process, so just wing it).

Step 6. Cook the corn on just under medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes until “glistening.”

Just into the pan corn.

Glistening.

Step 7. Allow to cool. Then measure and bag the corn. We did 2-cup bags and tried to remove all the air from the bags when we closed them up.

Step 8. Freeze the corn. It’s probably not a bad idea to write the date on the bag, too.

And…enjoy summer corn year-round! To cook the corn, thaw it ahead of time in the refrigerator. Heat in a pan with 1/2 stick of butter for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve. It’s a good thing there will be no leftovers, because that would just guarantee a fight.

Thanks, Aunt Charlotte and Miss Mammy for showing me the way to the golden corn. Love you guys!


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16 Responses to The Pioneer Women of Gatwick – Learning to Make the Best Corn on the Planet

  1. Julia July 12, 2011 at 8:52 pm #

    SOOOO hate you right now. I miss that so much. You better freeze us a bag for turkey day!!!

    • Heather July 12, 2011 at 11:04 pm #

      Charlotte has the bulk of it, but we are supposed to make more later in the month. I’m sure there will be corn at Thanksgiving.

  2. Rachel July 12, 2011 at 8:53 pm #

    I put up seven dozen ears a couple of summers ago. It didn’t last long though. I think we ate it all by Fall. It’s wonderful.

    I made some this week while we were at the beach. It’s like candy!

    Good Southern traditions!

    • Heather July 12, 2011 at 10:59 pm #

      Great description. It is like candy. Curious if you make it the same way. We’ll have to talk…

  3. RArt July 12, 2011 at 9:58 pm #

    “Shucks” – I can’t help but giving you an a”mazing” “ear” full of “corny” jokes about your posting but I am afraid that you will sic “Kernal” Molly on me or something. I realize that my jokes may be rough as a “cob” sometimes but occasionally I find myself in left “field”.

    • Heather July 12, 2011 at 10:58 pm #

      You took all the good ones. So, all I can say is you need professional help, Rusty. Did Carla see this one?

  4. Jamie July 13, 2011 at 7:38 am #

    Oh my WORD this sounds and looks amazing. I love good corn. It is like candy.

    You’re corn commentary is HILARIOUS girl! (running of the corn…ha ha). Hey, it could get dangerous. Your Aunt Charlotte should wear a bike helmet next time.

    • Heather July 13, 2011 at 11:56 am #

      Thanks, Jamie. This corn will rock your world. Someone else described good corn like candy too and I think that is the perfect description. Hope you have a great day!
      Heather

  5. Calie @ Broccoli Cupcake July 13, 2011 at 9:18 pm #

    This post cracked me up :) And now I can’t wait to get to the farmer’s market so I can try this recipe and stock up for fall and winter. I hope I don’t have to fight anyone to get the good ears ;-)

    • Heather July 13, 2011 at 9:51 pm #

      Take it to Thanksgiving and you will be a hero. ;) Hope you love it as much as we do, Calie.

  6. Andrea July 14, 2011 at 9:04 am #

    Farmer’s Market here I come!

    • Heather July 14, 2011 at 9:26 am #

      You won’t regret it. Unless you buy too much corn. 144 ears was a LOT! Hope you enjoy it, Andrea.

  7. Amy July 14, 2011 at 1:06 pm #

    Oooooh. Can’t wait to make this!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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