A Kernel Fixation? I Think Not...

Lest you think that I've been forced at gunpoint to include some snippet of information about corn in every blog, I want to clear the air by saying that it's hard enough for me to mention something related to produce once I get going off on a tangent, so bear with me. But this is the last 'cornblog', I promise (with crossed toes).

In Northern Illinois, there is a groundswell of discontent. It concerns the hot topic of Mirai (trademark, copyright, patent, etc.) sweet corn. And so, children...read the story of little Mirai from infancy:

http://parkcorn.com/

...and then how Mirai is promoted, compliments of its marketing arm, longtime grower Twin Garden Farms of Harvard, IL:

http://www.twingardenfarms.com/

From this, one is led to believe that the Mirai seed produces sweet corn so good, so high in sugar content, and so shelf-life-friendly that I wouldn't be surprised if it cured the mange as well.

Fortunately for my readership, from my trusty farmstand up the street, I've tried Mirai as well as the sweet corn they had the two weeks before that. But before I give you my verdict, I'd like to qualify myself as an expert by saying that back in my college days, when on a shoestring (more like threadbare) budget we would occasionally pilfer corn from the field outside town. It wasn't until later on that we discovered that we had been stealing, cooking & eating field corn, the kind fit for pigs. Yep, there's a line in there somewhere...

Anyway, I didn't do a side-by-side scientific study, but I did grill-roast normal in-season Illinois bi-color one day, and grill-roasted some Mirai a few days down the line, both for around 35 minutes on indirect heat. And I found......that they both were very, very good--tasty, crunchy, full of flavor. Both tasted like they could be consumed raw, although that sounds a bit psychotic to me. I just like sweet corn, and truthfully don't care how I get it.

But oh, the gnashing of kernels, from those who love their Mirai, and from others who think it a bunch of hooey. Check out this thread from my most favorite Chicago-based food forum, a website that has turned me onto countless great restaurants & recipes:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4676

Me thinks that the post near the bottom of page two, 'tgf', might be from someone associated with Twin Garden Farms. Gee, you think?

All for now, I'd just like to get corn like this in January, you know?

Later,

Jay