Sweet Corn Season Posted Aug 17, 2012 -Is summer even possible
without fresh corn? There are those first tender local ears
snapped up at the farmers market or grocers, the giant roasted
corn-on-the-cob sold at the State Fair, and the butter-slathered
corn served at any number of backyard barbecues and holiday
weekend picnics. So enjoy sweet corn while it's in season. And
when you've had enough straight off the cob, try some of these
recipes for different takes on a summer favorite. THREE THINGS
TO KNOW ABOUT CORN -- Corn is considered America's first crop.
Native to North America, corn was cultivated in what's now
Mexico more than 6,000 years ago. Corn still ranks as the No. 1
crop in the United States, prompted by demand for corn for fuel
(ethanol) as well as food. Corn is also used as fiber and in
bioplastics. -- Production is on the rise. In 2009, U.S. farmers
produced 13.1 billion bushels of corn, an all-time record and 20
percent more than was produced in 2000. Less than 1 percent is
sweet corn -- the ty