Fresh Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is the epitome of summer. But I didn't eat it for years because I could not find it organically-grown.

I'll buy a lot of produce from no-spray farmers, but not corn. No-spray farmers commit to not using chemicals on their plants, but they can start with non-organic seed. Organic farmers must use organic seed, and I want corn that is grown from organic seed, not genetically-modified seed. I don't want to put one dime into Monsanto's pocket. Apart from the disturbing health effects, there's something wrong with eating seeds that have been genetically modified to be all alike.

(Democracy Now reported in Jan. 2010 that a study in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that Monsanto's genetically-modified corn helped cause organ damage in rats. The study’s author called Monsanto’s GM methods "a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health.")

My mother told me recently about a series on CBC radio by David Suzuki called The Bottom Line. The episode that got her attention included an interview with a seed-saver in India. Vandana Shiva said there used to be more than 300 varieties of rice. Different seeds grew in different conditions. One even grew in salt water. After the 2004 tsunami, a lot of land was salinated, and the genetically-modified rice could not grow in it. However, this seed-saving eco-activist sent the farmers rice seeds that thrive in the salty soil. Feeding the hungry: science can't do it, nature can.

That's why I only eat organic corn on the cob. I believe in diversity in all its forms. Organic has it. GMOs don't.

Last week Finley Farms at the Hollywood Farmers Market had organic corn. I bought six ears and we have relished them. Later I'll use fresh corn in cooked dishes like risotto and bean stews, but the first ears are saved for pure corn-on-the-cob enjoyment. Boiled for seven minutes, they don't even need butter, salt or pepper.

This weekend, if Larry lights the barbecue, I'll peel back the husks to rip out the silks, layer the husks back on the kernels and tie them with string, then soak them for 20 minutes or so while he's heating the coals. Then he'll cook them in their husks over the coals (about 20 minutes) for an even more intense fresh corn flavor.

But only if Finley Farms has more of that great organic corn.