Local foods in season - a whole meal

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My favorite time of year is here!  Ripe tomatoes & sweet corn are coming into season!!

Last night, my husband and I sat down to a great meal with our sons.  Halfway through the meal, I realized that every item on our plates was grown within 15 miles of our home.

We had grass-fed beef, sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, and roasted eggplant.  The green beans came from our farm plot garden, and everything else came from local farmers.  My own tomatoes & eggplant aren't ripe yet, but there is one nearby farmer whose are and I was more than happy to support her at Saturday's market.

I don't grow sweet corn, it just takes up too much land and is already so abundant here, so I always buy from local farmers to eat fresh and freeze for winter. Let me tell you, if you live near me here in Northern Illinois and buy your fresh sweet corn in the store... stop!  It's really so much better when it's very fresh.  Local farmers who sell their sweet corn pick it daily to sell.  Try an ear of just-picked sweet corn, then compare it to that weeks-old ear you got from the store.  If you still think it was worth saving 2 nickels by buying it at the store, then you can call me crazy.

As for the tomatoes, I purchased 2 pounds from the only grower who has any yet, brought them home, and... between myself, my mother, and my 4 year-old son, they were gone within a few hours.  Delicious.  I had my first peach tomato - I've seen them in seed catalogs, and let me tell you that after tasting one they might be on my growing list for next year. 

It was a great meal, best meal I've had in a long time. 

I also began putting up our garden-grown green beans today.  I prefer to blanch & freeze mine, it's much easier than canning.

Hope you're all enjoying the fruits of summer!!!

Midwest Food Tradition ... corn boil

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Recently, I've read several books and articles dealing with America's lack of food culture. Compared with the rest of the world, I suppose it's true that we don't have nearly as many aspects of our culture that revolve entirely around food. Think Italy, Tuscany in particular, and you can see how we are lacking here.

I do disagree that we have no food culture at all! Especially regional food cultures - the South has their specialty foods, the east coast their seafood, the Midwest has a few that I can think of - including.... sweet corn.


There are certainly celebrations here when the first of the sweet corn is ready. Think "corn boil". This is basically a party where massive amounts of corn on the cob are boiled and dipped in butter. Other regional foods may be served, such as brats and chocolate chip cookies.



We attend a local corn boil each summer. It's the most fun! Our sons always have a blast.



It's located on a farm. A local church sponsors it. The sweet corn comes from a farm located less than a mile away and picked earlier that day. The corn is boiled in a huge cast iron kettle.

There is so much fun for the kids. There is an oval barn with a basketball court and slide inside, a clown making balloon animals, a corn maze, petting zoo, playground equipment, a magician, live music by the church choir, and more.



It's a great time that we make sure not to miss.

We in America are not completely lost in a sea of fast food. We do have some food traditions that are our own!










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