Corn Time!

Well...it is still hot! The heat makes me a bit grouchy and I think it also makes me hungry. I’m not sure if it is because I know that I don’t want to heat up the house by cooking that makes me think about food even more, but I think a lot about what I could be eating. If I was cooking. One thing that I do love about this time of year is that it is time for fresh corn on the cob. I love fresh corn. I remember liking it as a little girl and I still can’t wait for it to be corn time.

It seems that corn time lasts a relatively short time. It’s not long enough for me anyway. I want fresh corn to be on for months, not just weeks. I guess that is why I always did a lot of canning at corn time; always frozen corn, dried corn, sometimes creamed corn, I even tried freezing the corn on the cob but didn’t love it. One thing I do like to make these days is corn relish. I’ve made this off and on for years. It used to be fun just to eat with a meal now I love it as a dip.

I mix black beans, corn relish, fresh Pico de Gallo or even canned petite diced tomatoes and chopped onion will work. Whatever you like in a dip. Combine and serve with Fritos “scoops” or tortilla chips. So good AND easy. When you bottle the corn relish, you can throw this dip together in minutes, any time of the year. This year I'll experiment and see if I can make the corn relish from reconstituted, dried corn.
Corn Relish
10 cups corn
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. chopped sweet red pepper
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 T. salt
1 ½ c. sugar
2 ½ T. mustard seed
1 t. celery seed
½ t. turmeric
2 ½ c. white vinegar
2 c. water
Drop ears of corn in boiling water. Boil 5 minutes. Dip in cold water. Cut from cob; measure. Combine corn with remaining ingredients and boil 15 minutes. Pack into sterilized canning jars to within ½”of top. Put on cap, screw band tight. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Y: 5-6 pints.